Want to start the new year off on the right foot? Well, you’ll have to clean and organize your apartment! Check out these apartment decluttering secrets!
In a perfect world, everyone would have a clean and organized apartment.
But alas, life takes over. After a while, you find yourself staring at your apartment in disbelief. There’s so much stuff you can’t see what’s underneath it all!
Even though dealing with clutter is a part of life, there are techniques you can apply to wrangle the mess.
Are you ready to try some? Check out these five decluttering secrets for 2020. These tips will get your apartment back in shape for the upcoming year.
Plus, you can apply these tips not only in 2020 but in the years to come!
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1. Make Room for New Stuff
Whenever a new year comes around, new stuff comes with it. The holiday season alone can add mountains of clutter to your apartment. That, combined with items you already own, can result in an overstuffed apartment.
It’s normal to jazz up the apartment with new things from time to time. For example, you may have to buy new furniture every once in a while. But, you should focus on decluttering first.
The more you add to your apartment, the more difficult it will be to sort through it all. So for every new thing you bring in, try to get rid of one or two things you no longer need.
And be responsible about acquiring things, too. If a friend invites you to go shopping, politely decline or just go to accompany them.
The same goes for online shopping as well. There will always be online deals, but that doesn’t mean you should buy into them. Literally!
Instead, focus on decluttering your apartment by bringing things out and not inside.
2. Get Rid of Duplicates
Do you have a lot of doubles taking over your apartment? Two blenders? Two toasters? Consider keeping one of each item and giving the other away. It’s easy to think you need a backup of everything, but that’s how things build up over time.
In some cases, you may need duplicates. For example, it’s normal to have a few sweaters and multiple forks (in fact, you probably should have a few sweaters and multiple forks).
As for other belongings, take a good hard look at everything you have and get rid of the doubles. You can either donate, sell, or hand off your extra items. If you’re having trouble moving or getting rid of bulkier items, you could always use rubbish removal specialists to help you declutter. The good news is that by eliminating some of the clutter, you’ll free up some space. The idea is to declutter, minimize, and get organized.
3. Don’t Use Lids on Storage Containers
This one may sound crazy. But, throwing your lids away can help you stay organized.
Of course, if you need to stack several storage bins on top of one another, then lids are essential. But if you’re not stacking them, you don’t need the top!
When your storage bins are covered, it’s easy to forget what’s inside them. You won’t go through them very often, and they might even become catch-alls for your clutter. You could end up with several storage containers in the closet that you don’t even open until it’s time to move out.
No one can do without containers because they’re perfect for organizing things. But, keep in mind that too many of them with lids can do more harm than good.
4. Go Paperless
If you let paper pile up, it can really start to take over your apartment. Pretty soon, your desk, mail basket, and filing cabinets will be overrun with junk paper.
Most people are trying to go paperless, or at least trying to use less. You can do the same.
There are a few things you can do to cut back on how much paper ends up in your apartment:
- Unsubscribe to catalogs
- Request to receive bank statements via email
- Scan important mail and throw the paper away
- Get receipts sent to your email instead of receiving a printed version
- Subscribe to your favorite magazines digitally
You won’t be able to prevent every piece of paper from entering your apartment. But, you can take measures to protect yourself from paper clutter.
5. Set Up a Routine
To keep your apartment organized, you should set up a cleaning schedule. It requires a little bit of diligence, but if you stick with it, you’ll have a happy and tidy home.
Create a routine that works with your schedule. But make sure that it’s a priority. If you want an organized apartment, you have to clean it regularly.
Don’t let everything else become more important than your cleaning schedule. Otherwise, you’ll end up right back at square one with a messy apartment.
We recommend doing a thorough cleaning once a week. Vacuuming and dusting are essential, but organizing everything else is equally as important.
Look for items that are out of place, such as collecting dirty socks in the living room. After locating the culprits, put them back where they belong. It’s time to come up with other systems that’ll speed up the process.
Before you know it, you’ll look forward to your weekly cleaning schedule!
In Summary
Decluttering your home is pretty therapeutic. Take the time to sort through your stuff and apply these methods, and you’ll see what we mean!
It may take some time, but it’s time well-spent. We hope you take these tips to heart. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to thriving in a clutter-free apartment.
And what can be better than that?
[Client bio]
Ryan Sundling is a Group Marketing Manager at Cardinal Group Management and works closely with Wildwood Baton Rouge to help them with their marketing efforts. He has over ten years of experience in the student housing industry.
