Channel the Clutter Police to confidently throw away whatever clutter’s been weighing you down!

Do you ever feel that a second opinion on what to dump would seriously help your decluttering efforts? Well, we’ve got words of wisdom from the Clutter Police to guide your toss-it-out efforts.

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Read on for the gospel on what to get rid of, and when!

Clothes and shoes you haven’t touched in two years
Opinion is divided whether the threshold here should be one year or 18 months. But the fact is that some winters aren’t as cold as others, or certain springs as wet, so a true cycle to test whether or not you’re done with an item is two years. After that time, your excuses have run out: you have to admit that, acts of nature and fashion aside, it’s time to throw away the albatross in question. Now find a good consignment shop to make some money on that past fashion, or donate what you just can’t sell.

Paper, paper and more of it
If there’s a single type of item gumming up our homes and lives, it’s paper. Why not get rid of old magazines that you’ve been swearing you’ll cut articles from for years, and shred financial records and receipts past their required “keep date”? Go through your kids’ art work and select just a few favorites you can’t part with – then get rid of the rest to make room for their next great creations.

Books you will never read
This one can be tricky for those of us who hate, on principle, to part with a book we were once sure would be great. Start by purging college novels and texts you haven’t looked at since your school years. Now remove any book you bought in the last three years that you pass over every time you go to reach for your next read. Be brave! And keep in mind that many book stores carry used inventory and will take books for store credit, if not cash.

Old vitamins, medicines and makeup
We all have shelf and drawer clutter that we just stop seeing after a while. Go through old items you store away like medicine bottles and makeup, checking for expiration dates. For makeup, two years is a reasonable throw-away date for most items. (Mascara has the shortest lifespan, at three months.)

Project paraphernalia
Whether you’ve been an aspiring beader or have a dozen “fix-it” items in your closet, it may be time to say goodbye to good intentions that just aren’t going to bear creative fruit. If you have a craft that you’ve neglected for several years or just never picked up, pass on the supplies to someone in your family who will really use them, or donate it all to a senior facility to people who will appreciate the gift.

These areas are just a few that will benefit from your courageous clutter management efforts. Go forth into your apartment, find the areas that are clogging up, and get rid of what’s not being used. Before long, you’ll channel the Clutter Police as you confidently throw away whatever’s been weighing you down!

Photo credit: Shutterstock / YuryZap

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Not sure where to begin organizing? Just take it one room at a time.

Home organization can seem like a daunting task, but when broken up room-by-room, it’s easier to tackle. Here’s how to divide and conquer to tame the mess.

Read on to learn more about our Spring Clean Sweepstakes.

Bathroom

• No nonsense. Space is often at a premium in your bathroom, so it’s important to be firm and decisive about getting rid of things you don’t need. Toss out toiletries and equipment that you rarely use. In your medicine cabinet, limit yourself to just the essentials to keep your organization goals on track. Trust us, you can live without that seventh bottle of nail polish remover.
• Space invaders. Nothing can make a room seem more like a mess than a cluttered countertop. Maximize valuable space on your vanity by utilizing utilitarian storage containers like this 5-in-1 toothbrush holder that also stores toothpaste and other toiletries like hand soap and lotion. Hang a rectangular wire basket (purchased from an office supply store) on the side of your vanity to hold your hair dryer and other gadgets.
• Clean sweep. Keep bottled cleaners organized by hanging a tension rod in your cabinet. These adjustable rods are available for cheap and are a great quick fix to keep tight spaces organized and the cleaners you use regularly within arm’s reach. For cleaning supplies you don’t grab on a regular basis, keep them in an easy-to-reach basket that can be stashed when finished.

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Bedroom

• Bed rest. Make sure to keep your bed made every day. This simple step can work wonders when you’re trying to keep your bedroom organized. Think about it: If you get into the habit of keeping your bed in order, you’ll likely develop a habit of keeping the rest of your room clean, too. That means the pile of dirty clothes in the corner is history.
• Closet case. Even if you consider yourself the most organized of people, your closet often tells a different story. Try this trick: Turn all the clothes hanging in your closet so that the hangers face back-to-front. Over the next six months, if you wear an item of clothing, return it to the closet and turn the hanger around. You might be shocked at how many clothes you never wear. Consider tossing these.
• Storage solutions. Clean up the dust bunnies under your bed – if you’re not utilizing this horizontal space, you’re missing out on a prime storage opportunity. Store your seasonal clothing or bulkier items like backpacks, purses, linens or blankets in flat, clear storage bins that you can label and slide under your bed.

