Organizing Mistakes Making Your House Look Cluttered

What Makes a House Look Cluttered?
Have you ever walked through your supposedly clean house and gotten an uncomfortable creeping feeling? Despite your best efforts to keep things clean, it can still sometimes seem like you’re drowning in clutter.

Clean and uncluttered are two similar ideas that may come from the same book but are not on the same page. Clutter is an organizational mistake that loves to hide in plain sight.

Here are some common culprits that might be making your house look cluttered:
• Your entrance is the first thing you and others see when entering your home. It’s easy to let your entrance become a clutter trap for shoes, coats, keys and mail. A cluttered entrance can put a cluttered tint on the rest of your home.
• Those neat little piles you put things into when you’re organizing can end up swallowing your home. A nice pile is better than a tornado, but even the neatest of piles is still a pile of clutter.
• These days, everything comes with a cord. The plugs and chargers belonging to your appliances and devices may not be clutter, but they can look like clutter if you let them run wild in plain sight.

Should You Clean or Declutter First?

Decluttering before you clean will make cleaning much easier. If you put your mind to sorting through your clutter first, you’ll probably end up donating or throwing out a lot of things you don’t need. The more junk you get rid of, the less there will be to clean.

Once you’ve gone through your open-air junk and sorted it into things you want to keep and things you don’t, you will have eliminated much of your future cleaning work. Instead of looking for a way to keep all those things clean and organized, you’ll simply have fewer things. Fewer things means fewer piles, more space for your eyes to rest and less work for you.

How Do You Organize Your Household?

Start by designating a place for all the kinds of things that tend to pile up around your entrance. Use a crate for all the shoes, or train your family to keep them in rows against the wall. Use a coat rack for the winter wear, a tray or wall hooks for the keys and a pretty little basket for the mail.

Next, you may find it useful to come up with a system for the kinds of piles that tend to accumulate around the house. If bills tend to pile up on the counter, designate a bill drawer to keep them out of sight. If random clothes seem to materialize everywhere, assign a closet space for lost and found clothes.

I like to keep a chaos cupboard where I put anything that I regularly use but would otherwise leave out in the open. This can include sports gear, headphones, pet toys and even small tools. If you like organized chaos but despise clutter, keep it behind closed doors.

This also applies to all those devices and their cords. Assign a drawer where random mobile electronics belong so they don’t clutter up the couches or get lost between the cushions. Keep all the cords from your entertainment or work stations together in one place using a cable hider. Strategically placed cable hider sleeves can help you avoid tangles and lost chargers as well as reduce visible clutter.

Why Is It Important To Be Organized at Home?

Living in a mess can cause you stress. Piles and tangles can force you to constantly think about minor things that don’t deserve your attention. The less junk you keep in the open demanding your attention, the more you’ll be able to focus on the important things.

Coming up with storage systems and sticking to them also makes it easier to find things. When you designate a place where shoes go, you won’t have to spend another second thinking about where you put your shoes. Knowing where things should be is a great time saver.

Conclusion

You can usually hide in plain sight anything you don’t want to throw out or can’t move. These awesome zip-up cord concealers can consolidate all your wall and floor spaghetti. Imagine going from a mess of chargers, extensions, audio wires, Ethernet cables and USB cords to just one neat jet black line. 

When decluttering, we recommend using trash bags rather than storage bins. Storage bins signal to your brain that you might be keeping the items, which isn’t really decluttering. Trash bags tell your brain that the stuff in here is definitely leaving the house.

The easiest way to get a handle on your clutter is to start from zero. Take everything out of the room except the furniture, and then only let back in the items you use and love. This can give you a fresh perspective on both your rooms and your things and help you see the forest instead of just the trees.

How to stay organized when unpacking your new home

We partnered with a home improvement firm for this post. The opinions in the post are honest. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal views. We are excited because we know you will love it.

Arriving in a new home is a fantastic feeling. Everything is new but ready for you to make it your own. However, settling in is a process. It takes time and effort, and it’s something you can’t do overnight. Still, just because the whole ordeal is demanding, it doesn’t mean it has to be hard. If you stay organized when unpacking and use proper home organization techniques, you’ll settle into your new home in no time. 

Prerequisites for organized and easy unpacking

To stay organized when unpacking, it’s essential to be organized before unpacking. And we mean way before. Ideally, you want to think about settling in during the early stages of your relocation. 

Here are the factors that will impact smooth unpacking:

• Your choice of movers;

• Whether or not you make an inventory list;

• Efficient decluttering;

• Propper packing and labeling of moving boxes.

If you do a good job handling these tasks, you’re looking at swift and easy unpacking. 

Having great movers can make all the difference

Your choice of movers will define your relocation experience. Trained professionals can make your life so much easier. They can help you with every moving task, from planning to unpacking. Therefore, having them by your side is something you should definitely consider, especially if you’re moving long-distance or interstate. 

