A couple of dozen tips on how to keep your home in order: where to store eyebrow tweezers and keys, how to organize laundry and what to do with papers on your desk.
In the dressing room
1. Designate one shelf or bag in your closet for clothes that you don’t wear and are almost ready to give away or throw away - this will make it easier to decide that the item is no longer needed.
2. When you remove an item from its hangers, do not hang them back. Move them to the wall or put them in a special place reserved for hangers. This way, clothes will hang tighter, and hangers won’t get lost between dresses and jackets.
3. Store your shoes toe to heel, much like you would put them in a box at the store.
4. Store jewelry that you wear frequently on a small tray or bowl on your dressing table or dresser.
In the bathroom and laundry room
5. Attach a magnetic panel to the back of the shelf door and store small things there that constantly get lost: tweezers, bobby pins, tweezers and nail scissors.
6. Store lip glosses, makeup brushes and all cosmetics that are sold in narrow long tubes and jars (mascara, concealers) in water glasses.
7. Hang a wire shelf under the shower to store what you use most often: shampoo, hair conditioner, shower gel.
8. Immediately place dirty laundry in three different baskets: separately white, black and colored.
9. Tie up bedding sets with colored ribbons to keep everything together.
10. As soon as the laundry is washed and dried, fold it immediately and put it away: do not let it hang on the dryer or pile up in the bedroom.
In the office
11. Empty one of your desk drawers and put the papers you're currently working on there instead of stacking them on your desk. Review the content once a week.
12. Recycle old magazines.
13. Digitize everything you can, including papers you plan to work with later. Files take up less space than papers in desk drawers.
In the kitchen
14. Hang some of your utensils on hooks: this will free up space in your drawers.
15. Store what you need most often - salt, pepper, oil - on the edge of the most convenient shelf.
16. Store foods of the same type nearby: cereals on one shelf, canned vegetables on another, canned meat on a third.
Everywhere
17. Hang a key holder or a separate hook near the front door and hang your keys there every time you come home.
18. Every time you leave home, pick up trash and (if there is a container along the way) things that you are going to recycle. Don't let clutter pile up in corners.
19. Buy convenient organizers for wires so that they don’t snake around in disarray.
20. Organize a “charging station” and store chargers for all devices there.
21. Inspect children's toys and games, get rid of all broken and unusable ones.
It is important to understand that no area in the house is intended for storing junk and unnecessary things. It’s hard to believe: it seems that you can arrange a warehouse in a closet, on a balcony, in a bedside table or in a separate closet. But actually it is not. Each room or space, be it a garage, utility room, mezzanine or shed, has a direct purpose, which is not to store junk there. Our tips will help you put things in order not only at home, but also in other rooms, as well as in the corners where you are used to putting everything unnecessary.
Can you make sure that only the things you use remain in your apartment? The main problem associated with putting things in order in our homes is that we keep things that we don’t need: it’s a pity, it’s expensive, it’s new, there’s nowhere to put it, in case it comes in handy. All these “safe words” encourage you to live in a home that is littered with unnecessary items. Did you buy an expensive leather jacket but don't wear it because it doesn't suit you? Sell, donate, give away or throw away. According to space optimizers, people sell unnecessary things at flea markets or Avito so successfully that they earn decent amounts. Your task is to take every thing that is in the house and decide whether you will use it in the near future or not. If not, throw it away.
Imagine your house needs a spring cleaning. So you armed yourself with a damp cloth or cloth to get rid of dust and dirt that appears on bedside tables, tables, surfaces of refrigerators, microwaves and coffee tables. What will your gaze fall on? All these surfaces are littered with figurines, vases, magazines, small household items, magnets and other things. As a result, instead of promptly wiping everything around, you either start sorting out the trash or putting the cloth in the far corner. Your task is to optimize the space so that dust can be removed from all surfaces in a matter of minutes. This does not mean that you need to remove absolutely everything from open surfaces. It is important to exclude everything unnecessary.
The trouble is that a tablet, charger, laptop, lipstick, watch or book can end up in unexpected places every time. How so? It’s very simple: they don’t have just one place. It is precisely this cycle of things in apartments that requires putting things in order again and again. What do you end up doing? You just move things from place to place. And then back. This can be stopped once and for all. For every item in the house, find the only possible place. Then the house will be in perfect order, and the necessary things will no longer get lost.
Tip 4: organize storage according to the “arm's length” rule
When thinking about how to arrange things in a bedroom, private office, kitchen or living room, use the “arm's length” rule. All the things you use when washing at the sink should be so close that you can reach them. The same goes for working at a desk, preparing food, putting on makeup. This way you can not only save time, but also quickly return the item to its rightful place: immediately and effortlessly.