More from Apartment Guide
Spring Cleaning: 6 Tips to Keep Your Apartment Allergen Free
Spruce up for Spring: Freshen up Your Home (Infographic)
How to Spring Clean Your Budget

Kitchen

Keep your kitchen organized by taking advantage of hanging space.

• It’s not personal. Without really knowing it, the kitchen can often accumulate personal items like shoes, keys, pocket change and mail. While you might not be able to avoid it completely, make it easier on yourself by imposing a rule of clearing the kitchen of personal items by dinnertime.
• Keep it together. It may seem like a no-brainer, but things that work together should be stored together, as close as possible to where they are used. Meaning, pots, pans and cooking utensils should be stored near the stove, giving you easy access to what you’ll need while cooking. Plates, dishes, cups and utensils should be kept together, while coffee, mugs and other supplies should be stored near the coffee maker. Keep items that are seldom used on top shelves.
• Nooks and crannies. Take advantage of every square inch of space by utilizing tools that are designed to hang on the back of a cabinet or pantry door. A hanging spice rack can be a real space saver, while canned goods and bottled items can be easily placed into a storage basket rack that is hung over the inside of a door.

Living Room

• Odds and ends. Since the living room is often the room in your house where you spend the most time, it can be easily overrun by items in no time. Inventory the items in your entertainment center and keep only the movies, games, books and music that you use regularly. Photo boxes can be labeled and are a stylish way to store the fun stuff. 
• Zone defense. Be realistic when determining how you want to use the living room, then gather similar things together and place them in specific zones. For instance, all DVDs, CDs and games should go near the entertainment center. Place magazines and books in a rack or storage box near your reading chair.
• Control the cords. Your living room is most likely full of lamps, a television, stereo, DVD player and other electronics, which often means tangled cables and out-of-control cords. Tame the mess by using a cable organizer like Cableyoyo. Or, use a cable zipper to enclose all cables in a tube to eliminate clutter.  

Home Office

• File away. A good filing system is the cornerstone of an organized office. Buy a 12-month expanding file, and keep all bills and receipts organized by month. Revisit these in a year, and if you haven’t needed them, shred them. Organize other important documents by category, such as automotive, education, financial, medical, taxes, etc.
• A home for hardware. If your desk is covered with computers, printers, monitors, phones and other electronics, you might realize you have no space to actually work. Move your computer tower to the floor, and switch to a lightweight, flat-screen monitor if you haven’t already. Purchase a multipurpose machine that incorporates a printer, fax machine and scanner to save space, and use a freestanding light instead of a desk lamp.
• Wheel of fortune. Utilize home office furniture with wheels whenever possible. A wheeled filing cabinet can be brought out during the day, then tucked up under a desk or in a closet at night, minimizing office clutter.

This spring, we want to help you tidy up your apartment — on a budget! That’s why we’ve partnered with LearnVest, an advice-driven financial planning program, to help you organize your apartment and take control of your money. Enter the Spring Clean Sweepstakes for a chance to win a LearnVest Planning 5-Year Planner subscription and $300 you can use toward sprucing up your place!

Photo credit: iStockphoto/jgareri

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Dust is the most common cause of indoor allergies, but make sure you’re not kicking up dirt and debris when you’re cleaning.

Indoor allergies caused by dust mites, pet dander and mold trigger allergy and even asthma symptoms in millions of indoor allergy sufferers each year.

Read on to learn more about our Spring Clean Sweepstakes.

While it is impossible to make your home completely allergen-free, below are a few tips to clear most of the bothersome allergens from your apartment.

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Dusting
Dust is the most common cause of indoor allergies, but be careful how you dust, because you can actually make your allergies worse by kicking up dirt and debris while you’re cleaning. Use a wet or treated cloth that attracts dust, minimize dust-catching clutter and clean dusty surfaces, such as ceiling fan blades, regularly so that dust doesn’t have a chance to accumulate.

Vacuum
To really ensure your space stays allergen-free, any carpet or rugs should be replaced with hard flooring, but that might not be an option in your apartment. Instead, use a vacuum that has a HEPA filter that traps dust mites, pet dander and other allergens, and try to vacuum at least once or twice a week.