For instance, let’s say you’re moving to Connecticut from Florida. That’s almost 20 hours by plane. 44 if you decide to make it a road trip. After such a long journey, you’ll want to jump right back into a familiar routine. Reputable movers can immensely speed up this process. They’ll take the most difficult and tedious tasks upon themselves. Hence, you can focus on enjoying your new life. So, when you research interstate moving companies, don’t just pick the cheapest one. Instead, choose the best option – a team that will guide you through the process and cater to all your needs.

An inventory list will help you keep track of your belongings

Taking inventory is something no one looks forward to. It’s tedious, it’s boring, and it takes a lot of time. Still, it is something that will help you stay organized when unpacking. An inventory list doubles up as a checklist. Therefore, you will have a perfect way to verify if all your things are present and accounted for when you finish unpacking.

Decluttering has many benefits

This one is pretty obvious. The fewer things you have – the less time you’ll spend unpacking. So don’t avoid this part of the process. Take the time to declutter and get rid of unnecessary belongings. Not only will you make unpacking faster – you’ll significantly cut the cost of the relocation. 

Propper packing = easy unpacking

Packing is much more than stuffing things in boxes and taping them shut. This part of the moving process will define whether you unpack in days or months. With that said, three crucial things to be mindful of are:

1. Do not overfill the boxes. This will make them hard to move and can lead to injuries. Furthermore, it can compromise their integrity, leading to damage to your belongings during transport or loading/unloading.

2. Do not mix things from different rooms. Dedicate each box to a single area of your house only. This will allow for focused and, thus, quick unpacking.

3. Take the time to label the boxes. It will let you avoid rummaging to find things you need. Ideally, you want to list the contents in the label. But, if you don’t have time, at least mark up the room where the box belongs.

Onward to unpacking!

Now that you took care of all the prerequisites, it will be all too easy to stay organized when unpacking. But there’s still room for improvement. You can make unpacking even easier and faster with the guidelines below.

Children are the priority

The hectic environment of moving can be taxing on your little ones, especially for toddlers and pre-teens. Their needs take precedence above everything else. Therefore, set up the nursery and/or their room immediately upon arrival.

If they are old enough to unpack themselves, it’s excellent to encourage them to do so. That way, they will feel included and have the opportunity to make the place their own. 

Lastly, it’s a great idea to have something to keep them occupied, too. So, if they love cartoons (what kid doesn’t?), be sure to plug in the TV and cable. It will keep them entertained and out of the way while you unpack. 

Set up essential areas first

You want to make your home functional ASAP. Getting back into the familiar routine is excellent to help you accommodate to the new environment. With that said, the best thing you can do is make essential areas available for living. This includes the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

#1 Kitchen

Even pizza gets boring if you’re having it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a week. Therefore, make sure to secure at least the basic functionality of your kitchen. It doesn’t have to be perfect or to look nice. You’ll get to that. But make basic utensils readily available, as well as essential appliances, because nothing says “home” as a warm, home-cooked meal.

#2 Bathroom

The good thing about the bathroom is that you’ll spend the least time unpacking it. It’s practically functional the moment you arrive. All it takes is some finesse to be ready for use. Shower curtains, towels, hygiene products, and you’re good to go. Later down the line, you’ll make your bathroom both stylish and functional to the maximum. For now, it’s enough that you can take a long, relaxing shower after a long day.

#3 Bedroom

Settling in is an arduous process. You need to be well-rested to take care of it efficiently. Therefore, the bedroom should be one of your top priorities. So, have your movers assemble the bed upon delivery. That way, all you need to do is break out the linens and have a revitalizing shuteye after daily chores.

#4 Living room

The living room is the centerpiece of your home and one where you’ll spend the most time. That’s why it’s next on our list. Your primary focus here is to make it available for some much-needed R&R. So, stage the furniture, and plug in the TV and sound system. When you have a place to take a break, you can move on to finesse and choosing decorating aesthetics.

#5 Home office

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic, a lot of people switched to working from home. If you are one of them, you should set up your home office next. Sure, getting back to work is not a relaxing activity. However, it is an essential part of your daily routine. It will help you get a sense of normalcy in a hectic environment and slide right back into everyday life. 

Your new life can begin

As you can see, it’s not too difficult to stay organized while unpacking your new home. With proper preparation and a good plan, you’ll settle in virtually without effort. Of course, there’s more work to be done. But once you’re functioning unobstructed, the pieces will fall into place on their own. 

6 Creative Ways to Store Your Pup’s Food And Treats

Dogs have been man's best friend since time immemorial. They offer great companionship, and we even consider them as a part of the family. Dogs go as far as being therapeutic, as some are even used to brighten up sick patients' moods. Having these furry friends means figuring out how to share a living space with them. And this also translates to storing their food and treats. Devising creative, even Pinterest worthy-ways to store your dog's food goes a long way to feeling good about your space and your dog while ensuring the freshness of your dog’s food.

