Tips for optimizing small spaces
April 10, 2013Introducing The FamCave
April 15, 2013
After a long winter, spring is finally in sight. Before the season is in full bloom and outdoor chores pile up, take advantage of spring showers to tackle the indoors first with easy home cleaning and organizing projects. To get your home in tip-top shape, start by breaking down your to-do list room by room, so you can create an easily achievable goal that will leave your house looking fabulous and you feeling refreshed.
- Restore beauty in the bath
The bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms in the house, but it can also be the one with the biggest mess. Vanities often become a magnet for clutter. Everything, from towels to toiletries, curling irons to cotton balls, can take over this space and make cleaning a nuisance. Start by reducing your items. Marry any of your multiple containers of the same product into one container. Then, recycle the empty containers to create more space.
Once your cleaning is complete, add drawer organizers, baskets and other accessories to neatly store all necessities. Then add towel bars, robe hooks and shelves as they are easy, inexpensive and decorative additions to help prevent items from ending up on the floor or countertop.
- Clean and clever kitchens
Next, move to the kitchen, a favorite gathering place … and one of the dirtiest rooms in the house. Begin by sorting through cupboards to weed out any unused products, such as specialized appliances, expired pantry foods and containers with missing lids. If it’s broken or hasn’t been used in a year, it’s time to get rid of it. You’ll instantly achieve valuable cabinet storage – as well as eliminate objects that collect dust and bacteria.
Now, start from the top and give your kitchen a thorough cleaning – including tops of cabinets and appliances – and finish with a good scrubbing of the floors. Finally, focus on updating the germiest area of the kitchen – the sink. There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the sink drain alone, according to Health Magazine. And that doesn’t include regularly touched items, such as your sponge and faucet.
- Refreshed laundry room
The laundry room, since it is often located near the frequently used garage entry, can become a catch-all for everything from cleaners to coats, and shoes to shop vacs. Free yourself of this clutter by organizing and giving everything its proper place. Items often get stashed on the horizontal surfaces – such as the floor or on top of the washer and dryer – so look to the vertical surfaces of the room to create new, more appropriate places.
Adding wall cabinets is an ideal place to add storage (and keep things neatly hidden). Wall hooks dedicated to each family member can neatly hold coats, scarves and bags. Installing shelves in the coat closet can provide additional room on top and below the garment bar. Over-the-door storage racks can house frequently used items, such as brooms or shoes.
With a few upgrades and organization to key rooms, your home will look its best and the new-found organization will energize your spirit just in time to enjoy the spring season.