Tip 5: Keep items of the same category in a specific place
Avoid situations where cosmetics or apartment cleaning products are stored in different places. Why is this so important? First, by putting items with the same functionality in a specific place, you can assess what you are missing. Imagine that some girl has makeup products in her bedroom, in the bathroom, in her purse and in the hallway at the same time. She lives in the illusion that foundations or shadows have run out and, in general, “there is not enough of everything.” Buy a convenient box for storing cosmetics, put all the products there and immediately understand whether you need to buy something additional or whether you have a supply for the year ahead.
The same applies to all other items: wires and chargers/books/combs and other categories should have a single place. Special storage boxes will help solve the problem. You will find these in online stores for every taste and color. Moreover, they are designed specifically for storing things of specific categories.
Yes, this rule is difficult to follow when the supermarket has promotions for a year’s supply of shampoo and blocks of toilet paper. It's hard to avoid the temptation to save money, but it's why you don't have room to store everything. Instead of buying large blocks of something, buy one package and use the rest of the space for other items. The same goes for products: bags of potatoes, large supplies of sunflower oil, meat, fish. You don't need large amounts of food unless there is a designated area for it. Try to live by this rule, then your rooms will be perfectly clean.
Beautiful gift boxes, Zara bags, wrapping paper - unnecessary things. You should also immediately remove tights, cups, and household appliances from the boxes. If you need information on the packaging, take a photo of it and say goodbye to cardboard, which creates an unkempt apartment appearance and takes up unnecessary space. As for household appliances, remember: no packaging is needed. You can return the device or request warranty repair if you have a sales receipt, and nothing more. You don't even have to show the cash receipt.
Imagine that you decide to disassemble one of the rooms, for example the kitchen. So you find one after another objects that belong in other locations. Here you come across a screwdriver, and you take it to the toolbox, then you find a package of pills and immediately go to the first aid kit. Such trips from room to room will not allow you to restore order quickly. You will instantly get tired and give up on decluttering. To save time, get a “relocation box” in which you put everything that doesn't belong in the kitchen. This way you can quickly clear the room of displaced items by putting them in a box. And now all you have to do is take them to their places in one go.
Remember how many instructions, labels, and tools you have that you plan to use in “rainy days.” If your washing machine breaks down, what do you do without instructions? I'll need a drill, where can I get one? It's simple: you can find instructions on the Internet, and ask your neighbor for a drill. Things you don't need on a daily basis have no place in your home. If you collect everything “in case of war,” you will not see order.
Many people, in response to advice regarding putting things in order, will say that the children are to blame for everything. They don't put things back, bring dirt into rooms, throw toys around, or don't wash dishes after themselves. In fact, children only copy your behavior. If your home isn’t sparkling clean right now, it means you’ve neglected it a little: you don’t put things in their place, you don’t always make the bed, or maybe you don’t love it at all. Children absorb everything and will not litter in an apartment where no one else does.
Perfect cleanliness in the apartment is the dream of any diligent housewife. Cleanliness is not just a pleasure to live in. It has been noticed that when the house is tidy, the whole life becomes more organized. And cleanliness is the key to health. And both physical and emotional. If you suffer from mood swings and depression, a deep cleaning may be what you need. So, let's get our house in order quickly and with pleasure!
Where to start: the basics of getting organized
The most difficult thing in any business is its beginning. To step over the inner “I can’t”, it is enough to take one step in the direction of purity. But where to start cleaning when there is an immense amount of work ahead?
The simplest advice is to declutter. Surely, unnecessary stickers, receipts, tea bags and other rubbish have accumulated on your desktop. Prepare a garbage bag and collect everything that is definitely no longer useful. Extra things, household items, including furniture, collect dust and take up space. Get rid of this junk immediately, and it will become easier to breathe in your apartment.
After the garbage has left the room, you can move on to cleaning surfaces and cabinets. Then everything you need (check again) is neatly put in place. The last thing you need to do is vacuum the carpets and wash the floors. This is a sample general cleaning plan that is easy to follow.
Quick cleaning
One of the popular reasons for putting off cleaning the house is the enormous amount of time it takes to put things in order. You don't have to spend the whole day with a mop. Putting things in order quickly is real.
Here are the best tips for speeding up cleaning:
- Follow the ancient folk wisdom: sweep every day, wash once a week. The less litter there is on the floor, the easier it is to clean.
- For all detergents, prepare one container - a large drawer or basin. This way you won’t have to walk from room to room looking for a rag and cleaning gel.
