How To Create a Minimalist Living Space

The goal of minimalism is to live simply by owning less and not having unnecessary expenses — debt included. The focus is shifted from owning physical items to having and creating experiences. While this looks different for everyone, the result is typically the same: greater peace.

There many benefits to minimalist living including alleviating depression, increased energy and focus, and reducing overwhelm and mental load. This is because the clutter around your space can start to clutter your mind as well. 

With so much talk about minimalism and its benefits, it can be hard not to want to take a step down that road. And while getting started can be difficult, knowing specific things you can do makes the process less daunting. To get you started, check out a few of these minimalist living tips.

1. Get Rid of Anything Unnecessary

The first thing you want to do is declutter your space. Getting rid of anything that isn’t serving a purpose will lead you to a more minimalist lifestyle. This can be difficult at times, especially for those things with some form of sentimental value. Ask yourself these questions when deciding whether to get rid of something: 

• Is it serving a purpose? 

• Do I have duplicates of this item?

• Does it bring me joy? 

• Does it tug at my heartstrings? 

Some people hold more sentiment to things than others. Having a friend there to support you as you make these decisions can prevent you from holding on to items you don’t need, thus halting your progress.

2.Clear Your Surfaces

A quick way to make your home feel more minimal is to rid surfaces of knick-knacks and other clutter. We’re all guilty of collecting random items at times, but removing them from surfaces like kitchen counters, coffee tables, and nightstands can help make your home feel clean and simple. 

3.Use Simple Decor

Choosing decorations can be difficult, especially if you’re unsure what style you like. With minimalist living, this becomes much easier. Stick to a few pictures hung on the wall — consider going frameless to complement your minimalist style — and maybe a few plants to add life to your space. 

4.Stick To a Color Palette

By keeping the colors you use simple and mostly neutral, you’ll ensure things look coordinated and clean. Painting your rental properties with white or light grey paint gives yourself freedom to decorate with one or two other complementing colors like blue or green, without clashing with the wall colors.

5. Make Everything Dual-Purpose

When you strive to live with the least amount of things possible, it becomes necessary to maximize what you do own. It’s important to focus on dual-purpose items: making the most of what you already have while only making purchases that will serve more than one purpose will help you stay on track. Even things that may seem simple can make a big difference. Building cubbies in closets or adding built-in shelves in small hard-to-use spaces are just a few examples.

Creating a minimalist living space can provide a calm, peaceful environment to come home to or work in. For more ways to create a minimalist living space, check out this guide from TurboTenant so you can achieve the clutterless lifestyle you’ve been looking for.

How to Start Preparing Your Deck for Outdoor Entertaining

Spring is almost here, which means those summertime barbecues, bonfires, and cocktail parties are only a few months away. With the warmer weather so rapidly approaching, it’s time to get your deck into summertime shape. That means taking care of all the little projects that will make it easier to host guests in your outdoor space. Here’s what you need to accomplish to get your deck ready for entertaining this summer.

Power Wash All Surfaces

The base of your deck, any wooden railings, and the steps down to your yard have probably acquired a nasty layer of grime during the fall and winter. This brownish, greenish scuzz might hardly be noticeable at first, but it seriously takes away from your deck’s appearance. Unless you want to spend weeks scrubbing on your hands and knees, a power washer is the only way to solve this problem. With a purchased, borrowed, or rented machine, you should have your deck sparkling in a single afternoon.

Install Lights

Sometimes, afternoon parties are so much fun that they last right on into the night. This can get awkward if your guests are left in near-total darkness. Instead of relying on candles or hastily-strewn holiday lights, consider installing fixtures that will permanently illuminate your deck. You could even opt for modern solar models that help the environment while lowering your bills.

Get Your Grill Ready

Nothing enlivens a summer party like the sizzling sound of the grill and the aroma of meat wafting among the crowds. If you really want your guests to enjoy your deck, you’ll need an operable grill that can keep the burgers coming. Your grill is probably a little worse for wear after months of disuse, so give it a good cleaning before summer. You should also check your propane levels if you’re using gas, or stock up on charcoal if you’ve got an old-fashioned grill.

Add Some Aesthetic Embellishments

Once your deck is completely clean and the practical concerns have been taken care of, you can consider some aesthetic upgrades that will give your outdoor space extra flair. Wind chimes and statues should be available in local stores, while you can find a glass baluster deck railing online.

Getting your deck ready for guests is a simple matter of making a plan and sticking to it. Consider adding the projects listed above to your to-do list. Your future guests are sure to appreciate your efforts.

5 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Apartment Balcony

Having your own private outdoor space during the summer months is what everyone dreams of, yet if you live in a city center apartment, your access to private outdoor space is likely to be limited. A lot of apartments come with their own balcony, but these are often small and lack privacy, as they can be overlooked. 

