While living in my college apartments, I realized that, without an organization method, I would easily run out of room in my cabinets and closets. If you’re lacking an organization system in your own apartment, Here are 5, in-depth tips on how to get every room to look and feel put together.
To organize every room in your entire apartment, you need the right organization supplies, you need to know how to take advantage of every inch of storage space you’re given, and you need to avoid bad habits that result in the build-up of clutter.
Organization doesn’t always involve putting stuff away. Sometimes, it’s just about making your stuff look presentable, even when it’s out in the open.
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Bedroom:
1. Take Advantage Of Containers
When it comes to arranging your things in your bedroom in an organized way, sometimes the drawers, closet shelves, under the bed, etc. don’t have enough space to hold everything neatly. That doesn’t mean that the apartment itself is too small; you might just be missing the organization tools that could help you use every inch of that space. For example, if you have a closet with shelves like these:
And you use them like this:
Then you’re wasting a good amount of space that could fit so much more stuff than just these shoes. You could buy shoe containers and stack them like this:
Or you could use foldable cubbies to store them, like this:
You get what I mean?
2. Use Door Hooks/Door Pockets
When we think of door hooks, we usually think they’re reserved for the front door to hold coats and whatnot. However, they’re actually really useful for holding hangable garments and items from your bedroom doors too. For example, I use mine to hold the shirts and hoodies that I wear while I’m lounging around. Otherwise I’d be constantly pulling them out of the closet everyday. Door hooks are a way to take advantage of that extra, typically unused storage space. You could even go for a hanging door pocket to hold a bunch of small items that would typically cause clutter in the bedroom.
3. Find Opportunities To Save Space
We take up a lot of unnecessary space without even realizing it. If you’ve checked out my post called: “11 Tips to Organize an Apartment With No Storage Space” then you already know that rolling your clothes saves way more drawer space compared to folding them.
Additionally, if you put your rolled up clothes in your drawer instead of hanging them in your closet, you’ll have even more closet space at your disposal. Take a good look around your room and ask yourself if your belongings could take up less space if stored differently. You’d be surprised how inefficient traditional forms of storage are.
4. Don’t Store Most Of Your Stuff In The Bedroom Or Closet
A lot of our bedrooms end up becoming impromptu storage spaces overtime; specifically the bedroom closet. This is a fast way to make it look overstuffed and cluttered. You need to space out your belongings around the apartment so that every space looks like it has breathing room. Put some stuff in the hallway closet, bathroom closet, cabinets, cupboards, etc.
5. Reorganize It Weekly
After you’ve neatly arranged everything just how you like it, you have to make an effort to keep it looking good. Otherwise, it can slip back into the disorganized mess that it was a while ago. Every week, walk through your bedroom and put things back, re-roll clothes, get rid of things you don’t use, etc. If you do this often, then each reorganization session won’t take long. However, if you wait a month or so to reorganize, then it’ll take more time to get it done. That’s why it’s important to have a cleaning schedule; to make sure a pile of clutter doesn’t build up under your nose.
Living Room:
1. When In Doubt, Just Pick One Messy Spot In The Room And Start Putting Things Away
The living room is the biggest space in your apartment, so if it holds the largest amount of mess, then the thought of cleaning it can feel pretty overwhelming. When I see a large pile of work in front of me, I combat the pre-work dread by just picking a place to start and chipping away. Don’t put too much thought into it, just choose a part of the room, pick up an item, and put it away somewhere. Seeing a bunch of perfectly organized homes on Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok or Youtube can make you feel like you’ll never accomplish such a perfect looking space in one swoop.
Here’s the thing though, you don’t have to. Let the planning happen overtime. Right now, you’re working on the first draft. You need to just start picking stuff up and dropping them in drawers, in a closet, on the table, in a storage bin, anywhere that your first instinct tells you it should go. From there, start the second draft by rearranging your belongings in an even more organized way. Just keep polishing the work from there and before you know it, you’ll have a Pinterest worthy apartment!
2. Hide Your Clutter In Plain Sight
If you read my post called: “10 Ways to Make Your Apartment Look Less Cluttered”, then you already know about the power of using aesthetic storage containers to hide your living room clutter. Just grab a container, such as this:
Fill it with the stuff that visually takes away from your living room, and pop it on a shelf. That’s how you get something that looks like this:
You’d be surprised how many homes use this method to keep the space looking chic. It’s a particular fan favorite among parents with young kids.
3. Be Creative With Your Storage
When we stay basic with our storage methods, we lose out on some pretty helpful organization solutions. It’s time to get you thinking outside of the box! Hop on Amazon or Pinterest and look up “(room of choice) storage”, a bunch of different storage options will pop up that probably never crossed your mind beforehand.
A lot of these options are probably the exact solutions you’re looking for too. Scroll through to find products that would suit your space, or just scroll for some inspiration to adjust your methods. While you’re at it, check out my post called: “11 Tips to Organize an Apartment With No Storage Space” for even more organization inspiration.
4. Pick Up Any Miscellaneous Items That Get Left Around The Room
When you come home from work and throw your coat on the couch, leave your shoes in the middle of the floor and throw your keys on the kitchen table, it contributes to clutter. When you forget to put back the bottle of juice, leave your snacks on the coffee table, and forget to put the salt and pepper back on the counter, it creates clutter. You see the pattern?
