I have talked before about decluttering your home and different ways to approach decluttering (see my posts) but I’m today’s post I am talking about several areas which, by tidying up, can make your home look less cluttered!
Entryway:
First impressions are lasting impressions! Be sure that the entryway that guests use to enter your house isn’t messy!
Shoes:
Whether or not you insist on guests taking their shoes off when they enter the house, I know very few houses that don’t have shoes by the front door. There are many nice benches that have pull out storage, or try having a tray or a basket for shoes is also a way to corral your shoes if your entry is tight on space!
Mail:
I am always shocked at how many people complain about mail piling up in their entryway- who have a cute little tray labeled “Mail” sitting in their entry. If you don’t want to collect mail in your entryway- don’t put a spot for mail there!
Counters:
Your kitchen counter – is one area people notice when they walk into your home. Even if you have stuff in the rest of your home if you clear your kitchen counter it will give your home an open airy feel!
How to do this?
Do you have canisters on your counter? Try only keeping out one or two (like the flour and sugar), try keeping canisters in the cupboard, or even eliminating them all together!
By keeping only the things you actually use out on your counter. For us this looks like; our coffee maker, coffee canister and a small thing of sugar, (insert affiliate link for coffee maker), and a tray corralling a cutting board, a hot plate and salt and pepper- ok I have a few extras on here but not too many! 😉
Paperwork and Mail:
The main thing is with mail- do not bring it in and set it on the counter!! Go over to your trash or better yet, your recycling bin, and immediately sort through your mail upon entering the house. Any mail for any other member of the family place in locations where they will see it!!
Having piles of paper, and mail is a definite way to make your house look cluttered. In your living room you could place a magazine rack to neatly hold any current magazines- just purge periodically so it doesn’t become a dumping ground!
Squirrel it Away:
There are some things that are hard to eliminate completely; so if you can’t beat it- hide it! Having a beautiful box on your desk is also a good place to get mail out of sight.
You can also sneak twist ties, rubber bands and other such items in a cute pitcher in your kitchen. This keeps your area looking clean- and keeps your item within easy reach!
This can make your home look less cluttered without decluttering!
Books:
I can’t talk too much in this area- books are one area where I seem to be blind to clutter! I can even admit that no, I am not in fact reading all 8 of those books, 4 magazines, and the book on my tablet at the same time. Look around your surfaces and see if you have several books that need to be reshelved for a different time!
Wires and Cords:
Having a mess of wires instantly junks up your home- not listen cords are a part of modern life- I get that! But that huge tangle by your tv? Ugg. one idea is to place a command hook behind your tv stand and hook your cords on there. If you have wires from lights, try to tuck them under or behind furniture, and if nothing else, use a tie and loop up the extra length of wire you then at least you don’t have an extra 4 feet of cord lying around!
Bathrooms
Counter:
Bathrooms are notorious for being dumping grounds for more bottles, sprays and lotions than I can count. Try keeping as much of these as possible in storage under the sink. If you don’t have room in under sink storage- try decluttering for real- but if you are still short on space then coral loose items on a tray- a tray really does help the space to look neater!
Other Storage:
I’m sure you wouldn’t do this but please- don’t just sit extra rolls of toilet paper on the back of your toilet! Get a cute basket and sit the rolls in the basket on the back of your toilet, or if space allows, install some shelving above your toilet.
Open shelving is the most updated look, but you can also try hanging a cabinet above your toilet as well.
You can then use this storage for toilet paper, towels, tissues, and whatever else you are needing to store!
I hope these tips give you some ideas of ways you can quickly and easily make your home feel more curated, and help you feel less stressed! Know anyone else who might enjoy these tips? Please share this post with a friend- that is how this blog grows and helps me to keep bringing you posts like this one! Thanks!
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