- To avoid scrubbing off stains, use microfiber and special surface cleaning products. In general, do not neglect industrial products: they make life easier by dealing with difficult stains within a few minutes.
- To easily reach hard-to-reach places, purchase a telescopic mop. You should also stock up on a stable stepladder.
- It is much easier to clean up with a vacuum cleaner with a wet cleaning function.
- To avoid blockages in the sink, before washing dishes, remove all food debris, and put an additional mesh on the drain grate, which are inexpensive, but perfectly trap debris.
- Do two or three things in parallel: while the dishes are soaking from burnt fat, wipe the windows and put the curtains in the wash. Or sweep the floor while the machine spins the laundry.
- It is necessary to organize storage of property. All seasonal items need to be packed and put away in long drawers. This way they won't get in the way.
- The most time-consuming part of cleaning is washing windows. Effective anti-stain products, mops with long handles, clean paper napkins, and a household steam cleaner will help save your nerves.
Advice
To ensure that not a speck remains on glass and mirror surfaces, avoid circular motions and rub in a straight line. Wash the frame first, then the glass.
Rules of comfort
There are some places in the house that you simply forget to clean. We remind you of what you need to pay attention to in order to maintain ideal cleanliness and comfort:
- Wipe the leaves of houseplants.
- Carefully make the beds and fold the pillows.
- Store out-of-season shoes in a special closet.
- Straighten the curtains.
- Wipe down the window sill, tables, chairs and TV - these are where guests' attention is most focused.
- Dust off the wallpaper.
- Place fresh towels in the bathroom.
- Don't forget about the ventilation holes.
- The top corners are where dust accumulates and cobwebs appear. There is no need to forget about them.
Cleanliness prevention: rules for maintaining order
It is easier to maintain order than to restore order - a well-known truth. But in the modern rhythm of life, it is difficult for a person to even track the amount of dust in the corners.
Tips to help control pollution at home:
- You need to force yourself to do a little cleaning of a certain area in your apartment every day, or at least every other day: your desk, your closet with clothes, your refrigerator. 15-20 minutes spent on putting things in order will significantly save time during general cleaning of your home.
- Organization of order: every thing should have its own place. Buy a convenient rack for clothes so that they don’t lie on the chair. A good purchase are trunks for storing various things, baskets for dirty laundry.
- Make a rule: wash the dishes after eating. This way you won’t have to waste time scrubbing away dried food particles, and the pile won’t accumulate. And do not build batteries from dirty cups and mugs - wash them immediately after use.
- Take out the trash as often as possible to avoid the spread of unpleasant odors. Leave one trash can: this way, garbage will not accumulate in several rooms at once.
- To avoid causing mold to develop in the bathroom, leave the door open after bathing. A very useful device is a fan on the ventilation grille. It expels steam and stale air.
- A minimum of things - a minimum of dirt. Leave only what you really need in the house, and give the rest away or throw it in the trash.
- If a child lives in the house, arrange an area for him to play and store toys, drawings, etc. And don’t forget to teach your baby how to put toys back in the box in the form of a game.
A few tricks to help tidy up your apartment and reduce the amount of dirt in the room:
- Avoid bulky carpets - these are real dust collectors.
- Hang short curtains in your kitchen that are easy to wash and hang. Equip this room with a good hood, this will significantly reduce the build-up of grease and soot around.
- Brush your pets as often as possible.
- Treat TVs and monitors with antistatic.
Achieving order in your apartment is not as difficult as it seems. Try to clean your house at least 2-3 times a week, then you won’t have to spend the whole weekend clearing out the “creative” mess.
Useful tips
To keep your home in order, you should know a few tricks that will make your everyday life much easier.
There are many ways to organize different things in your room, bathroom, kitchen and toilet.
3. If you have a lot of T-shirts, you can fold them neatly and store them in vertical stacks in the closet - this way you use more space. In addition, you will be able to clearly see which T-shirt is located where.
4. If you have a lot of cords (from a computer, for example), you can label them so you know which cord goes where. To do this, you can buy special labels or use regular paper on which you write where the cord leads, and tape to stick the paper to the cord.
How to clean up your apartment
5. If after the repair you still have plastic tubes, you can attach them with bolts or strong double-sided tape to the cabinet door, and they will turn into holders for hair dryers, curling irons and other tools of a similar shape.
6. Several buttons can be connected using a large pin - this makes them more convenient to store.
7. An ordinary photo or painting frame can be turned into a magnetic organizing board.
You will need:
Metal plate of a suitable size (you can order a frame of the desired size for the plate)
Small magnets (sold in a package)
Superglue or double-sided tape (if magnets are not on stickers).
