While we all strive for a clutter-free home, limited space can sometimes make that challenging. This is how clutter is born, with small items accumulating and taking over precious space, making every room feel cramped and chaotic.
To avoid clutter in your home, consider taking a few simple steps to ensure you’re not wasting valuable space on nonessential items. By being mindful of what you keep and how you organize, you can create a more open and inviting environment. Here’s how you can take action.
Tame the tangle and use cable management
One of the biggest culprits of home clutter can be surprisingly mundane: cables. With every modern device requiring at least one, your space can quickly become a tangled mess.
The solution? Effective cable management. Velcro ties are a simple, reusable way to bundle cables together neatly. For a more streamlined look, consider using cable sleeves or tubes that group multiple cords while keeping them hidden. A cable management box can also help conceal power strips and excess cords, creating a tidy environment. You can even personalize the box to match your home’s décor if you’re feeling creative, turning it into an accent piece.
To get started, unplug and untangle all your cables, laying them out to assess the situation. Group them by purpose, like TV or gaming, and use markers or color coding for easy identification. Secure the cables along walls with clips or adhesive hooks for a neat appearance. For an even cleaner look, try cable raceways to hide cords along baseboards.
A handy tip: Avoid overtightening your ties so you can easily access cables when needed.
Choose furniture that does double duty
A proactive way to maintain a tidy home is by choosing multifunctional furniture that includes built-in storage. Style and comfort don’t have to be sacrificed this way either, keeping clutter out of sight and allowing you to maximize your space to its fullest potential.
For instance, a couch with a hidden storage compartment can be a game changer, providing a place to stash items while still serving as a convenient seating option.
Similarly, ottomans that double as storage units are perfect for quick access. Just lift the lid and tuck away your belongings effortlessly. With these smart solutions, you can enjoy a more organized living space from the get-go.
Designate a junk drawer for knickknacks
We all know the struggle of those endless knickknacks that somehow invade every corner of your home. Get ahead of the chaos by designating a specific drawer just for them. Toss all those small items into one place, and suddenly, your countertops are clear and finding what you need becomes much easier.
To take it a step further, use small dividers or organizers within the drawer to sort items like batteries, keys, or random tools. A little structure goes a long way in taming the knickknack takeover and keeps everything from turning into one big jumble.
Maximize your space with under-bed storage
Looking for a prime spot for hidden storage? Look no further than under your bed! This often-overlooked space is perfect for stashing winter coats, summer dresses or extra bedding and pillowcases, keeping them out of sight from guests.
If you have large, clunky luggage cluttering your home, slide it under the bed alongside other travel items for easy access.
For bulkier clothing items, consider using vacuum-sealed bags to save a ton of space. Alternatively, classic clear storage bins work well too, especially if they’re the rolling kind, as they make it easier to slide in and out.
Use floating shelves
A stylish way to render your home clutter-free is by adding floating shelves. These sleek shelves can instantly make a room feel more open and personalized, providing a minimalist alternative to bulky cabinets.
Instead of letting books and decorations pile up on tables, you can give them a new home on floating shelves, where they can enhance your décor while keeping your space tidy. They also provide the perfect space for showcasing collections or displaying photos.
You can also place floating shelves near your TV to hide cable boxes and gaming consoles, turning clutter into a decorative feature. Plus, they make great nightstand alternatives for phone chargers and lamps, and you can install them above your headboard to show off framed pictures and decorative pieces.
Declutter using magnetic strips
Got scissors or other metallic tools lying around? Grab some magnetic strips to clear the clutter and make your space feel more open. With this simple method, you can keep these items organized and accessible.
In the kitchen, magnetic strips can replace traditional drawers or knife blocks, freeing up valuable counter space while keeping your knives, ladles and tongs within reach for all your culinary adventures. For a clean look, attach magnetic spice jars to a metal strip inside a cabinet, keeping your spices organized and out of sight.
In your office, mount a magnetic strip near your desk to hold clips, pins and other small items that often go missing. You can even place one by the door for your keys, ensuring you always know where they are before heading out. You’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips.
Unlock extra space with self storage
If your home feels cramped or you’ve exhausted all available space, a self storage unit might be the perfect solution.
Items like old clothing and kids’ toys can contribute to clutter, so why not store them safely away? Seasonal decorations can also be rotated so that you can keep only the essentials at home and let the rest find a temporary home in storage.