If you do have a balcony in your apartment, then now is the time to make the most of it! Even the smallest balcony can be transformed into a private oasis to enjoy during the warmer months and apartment balconies have plenty of potential and possibilities. So, if you are currently living with an unloved balcony space, here are 5 ways you can give it a whole new lease of life. 

Give it a spring clean

First things first, before you get started you need to give your balcony a spring clean. Remove any dead potted plants or clutter you may have out there, give it a sweep and get a heavy-duty scrubbing sponge and hot soapy water and give everywhere a good wash and scrub - you’ll be surprised just how much dirt comes off! 

If the exterior of your apartment building is looking a little tired and worse for wear, then it might be worth mentioning this to your landlord and seeing if there is anything that can be done. As apartment buildings are usually high and built up, they tend to attract a lot of dirt, especially in inner-city locations, and other potential issues, such as birds, which can then cause health hazards. Pigeon guano removal is a simple procedure, carried out by professionals, but can make a lot of difference! 

Furniture investments to make 

Typically speaking, apartment balconies can be lacking personality, with railings and concrete floors. Luckily, there are plenty of ways that you can spruce up the space with interlocking decking tiles or artificial grass and investing in the right balcony furniture can lead to a huge transformation of the space. If you live alone or with a flatmate or partner, then you won’t need a lot of furniture, so invest in a good quality table and chair set. If you choose materials such as wood or metal, be sure to also invest in protective coverings to put over the furniture during the winter months to prevent decay and rust and to keep your furniture looking great for years to come. 

Add some privacy

You might think that adding some privacy to your balcony is impossible, but there are some great budget-friendly ways that you can add a little more privacy to your outdoor space. Bamboo poles are relatively inexpensive and can be fitted vertically or horizontally to distort any view your neighbors may have on to your balcony and you can then paint them to add a splash of color or add some LED fairy or lantern lights to make it more atmospheric in the evenings. You could also invest in some large plants and greenery if you don’t want to reduce the amount of natural light your apartment balcony gets, but want to up your privacy. 

Style and function 

It’s easy to forget that for the large part, your balcony will likely be unused during the winter months, so you want to ensure that the space is both as stylish and functional as possible. Whilst it’s great to have a welcoming little oasis during the summer months, during the winter when you want to store bicycles or hang washing out to dry, if you have no space to do these things, then you will likely regret using up all the space. Be sure to consider all of your options when it comes to redesigning your balcony space and use space-saving ideas for when your balcony isn’t in everyday use, such as foldaway clothes airers or compact bicycle storage. 

Use your wall space

Apartment balconies tend to be quite compact spaces, but one thing that a lot of people forget to include in their plans is the wall space on either side. If you want to make your balcony feel like a true expansion of your home and indoor space, then why not look at adding some color or texture to the walls, such as paint or hanging canvases. If you have little space on the floor of your balcony for planters or flowers, then why not look at adding a greenery wall or adding some hanging baskets to the walls instead? Your balcony railings are also a good spot for adding some flower boxes or baskets and creating your very own mini jungle or balcony garden! 

4 Everyday Acts That Keep Your Home in Better Shape

While major renovation and maintenance projects may feel much more important, there are a number of small, daily tasks you can do to help keep your house in prime condition. By taking these small actions daily, you can reduce your maintenance costs over time. Here are four everyday acts that keep your home in better shape.

Wipe Up Water on the Bathroom Floor

Whenever you step out of the shower or tub, it's normal for some water to drip off of you and onto the floor. Even though bathroom flooring material is designed to resist water damage, it's still a good idea to wipe up this water as soon as possible. If you let the water sit until it evaporates, you're increasing the chance that it will seep down underneath the floor and cause water damage.

Vacuum Dust From Carpets

Although they naturally have a shorter lifespan than hardwood, carpets can last a fairly long time if they're cared for properly. One of the most important parts of carpet care is getting dust, dirt and debris off the carpet before it has a chance to become ground into the fibers. The more often you vacuum, the longer your carpets will remain fresh.

Clear Debris From Drains

If you want to prevent blocked drains, it's important to remove any debris from your drains on a daily basis. The most common examples of drain debris are bits of food in kitchen sink drains and hair in shower drains. Regularly clearing out anything that could work its way down into the pipes and form a clog will keep your drains running as they should.

Pull Weeds From Your Driveway and Sidewalks

Weeds growing in cracks in concrete surfaces can cause damage over time. To prevent this, it's best to simply pull the weeds up as you see them sprout. If you start early in the spring, you shouldn't have much trouble keeping up with the weeds. If you wait until everything is up, though, you'll have a large, time-consuming project on your hands. Pull a handful of weeds up each day, and you'll find that managing them becomes much easier.

Taking these four simple actions on a daily basis will help to keep your house clean and in good condition for years to come. While you'll still have to deal with larger maintenance projects from time to time, keeping up with daily maintenance tasks is a great way to keep major issues to a minimum.