Clutter limits the brain’s ability to process information. It distracts you and makes you irritable, at work and at home. So says the study conducted by researchers from the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute.
The good news is that being organized has health benefits. Yay! You consume less energy and you gain mental clarity.
Now, imagine a clean and organized desk at work, then going home to enter your clean and decluttered home. It’s a nice thought, isn’t it? Stress-free. But, how do you start living this kind of life?
Below is a list of brilliant organizing hacks you can try at home to organize your living room, bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. Some of these are borderline genius!
1. Make use of rain gutters to hang shoes or organize books.
Rain gutters are more than just for water catchment.
They can make a pretty bookshelf for kids’ books (securing any sharp edges of course) or can be used to organize your shoes.
You can do it like this:
or like this:
2. Use metal boards to organize your make up.
Get creative and fashion a metal board into a fancy frame. Choose a theme or select vintage-style wallpapers. Attach small magnets to the back of your make up with a tape or glue and stick it on the board.
Goodbye messy boudoir!
Here’s how it will look:
3. Have a double-purpose ottoman.
You can buy an ottoman like this, or transform your current one into this organizer. Hide items you no longer have space for.
4. Put pot lids in a magazine rack.
Pot lids are hard to store since they can’t be stacked. The best way to arrange them in an organized manner is to make use of a magazine rack. Screw the magazine rack inside a cupboard or a similar preferred space.
Here’s how it would look:
5. Keep your spices in magnetic containers and stick them on the fridge.
This is a great, creative idea.
If ready-made containers aren’t available, use lightweight / plastic ones. Tape or glue a magnet on the bottom.
Align them on the fridge and it’s an instant decorative piece – plus you’ve minimized kitchen clutter.
6. Store cleaning supplies in a shoe organizer.
Hang the shoe organizer in your cleaning closet, laundry cupboard or wherever you can easily access it when you need to clean the house.
7. Keep tools and equipments organized with pegboards.
You can have this pegboard in the garage or in a spare room where you store these materials.
You can make smaller versions to organize other things. It can be used in the kitchen to store pots, or in the bedroom to hang accessories, or be used to keep tools neat.
8. Tame annoying cords through toilet paper rolls.
Collect your toilet paper rolls. Cover them with colorful paper and store your cords inside the rolls for a more organized look.
9. Hang ties, belts and scarves in shower hooks
Secure the hooks to the hanger. Hang your scarves on one hanger and put the belts on another.
You can also include bags in this trick. Use individual hooks for bags since they are heavier.
10. Save closet space by offsetting hangers with aluminium can tabs.
The tab lets you add more stuff on a hanger without claiming space on your closet’s rod.
Choose sturdy hangers, insert the tabs and drop another hanger in the tab.
11. Add dividers in closet spaces for folded clothes.
Usually, top closet spaces are not shelved. To make neat piles out of folded clothes, or towels and sheets, add in dividers.
You can buy these dividers per piece in most homewares stores.
12. Add velcro to appliance cords to avoid cord mess.
Appliances with their short cords dangling are often a source of annoyance.
Fan, space heaters, aircon or crock pot cords and body can be fastened with velcro.
13. Divide drawers with the use of empty cereal boxes.
Save your cereal boxes and cut them in half. Cover them with colorful paper and use them to divide spaces inside your drawer.
These dividers can be used to store things like clips, buttons, jewelry and other small items that usually clutter your drawers.
14. Maximize space in bathrooms using vertical storage.
Bathrooms are often small and offer only limited storage soace.
Horizontal cabinets, however, can help save you space. A rack like this is practical and stylish.
15. Use a 3 in 1 product dispenser for your bathroom.
Mount this dispenser on the wall and buy your shampoo, conditioner and body wash in bulk.
There’ll be no more battling with shampoo bottles – and you’ll get a clutter free shower.
16. Repurpose an old ladder as a towel rack.
You can repurpose an old ladder for your towels.
Polish this old ladder and prop it up in your shower room. This will lend a zen feel to your shower routine.
17. Make a secret closet under your bed.
This storage area can be used to keep your seasonal bedding that gets used for only a few months of the year.
18. Use a cork board for jewelry.
Secure a message board made of cork somewhere in your bedroom.
Push pins can hold earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
19. Use pull out baskets for your fridge.
Put your fruits and veggies in pull-out baskets.
They help to utilize the space in a clean and organized way.
20. Store sheets inside a matching pillowcase.
Fold sheets and slide them inside the matching pillow case to keep everything together.
21. Use a PVC pipe or magazine holder to store curling irons.
Curling irons and hair straighteners can be annoying to store. But every woman I know has one! Some have multiples!
To keep the cords out of your way, store them like this.
22. Use stick-on storage containers on your cabinet doors.
These stick-on containers come in various shapes and sizes.
They can be used to store make up, toothbrushes and nail polish.
23. When you buy something, give away something.
To keep your closet from overcrowding, when you buy new clothes, give away old ones.
Same goes for your shoes – and any other item in the house that can be spared.
24. Avoid hoarding mail, open it near trash bins.
Separate important mail from newsletters and junk mail.
Throw out anything that is of no use to you after you’ve read it. Then start sorting through the more important letters. Make an action pile and a ‘to be filed’ pile.
25. Do one room at a time.
When you’re decluttering, jumping from one room to another will not speed up the process.
Focus on a single room, and you’ll be more productive, identifying what can go and what can stay.
26. Velcro remote controls for your TV on the TV stand.
Remote controls often get lost in the nooks and crevices of the house.
If you apply this little trick, once you’ve finished using the remote it can be taped in its place right away.
27. Make use of Oprah’s hanger trick.
As seen on Oprah!
Hang all your clothes in a reverse direction, hangers facing the closet door. After wearing an item, put it back the other way, facing the back of the closet.
After several months, check which hangers are still facing the closet door. These clothes need to be thrown out or donated.
28. Get rid of items every time you clean.
Make cleaning your home a habit. And every time you do, make sure you throw away five un-useful items that take up space.
29. Make a corner catch-all shelf out of a magazine rack.
Choose a wooden magazine holder. You can make it yourself or buy one from a bookstore. Screw it int0 the wall and you’re done.
Use it for spare change, keys and bills.
30. Use area rugs sparingly.
Too many area rugs can make a room look cluttered.
Instead of area rugs, use good carpeting then top it with a statement rug. Consider the decor of you room and how the rug can make an interesting eye piece.