Personalized metal milk bucket

This is for the folks who are leaning more on the side of having an industrial look in the houses. Having a metal milking bucket with a bit of stencil work for labeling as a form of storing your dog's food works well because the metal ensures the food stays fresh and crispy while maintaining a posh look for a simple thing such as storing dog food. This method is not expensive which works well on a low budget. You can choose to pour the dog food directly into the metal bucket or have it in its original packaging.

Wicker laundry baskets

Now here's a creative way to store food without making it too obvious a destination for dog food. You can have it in the kitchen, hallway, or even pantry, and it would work as a great addition to the interior décor while helping to maintain the cluster of having dog food packets and feeding bowls lying around. This is such a simple yet sophisticated look for your home and your pet's food.

Plastic storage containers

These are those simple plastic drawers that you can use for storing things around the house, such as old magazines or organizing any bundles of heaps like toys in the house. Most of them are stackable, offering options to store more than one type of food and being transparent gives you a nice view of what is inside. They also work well for storing dog food. You can go the extra mile with some do-it-yourself artwork using sticky labels and stickers of little doggy bones for aesthetics.

Furniture units

This comprises of little custom-made furniture specifically for storing your dog's food. The furniture can double up as decoration around the house and still serve as your dog's feeding companion. These small furniture units work best if you don’t want your pup’s food to be visible around the house, especially when you have visitors around. Saving on space, most of them come with a storage compartment where the dog food is stored and both a feeding and watering bowl at the top.

Fixed up metal tins

There are always some metal tins lying around the house waiting for us to figure out how to put them to fair use. And here come our furry friends and their foods, and voila, we have storage tins. Upcycling these storage tins sends us to an arts and crafts space, all for our canine buddies. A little bit of spray paint here and stencil there, some more stickers and the old metal tins are transformed into creative boxes to put our dog’s food. These metal tins can be stacked, which makes them more appealing and saves you some space.

Do it yourself mason jars

Here’s another posh style for storing dog food. Having more than one mason jar to store your dog's biscuits, treats and kibble makes it easy to know what food to feed your dog and when. Color coordinating the jars using different colored lids and creatively personalized figurines on the lids adds more glamour to such a simple storage idea. It is such a lovely and thoughtful way to showcase your dog’s space owing to the multi-colored figurines, and it is also an easy do that requires minimal effort for a beautiful end product. Another upside to mason jars is the fact that they can last quite a while with proper care, and they ensure your dog's food remains fresh and crunchy.

How To Build a Household Emergency Kit

Stuff happens. Whether it’s a minor fire in the kitchen or a full-blown disaster in your community, you need to be ready to react to danger and either tackle it yourself or prepare for the worst. Here's how to build a household emergency kit containing items that can help make the bad times a little easier to handle.

Water Supply

We take water for granted, expecting it to pour out whenever we turn a handle. But what if it wasn’t that easy? Droughts, tornadoes, and other disasters can stem the water supply or make it undrinkable. Just in case, store a three-day supply of water somewhere in your home that’s cool and dry. Food-grade containers, in 55-gallon drums and other sizes, are the best because they don’t transfer toxic materials to the water. You’ll need a gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. You shouldn’t store tap water for more than six months before changing it.

Food Supply

Put aside a three-day supply of non-perishable food including canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables, canned chili, peanut butter, jellies and jams, dry or canned soup, fruit and protein bars, granola and cereals, and baby food (if necessary). Avoid foods that can spoil or cause thirst. Check cans for damage or corrosion and replace them. Also, if you must leave your home, canned goods provide their own “pots” for cooking over a fire.

First Aid Kit

Always an indispensable tool—from minor cuts to greater injuries—as long as you remember to keep it stocked. Also, a portable kit with a shoulder strap is easier to grab and go than a slick plastic box with no handle. You could make your own kit, but premade ones are available at reasonable prices. The Red Cross sells one containing necessities like aspirin, disinfecting wipes and antibiotic ointments, gauze pads, tape, an emergency blanket, a CPR kit, bandages in all shapes and sizes, and vinyl gloves, among other equipment.

Basic Tools and Comforts

A 10-in-1 multipurpose tool is an invaluable and portable way to be ready for anything. Small battery-operated radios will keep you updated on the news while flashlights keep you safe in the dark (bring extra batteries for both). Paper maps beat apps when the power goes out and you need to find a safe place to stay. Wet wipes are good for everyone’s basic sanitation and hygiene, but don’t forget to pack for specific individuals with certain needs (medication, syringes, eyeglasses, and so on).

Get the Car Ready To Go

When learning how to build a household emergency kit, don’t forget your car. In an emergency, your car won’t just be your transportation; it may serve as your temporary home/headquarters. Ensure it gets regular checkups, keep it filled with gas and topped off with fluids, and pack a car emergency kit along with an empty gas can, water container, and any other tools you might need on the road.