When picking a storage unit, sizes like 5’x10’ or 10’x10’ are great options, but make sure to measure your items first. You don’t want to be stuck trying to squeeze a wardrobe into a unit that’s too small.
Not sure what size you need? You can always use a storage unit size calculator to manually input your items and find the best fit for your needs.
Clutter can sneak up on you, piling up without you even realizing it. To truly maximize your space, keeping your home clutter-free is essential. Start by managing cables effectively by using Velcro tape to wrap them neatly and tame the tangle. Opt for furniture pieces that come with built-in storage to help keep things organized.
If you’re short on storage options, don’t forget about the space under your bed; it’s a perfect spot for hiding away items and maintaining a clean look. And if your home simply can’t accommodate any more belongings, consider renting a storage unit.
How to Move a TV: The Right Way to Pack, Transport and Store Any Television
TVs rank among the most stressful items to move. They’re large, awkward to carry and one wrong move can leave you with a cracked screen or dead pixels. Modern LED, OLED, and QLED panels are significantly more fragile than the heavy TVs of the past. Their screens are thin, their internal components are delicate, and they’re designed to sit still on a stand, not ride in the back of a moving truck.
How to Store Bedding the Right Way (Without Smells or Flattened Fills)
If you’ve ever pulled a comforter out of storage and immediately caught a whiff of something musty, you know how frustrating it can be. Good quality bedding can be quite expensive, so you definitely want to keep what you own in pristine conditions.
Where to Get Moving Boxes in NYC: Your Complete Guide
Moving across New York City comes with all sorts of logistical puzzles. You’re working around narrow staircases, building freight elevators with limited hours, alternate-side parking windows, and doormen who’d rather you weren’t blocking the lobby with a dolly. The last thing you want to be scrambling for on top of all that is moving boxes.
How to Keep Personal Belongings Organized When Living Together
You dreamed of the Friends apartment. Or maybe just a tidy place where you and your roommate had your own corners of the world. For couples, living together was supposed to feel like home. For multigenerational living, it was supposed to bring everyone closer. What nobody warns you about is that living together introduces a whole new layer of organization in shared spaces. Your stuff, their stuff and everyone’s habits are competing for the same square footage.
Where to Donate Furniture in San Francisco: 6 Organizations That Make It Easy
San Francisco has no shortage of places to donate furniture, which is good news in a place where moving trucks seem to be a permanent part of the streetscape. Anyone who’s ever watched three friends pivot a couch around the tight corner of a San Francisco Victorian knows moving day here can turn into a spectator sport. Apartments change, roommates come and go and sometimes the couch that fit in one place might not make the trip to the next.
How to Store Ties: Closet, Drawer and Travel Scenarios
The best way to keep your ties wrinkle-free is to just learn how to properly store them. You can start by knowing to never store ties knotted, in tight rolls, or exposed to direct sunlight or heat (which causes discoloration). But there are a few extra steps you can take to ensure your ties stay in top form. Let’s go through all the places and ways you can store your ties, and you may never have to worry about a crumpled necktie again in your life.
How to Store Belts (Without any Hassle)
If you want to make sure you’re storing your belts properly, we get it. A belt might be a small part of an outfit, but small details can make a big difference. Belts have been part of clothing for thousands of years — dating back to the Bronze Age — and while their purpose has evolved, they remain both functional and personal. If you have a favorite leather belt, an expensive piece, or simply a few belts you want to keep looking their best, it’s worth knowing how to store them properly. The right method can help prevent creases, cracks, scratches and unnecessary wear.
Where to Donate Books in Chicago
As much as we don’t like giving up books, sometimes we just have to in order to create the mental and bookshelf space for new literary adventures. But we all want to make sure our books aren’t wasted and get a second life. Chicago has a generous network of organizations that will put your books back into the hands of readers who’ll treasure them. Here’s where to donate books in Chicago, based on our research.
How Snowbirds Handle Traveling South: Car Shipping and Storage at Your Winter Home
Every fall, millions of Americans are confronted with the same logistical puzzle: pack up one home, land in another, and somehow keep both places functional for months at a time. If you’re a snowbird, you know the challenge isn’t just the packing. It’s also figuring out what travels with you, what you leave behind, and what to do about the car.