It can be very tempting and easy to leave stuff lying around your living room since it’s smack dab in the middle of the whole apartment, but that’s how it becomes the messiest room in the house. Be extra strict when it comes to this room and putting things back where they belong.
5. Don’t Use The Room To Store Clutter
Even though I quite literally just talked about being strict with living room clutter, I still have more to say. Some of you might not just be guilty of leaving random items scattered throughout the room. Some of you might deliberately use the space as a storage unit.
When you have no idea where to put something, it ends up somewhere in the living room. You have to be more methodical with your storage options. You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going to store everything right away, but overtime you should designate a home for them; also, that home can’t be on the kitchen table, counter, floor, etc. or else it becomes…you guessed it, clutter.
Kitchen:
1. Use Different Kinds Of Storage Racks
Without using some organization products, it’s easy to waste space in our kitchen cabinets, cupboards and pantries. For example, the right storage rack can take your cabinet from this:
To this:
Scroll through Amazon, Pinterest, Target, etc. and look for different types of racks to put in your kitchen cubbies. This’ll help you store more dishes, kitchenware and groceries than ever before.
2. Get Rid Of The Empty Food/Spice Containers
If you feel like you don’t have enough room to fit all of your kitchen supplies and groceries, it’s time to get rid of the hidden trash. Pilfer through your food supplies and pull out any empty containers that are wasting precious storage space. Do this periodically because overtime we can lose track of how much flour, cinnamon, oregano, etc. we have left.
If it’s your kitchen supplies that are overflowing, then get rid of whatever tools you don’t use often when cooking. Unless you’re Gordon Ramsey, a cooking blogger/Youtuber, etc. then your cupboard doesn’t need to be filled to the brim with every utensil imaginable.
3. Throw Out The Food That’s Gone Bad
If you don’t get rid of food weekly, then the meals you’ve been holding onto have been there too long. Look through the foods in your cabinets, pantry and fridge and check the expiration date on them. Throw out what is expired or what you know you’ll never eat. If there’s no date on it, such as leftovers, give it a sniff. If it smells foul, toss it. By the way, you should do what my college roommate did; she wrote down the date that we cooked each leftover on the container we stored it in. This will help you know what to throw away and it’ll help you avoid food poisoning.
4. Use Hanging Door Racks
If you’re worried that, no matter what storage methods you use, your cupboards are still going to overflow with supplies, then don’t fret. That’s where hanging door racks come to the rescue!:
These will take anything that didn’t fit on the inside of the cupboard and store it on the outside instead! If you have a pantry with a door, then you can get a mega sized one for even more organization possibilities:
Buy the size that would best benefit your kitchen! Buy the size that would best benefit your kitchen! If you want even more organization ideas you can check out my 27 tips on how to maximize a small apartment kitchen! To get even more specific, here are also 23 cabinet organization ideas! Also, here’s a guide on how to set up the entire room from scratch!
5. Use An Open Display Method
Let’s say that you already used storage racks to take advantage of every inch of space in your cabinets and cupboards; but you still have needed supplies that won’t fit anywhere. Don’t worry, you can still have an organized looking apartment. All you have to do is put them on the counter or table in a neatly arranged way.
Also, make sure that whatever you plan to store in the open is spaced out from one another. If everything is pushed together, it’s going to be clutter. Stack your dishes from biggest to smallest, lay your kitchenware out symmetrically on the counter, stack your napkins neatly in the center of the table, etc. here are some more open display methods to help inspire you:
Bathroom:
1. Use Drawer Trays And Dividers
A lot of our bathroom drawers are a jumbled mess, and we don’t see a problem with that as long as we know where everything is. However, if not being able to visibly see what you’re looking for as soon as you open the drawer bugs you, then it’s time to get trays and dividers. These organization tools could transform the mess to something like this:
2. Once Again, Use Door Hooks or Baskets
Yup, door hooks come in handy in the bathroom too. For example, these make a great place to hang multiple towels in case you have roommates. In case the stuff you need to store can’t be hung on a hook, opt for a hanging door basket instead. If you have more than one door, use both! This will help make room in your cupboard and in your bathroom closet for other supplies.
3. Turn Your Sink Cupboard Into A Drawer/Container Haven
Many bathroom sink cupboards have a good amount of space in them, but the problem is, it’s a bunch of empty space. No built-in shelves, drawers, etc. Just a barren place with exposed sink pipes in the middle of it. A spot like this is basically begging for you to buy your own containers to fill it with. Otherwise, you’d be stuck with a jumbled mess of sink storage with no means of organization. Buy a few containers and portable drawers, arrange them in the cupboard like this:
And you’ll be able to store plenty of things under there in a neat, organized fashion.
4. Don’t Try To Fit Everything In Your Bathroom Closet
Similar to what I talked about in the “Bedroom” section of this post, don’t use your closet as a space to fit any and everything that doesn’t have a home otherwise. That’s how you build a mountain of clutter behind closed doors. You want to open your closet to the sight of an organized storage space, not an unsightly pile of who knows what. Space out your storage throughout the apartment. Keep some towels in the hallway or bedroom closet. Store some facial products in the cupboard or drawers. Don’t try to squeeze everything into one location.
5. Get Some Floating Mirror Shelves
If you have a big bathroom mirror, but no medicine cabinet, then buy some attachable shelves to use:
That way, you won’t miss out on the storage space that a medicine cabinet provides. If you have a tile wall, you can stick them on there too. Make sure not to put any heavy stuff on the shelves though.