Smaller spaces and lack of outdoor maintenance make living in an apartment easier to maintain than a whole house, but the smaller spaces can make things difficult as clutter tends to pile up much faster. Thankfully, decluttering your apartment can be a breeze with these 12 helpful apartment decluttering tips.
Small Steps
Starting in small pieces will make any large task seem much more bearable. You can break apart the process however you like but working from room to room is a great way to declutter. Choose a system that works best for you and stick to it.
Throw it Out
The best and most impactful way to declutter is simply by getting rid of things. Does it bring you joy? Do you use it regularly? Do you need it? If the answer is no, then throw it away! Just get rid of it. Round up all of your broken things or things you don’t want and get rid of them. Do the same for clothes and shoes you no longer want but donate these items instead. While you are doing this, grab any regular garbage from around your apartment and take care of that too!
Technology Saves Space
Use technology to save you space and declutter. If you have a pile of bills and paperwork on your kitchen table, consider scanning these into your computer and organizing them there rather than having the clutter on your table. If you want to have more photos but have run out of wall space, find a digital photo frame that can play a slideshow of your favorite snapshots.
Multi-Purpose
If a multi-purpose product exists, use it. A ceiling-mounted projector is going to save you much more space than having a TV would. Skip the cable DVD player with a smart tv. Use technology like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home to control your entertainment center and never have to worry about keeping track of a bunch of remotes.
Built-in Storage
You can often find furniture with built-in storage to help you make the most of limited space in your apartment. Even something as simple as having drawers in your coffee table will go a long way. Ottomans with storage in them are another popular option. You can also use a see-through bookshelf for a room divider that doubles as storage space.
Multi-functional Furniture
Buying furniture with more than one purpose will give you much more flexibility in the long run. Murphy beds are an excellent space-saving option giving you so much more room for activities. Sofas that pull-out into beds are a lifesaver for overnight guests, and using barstools rather than chairs at your kitchen table will offer more space and flexibility.
Minimize Visual Clutter
Reducing visual clutter is one way to make your apartment feel much bigger than it actually is. Avoid using too many patterns or textures in your space, and opt for lighter colors to open things up. By having fewer decorations, each one holds more significance.
Organize
Proper organization is the best thing you can do to avoid clutter in the first place. Spend some time when your done decluttering to organize your whole apartment properly, and you won’t have to declutter again so soon.
Utilize Vertical Space
Don’t let your vertical space go to waste. Use shelving or bookcases to expand your storage all the way to the ceiling. You can use a pot rack in the kitchen to hang your pots and pans from the coiling and clear out valuable cupboard space. Hang photos on the walls rather than displaying them on shelves.
Regularly Scheduled Cleaning
Schedule your cleaning and decluttering regularly to help prevent clutter in the future. You can download an app to help you stay on track with your cleaning and organizing tasks. Going through your clothes twice per year, once in the spring and again in the fall, will help you keep your closet organized and your style fresh!
Get Rid of Clothes
Clothes are among the things we tend to keep accumulating, and we don’t think about how many we have until our closet is overflowing. One thing you can do to identify what clothes you should get rid of is to flip all of your hangers around and see which ones have not been flipped at the end of the season; this is an easy way to know what you are wearing and what is just taking up space.
Think Before You Buy
While living in a vibrant city with plenty of great shopping is exciting, it also makes it really easy to buy things that will become clutter. When you go out shopping, ask yourself if you really need the item you want to purchase and if you have space for it. If the answer to either of these is no, then do not buy it! By making smarter purchasing decisions, the only clutter you will be accumulating is dollars in your wallet.