* Insert the plate into the frame.
* Glue magnets to various parts of cosmetics or to jars in which you can put cosmetics and other small items.
*Hang the frame with the plate on the wall.
* Feel free to attach the things you need to the magnetic board.
Cleaning up the house
8. Create a separate breakfast nook in your kitchen. In the morning, many people rush to work, which means it’s convenient to have everything you needat hand. Place everything you need to quickly prepare breakfast in one place.
* In the kitchen (if possible), you can create several zones for greater convenience.
9. In the kitchen or bathroom, you can make decorative hooks for jewelry, towels or scarves using double-sided tape and pebbles (or other suitable decorative items).
10. An old glasses case can be used to store all sorts of small items, such as a phone charger, headphones and cable.
11. The paper organizer can be used to store towels rolled up compactly into a tube.
12. Use double-sided tape to attach small containers to the cabinet door in which you can store cloths, cleaning products, and other items. It is convenient to have similar containers under the sink in the kitchen or bathroom.
13. If you have several chargers and cables, you can store them in ziplock bags, with a sign on each bag that reminds you which device the cable or charger comes from.
14. A convenient organizer for the kitchen or bathroom can be made from old tin cans and a basket (or box).
Cleaning up your home
15. Place rice in a deep, empty container to make a convenient knife holder.
16. An original key holder can be made from a simple wooden photo frame and several hooks and screws.
You will need:
Wooden frame
Paint and brush (if desired)
Hook-screws
Paper towels.
* Spread paper towels on a flat surface and place the frame on them.
* (Optional). Paint the frame and wait for the paint to dry. Apply a second coat of paint.
* Turn the frame over and screw some hook-screws into it.
* Hang the frame on the wall or place it vertically on a shelf and you can hang your keys.
17. To prevent the trash bag from sliding off the bin, secure it with paper clips.
18. If you have a modem and/or router on your desk, you can hide them in a folder for papers. You can buy such a folder or make it from an ordinary cardboard box (for example, a cereal box).
19. A cereal box can be used to store plastic container lids and other small parts (not breakable).
20. These boxes can also be used to store water bottles and/or baking paper and foil.
Every woman dreams of putting things in order in her apartment so that it lasts for a long time, and at the same time it is easy to maintain cleanliness without making a lot of effort. How to cope with constant disorder and scattered things that grow like a snowball? Why is it that someone’s apartment is always tidy and clean, while someone tries and puts things in order every day, but for some reason it goes unnoticed? In this article, the site “Mom can do anything!” will look at all the secrets and basic ways to maintain cleanliness for a long time.
A few tips for maintaining constant cleanliness and order in the apartment
- Clean in parts.
If you don’t have time to put things in order or deep clean the entire apartment at once, do it gradually. Break the action into several parts. For example, choose a day to remove and wash all the curtains. The next day, clean the windows. Then start organizing your closets, etc.
- Get rid of unnecessary items and things.
On shelves and chests of drawers, things usually accumulate and lie around that do not fit in the closet, and there is no room for them. To prevent this from happening, empty all cabinets and chests of drawers of accumulated trash that you have not used for a long time. First, throw away all broken items and old clothes. Whatever is still in good condition, but for some reason is not suitable for you, give it to friends or put it up for sale. This will free up space for those things that you use constantly, and they will not be scattered throughout the apartment.
- We get rid of landfills in the apartment.
Many people have places in their apartments where dumps of things periodically appear. Observe and identify them. To eliminate such places, think about where else it is possible to put these things that accumulate on their own. For example, a mountain of T-shirts, sweaters and loungewear constantly grows on a chair or ironing board. Allocate additional space on a hanger in the closet or a separate shelf where it is convenient to put these things away and also quickly get them out.
- Avoid a lot of open shelves and small items.
Think about what you spend the most time on when putting things in order in your apartment? Surely this is wiping dust from many shelves and moving objects from place to place that are located on them. Dust settles on open surfaces very quickly and needs to be wiped off almost every day. So, if you don’t want to waste a lot of time cleaning, try not to put a lot of figurines or photo frames on the shelves. In general, when choosing and purchasing furniture for an apartment, it is better to immediately give preference to closed cabinets in light shades, without an abundance of glass and mirror shelves. This way, you will be able to save as much time as possible on cleaning and polishing shelves.
- Don't forget about modern cleaning products and equipment.
Go shopping and pick out some convenient cleaning tools. Now there are many options for brushes, mops and rags made of special material, with the help of which cleaning turns into a real pleasure. Because it is possible to quickly and easily clean the entire apartment with them.
