Living in an apartment, especially a tiny condo can be challenging to keep clean and organize. This is even harder if you have lots of personal items stacked in there. But there’s no excuse for not cleaning and organizing your living space. So, how do you keep your internal space clean and organized?
With your demanding work schedule, cleaning your condo daily can be intimidating. Therefore, the best way to ensure your space is clean is to organize your apartment in the right way. There are tons of ideas on arranging your apartment, starting from your clothes, shoes to utensils.
Here are 11 helpful tips to keep your apartment clean and organized.
Don’t Ignore the Power of a Storage Unit
Remember to invest in a storage unit if you want to keep your internal space organized. Overcrowding items in your apartment will cramp your place for nothing when you have a storage alternative out of your home. Depending on how long you’ve been in that apartment, there’s a possibility that your item ratio could surpass the amount of space in your tiny condo.
Take advantage of spaces such as the garage, basement, and shed if they’re available. Remember, the goal is to leave your apartment eternally organized, which means keeping away some items. If you don’t have garage space or a basement, rent a storage unit and keep away the things you’re not going to need anytime soon.
Learn to Declutter
Letting go of some of your precious items is a big decision, but you have to make it. Sometimes your apartment will only be filled up with things you don’t even use. Think of that small plastic chair you bought when you started being independent. What about that old mattress you no longer use. Not to mention piles of clothing in your closet that are no longer fitting.
Decluttering is the easiest way to create more room in your apartment and have an easier time organizing. Get rid of all the items that no longer add value to you. You can either donate them to those in need or sell them as secondhand items.
Make Use of the Wall Space
Don’t leave some of your items to wander on the floor space, yet they can fit your wall. Hang your favorite things such as hats and coats on the walls instead of leaving them to occupy your valuable closet.
Different types of clothing could end up taking your extra drawer space for nothing. Purchase a corkboard and tack them with enough plastic tacks to enable you to suspend your lovely collection of headwear. You can also install nails and hooks on your wall if you’re comfortable with it. If you’re living in a rental apartment, then consult your property owner before installing the nails on the apartment.
Avoid Leaving Dirty Dishes in Your Kitchen Sink
To ensure your kitchen looks organized all the time, get used to washing your dishes after every meal. If you have a roommate whom you usually dine together with, then cleaning dishes should never be an issue.
You can imply the golden rule of dishwashing, which states that if you’re the one who did the cooking, then the other person should do the dishwashing. Although this method cannot work for everyone, it’s an alternative to ensuring your dishes don’t lie on your sink for long. Always use possible means to keep your sink clean if you want your kitchen always organized.
Make Your Bed and Keep it Clean
Don’t be that kind of a person who pops out of bed, leaving the bedding all disorganized. Making and cleaning your bed is a habit you should develop every morning before stepping out of your condo. This will keep things around you clean.
Keep your bedroom visually organized by cleaning it daily. A Clean bedroom also reduces the breeding surfaces for dust and debris. When your bedroom is tidy, then you won’t have to worry much about the rest of your rooms. It’s also healthy to sleep in a dust-free room.
File Away Your Documents
Gone are the days when people finished all the work in the office and never carried any work home. If you’re the kind who takes lots of documents and papers home, you also need to learn to do the cleaning. Working from home doesn’t mean that your apartment should look disorganized, with piles of documents lying everywhere.
Look for a better way to organize your files in order. Use a good filing system to make your home office look neat and organized. Keep your monthly bills and receipts in a proper file. Organize your important documents yearly. Don’t throw papers carelessly on the floor. Always make use of dustbins for all the trash.
Rearrange Your Living Room
Living space seems to be the most frequented area in an apartment. Think of rarely used pieces of furniture lying in your living space. They can quickly be overrun by allergens, which might cause health problems in your space. The secret to staying away from trouble is organizing and cleaning the living space.
Switch other furniture to different places or get rid of those that don’t add any value to your home. Arranging furniture in your living space will not only keep off dirt and dust from your space, but it will allow fresh air to flow in your room. It will also make your room look organized and spacious.
Try Going Low and High on Your Storage
Don’t make your floor stuffy when you’ve got vertical spaces in your interior. Make both your closets and living area look neat by installing a simple set of brackets and a piece of plywood. Your winter clothes, guest linens, and unused toys will do well inside boxes and baskets. Don’t let them scatter everywhere in your condo.
If you can’t go high, then try going low. Make good use of your furniture. Stash extra items under the bed. There’s no better way of keeping your bedroom organized than placing your items under the bed.
Use a Laundry Room and a Slam-Dunk to Keep Your Dirty Clothes
Doing your laundry daily isn’t easy. On the same note, having a spill of dirty clothes on your floor can quickly change your clean-looking room into a chaotic living environment. To avoid such, buy a laundry hamper with a lid to keep your dirty clothes intact.
A laundry hamper with a lid can hold clothes for up to one week, while the top covers the clothes until you find the right time to clean them. You can also keep a basket in your bathroom to declutter if you don’t have a laundry room.
You can also hang a collapsible basket on the hook behind your door if you don’t feel safe with the hamper. You can easily throw in dirty laundry and towels and remove the bag when you’re ready to wash them. Don’t let piles of clothes lie everywhere when storage is very simple.
Take Care of Your Little Items
As you store your items, ensure you organize the loose odds and ends as well. When organizing your apartment, don’t overlook things that can pile up in your space. Use clips and clamps to organize all your cords in one place. This will enable you to access them when in need.
For your mail, magazines, files, and papers, you can come up with your file cabinet for proper storage. Use cardboard boxes to create storage space for these documents. This will help you get rid of any pile of papers that might be lying in your interior. Ensure you hang dangling items such as jewelry, bags, key chains, and scarves.
You can easily organize these odds and ends by attaching hooks to your wall. Craft a vertical accessory rack to hang your purses, necklaces, keys, and earrings where you can easily spot them. You can also hide your jewelry pieces behind a hinged mirror if you don’t like the hanging idea.
Clean Out Your Countertops
Nothing makes your room look messy other than a dirty countertop. Why put your toiletries on countertops if you have storage containers around? Maximize your valuable space by utilizing the storage containers you have to hold your toiletries. Think of the best way you can store your hairdryer without cluttering your countertop.
Hanging a rectangular wire basket on the side of your bathroom will offer you great peace of mind with your toilet gadgets. If you live in a large apartment with other roommates, invest in several baskets to keep your items separately. This will practically reduce in-house arguments concerning clutter.
Keep Your Dresser on Check
Drawers make the best option for clothing storage. But they can easily get messy when you become indecisive with your dressing. Also, failing to fold your clothes in the right way can leave your drawer disorganized.
Make sure you fold your clothes and store them vertically in your drawers to make your dresser look organized. Create more space for your clothes by organizing your drawer. Make drawer organization a recurring task because clothes keep getting messy. You can dedicate weekends to organize your drawer or closet.
Summary
Turning every room in your apartment into an organized and functional space doesn’t have to be a daunting task. It’s a simple task that needs pre-panning and dedication. Time is the essence when organizing your space. To save time and avoid dealing with piles of clutter everywhere, return every item to its rightful place every time you’re done using it. Always learn to pick after yourself and save time.
