Steps to Decluttering the Living Room

Homes can get cluttered so easily. We have the things that we use every day, the things that we use occasionally, and the things that we keep as decoration or mementos. All of these things together can get disorganized making your home look cluttered and unkempt. Use these steps to help find a place for everything in your home.

1) Use the wall space that you have available. Blank wall space can be used to help you get things under control. You can use shelving, TV brackets, mount speakers and more to free up some space.

2) Add shelves up high for things that you don’t need to use all the time. Higher shelves are easy and inexpensive to hang. Display pictures, collections, decorations and other seldom used items up higher where you don’t need to reach them very often.

3) Add shelving down lower for items that are used often. Simple triangle corner shelves take up such little space, but make great places to put books, remote controls, children’s toys, mail baskets and more. You can display your magazines, movies, music or just have a place to put the kids’ art supplies.

4) Utilize an organizer for the foyer or front entryway. You need somewhere to stash your mail, trash, newspaper, cell phones, and keys as soon as you walk in the door. If this is where it goes, this is where it will stay. Don’t let it all make its way to your kitchen counter! Use a small table, preferably with a couple of drawers and cabinets underneath. Mail can go in one drawer, while keys and wallets go in the other. Use a charging caddy for all of your electronic needs. Phones, cameras, MP3s and more can neatly charge by the front door where you can grab them and go. Place a small waste basket or shredder underneath in the cabinet. Here you can stack magazines, store newspaper for recycling, whatever you need.

5) Make a place for the larger items that come into and leave your house every day. For example, coats, shoes, backpacks, brief cases, purses, umbrellas, you name it. No wonder our foyers, living rooms and kitchen counters take the brunt of it! All of the stuff that your family brings in at the end of the day needs to have a convenient place to go. If it’s not easy to use, you won’t use it. So, invest a little in some closet shelving for your coat closet and get it organized. Big hooks for backpacks, small shelves for purses and brief cases, racks for shoes, and containers for extras, like keys or change. Use space saving hangers, or slim line hangers, to create even more space in your coat closet.

Once everything has a place, it will most likely stay in its place. If it doesn’t, cleaning it up won’t be such a daunting task.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for slimlinehangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.