For example, mops with a long rotating handle and a brush are ideal for keeping hard-to-reach places clean. The most dust tends to accumulate on air conditioners and tall cabinets. And with modern devices, you can very quickly and easily clean any surface, even suspended ceilings and dirty wall panels that are impossible to reach with your hands.
Order in the nursery
To ensure that garbage does not accumulate and the apartment is always clean, you just need to try not to clutter the rooms and put things in order in a timely manner. But this is not always possible if you have children. Many experienced mothers have been approaching this issue thoroughly and thoughtfully for a long time. Because cleaning up scattered toys or things after children is like trying to clear snow debris during a snowfall.
In order for children to quickly tidy up their room at your first request, the room must have a convenient storage system.
- Boxes or plastic containers for toys should be located at floor level so that the child can easily reach them.
- Label the boxes according to their intended purpose: for construction sets, for cars, for soft toys, etc. For children who cannot yet read, paste pictures with clues about the contents of the boxes.
- It is very good to have several large free-use baskets in the nursery in case of emergency. For example, if guests are coming soon and you urgently need to put things in order, or if in the evening you don’t have the energy to put all the toys in their places. You quickly throw all the lying around toys into the basket and the room is clean again.
This way, you will save yourself from constantly putting things in order in the nursery and teach your children to be independent.
Order in the kitchen
In the kitchen, as a rule, a lot of greasy deposits accumulate very quickly on all surfaces. To make it easier to maintain cleanliness every day, get comfortable sponges and special products that quickly eat away grease. But, as you know, all chemicals are very toxic and harmful to the human body. Therefore, if you or your household are prone to allergies, it is better to choose less aggressive means. Also, in order to completely abandon their use, melamine sponges have long been on sale, which quickly clean all greasy surfaces without any means, erasing dirt like an eraser. They are great for cleaning gas stoves, furniture and even glass from deep dirt.
And to quickly clean the microwave or inner oven door of stubborn grease, use regular table vinegar. Treat contaminated surfaces with a washcloth soaked in vinegar and after 10-15 minutes, wash off the greasy deposit. 
Keeping your bathroom tidy
Owners of small apartments, and therefore a small bathroom, know firsthand how difficult it is to fit all the necessary accessories into it. Especially if the family is large and everyone needs to fit their hygiene items. Shampoos, towels, washcloths, bath toys, bath foam, shaving accessories, etc. It’s unlikely that all this will fit on a small shelf. Of course, it’s great if you have a small cabinet in your bathroom that can hold most of these items.
- Place additional shelves on the bathtub itself, for shampoos and washcloths; for some of them it is not even necessary to drill into the wall, they are attached with suction cups.
- If there is absolutely not enough space, hang additional hooks that are attached to the wall with an adhesive backing. Hang a transparent plastic handbag or cosmetic bag on them, putting essential items there.
- Hang pockets for small items on the inside of the door. They are easy to find in any store or sew yourself. It is best if they are made of transparent plastic or mesh material.
You need to constantly keep your bathroom clean. To easily remove plaque and rust from surfaces, wipe the sink and taps several times a week. Otherwise, they eat into the surface so much that cleaning everything later is quite problematic.
By the way, the most famous natural remedy in the fight against rust is citric acid. Sprinkle lemongrass granules onto the contaminated surface and leave for 5-10 minutes. After this, plaque and rust are washed off quite well from the tiles, sinks and bathtubs. 
Order in the toilet
Maintaining order in the bathroom is not difficult, because it, as a rule, occupies the smallest area in the entire apartment. But at the same time, it needs to be cleaned regularly.
- To quickly wipe the rim or lid of the toilet, place a large package of wet wipes within easy reach. Just make sure that household members do not throw napkins into the toilet, otherwise it will quickly clog.
- Instead of a regular air freshener, purchase gel toilet scent blocks that easily attach to the toilet rim. They eliminate unpleasant odors and create foam that cleans the toilet of dirt.
- If any fragrances are not acceptable to you due to a strong odor or allergies, make your own scent bombs. You need to take a few drops of essential oil, half a glass of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of citric acid and dilute it all with water until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. Then pour the resulting mixture into molds and leave to dry for 5-6 hours. Such natural flavors can not only eliminate unpleasant odors, but also clean the toilet from germs and dirt.
As you know, cleanliness is the key to health. Which is especially important if there are children in the apartment. Therefore, maintaining cleanliness and timely disposal of accumulated dust and dirt is very important for all of us. And of course, it’s always nice if putting things in order in the apartment is not difficult and does not take much time. We hope our tips will help you for faster and easier cleaning!