Wash Your Bedclothes
Dust mites thrive in bedding, so wash your sheets, blankets and pillowcases once a week in hot water, then dry them in a hot dryer, to kill all the dust mites. Also, encase mattresses, comforters, pillows and other non-washable items in allergen-proof covers.

Go Green
Many cleaning products have harsh chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions in people. Opt for environmentally friendly cleaning products instead. These contain plant-based, natural ingredients. You can also make many common household cleaners using things like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.

Reduce Pet Dander
A protein found in the saliva and dead skin of dogs and cats is a common indoor allergen. If you have pets, vacuum frequently and wash your pet once a week. You can also keep them off your bed and furniture and even designate certain areas of your apartment as pet-free areas. And if know there’s a certain pet that you know sets off your allergies, don’t get that type of animal. Unfortunately, a short-haired dog or cat will still cause the allergic reaction.

Go on Mold Patrol
Spores from mold and mildew can get into the air and cause allergies and even sickness. Run an exhaust fan after you take a shower, and replace any bathroom wallpaper with tile or mold-resistant paint. Replace moldy or mildewed curtains and moldy carpeting.

Following these guidelines should keep your apartment relatively allergen-free, and you’ll be much more happy and healthy.

This spring, we want to help you tidy up your apartment — on a budget! That’s why we’ve partnered with LearnVest, an advice-driven financial planning program, to help you organize your apartment and take control of your money. Enter the Spring Clean Sweepstakes for a chance to win a LearnVest Planning 5-Year Planner subscription and $300 you can use toward sprucing up your place!

Photo credit: iStockphoto/JulNichols

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Feeling trapped by stuff in your small apartment? Take control with our storage tips.

Moving into an apartment you can afford sometimes means opting for a smaller space.

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But if you come with a lot of baggage, it can be difficult to figure out where to put all your stuff.

Maximize your storage space by following these simple and clever techniques below.

Free Up Bedroom Space
A small apartment’s biggest challenge can be the bedroom, where you’re trying to squeeze your original bed from another place into a smaller room. Lighten the load by ditching the nightstand. Create a hanging nightstand by installing a closet shelf upside down on the wall next to your bed, or get a bedside table with shelves. Use plastic storage bins or even your luggage to store out of season clothes and baby keepsakes—anything you don’t need access to daily—beneath your bed.

Get creative with storage in the bathroom, where space is often at a premium.

Get Creative in the Bathroom
Your bathroom is probably your smallest space, so storage is definitely at a premium. Get creative by rolling up your towels and wash cloths and stuffing them in a wine rack, and get a storage shelf that sits over your toilet tank for holding your other necessities. Color coordinated baskets can also keep your items neatly sorted and tidy.

More from Apartment Guide:
How to Optimize Space in a Small Apartment
Multipurpose Furniture Packs a One-Two Punch

De-clutter the Kitchen
Maximize your kitchen’s useable space by hanging wire organizers on the inside of your pantry door and cabinet doors. Or, turn a wire organizer on its side to stack and organize your pans and baking dishes. Put dry goods like rice, cereal and flour in labeled, sealable, stackable containers to save shelf space and keep everything neat and organized. A rolling table island will add counter space and give you a place for your microwave and extra utensils. Add a magnetic strip to the backsplash to give you easy access to your knives and free up additional counter space.

“Hook” it Up
Adhesive hooks are easy to install and remove, and can add much needed storage to almost any space. Put them on bathroom doors, bedroom closets and inside cabinets. Store placemats in a clip hung from a hook inside the pantry, or use them to organize your pot lids and save cabinet space.

Turn Any Space into Storage Space
Use decorative boxes to store seldom-used items under coffee tables, end tables, desks and even living room tables and couches. If you want your baskets or bins to be out of sight, hide them with decorative fabric or tablecloths. That way your stuff will always be handy yet out of the way.

Photo credit: iStockphoto/gemenacom

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Organize and accessorize to create a closet that will take care of your clothes.

Is your closet a place to hide things? A cramped space with unknown contents, safe from prying eyes, holding things you’d rather not have to face?

With a little effort, you can turn that all around and create an organized closet that serves you rather than enabling you to keep clutter.

Read on for suggestions how to organize and accessorize your closet for maximum usage.

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Purge the outdated
Begin your efforts to keep an organized closet by getting rid of what you’re not using. This seems simple enough, but sometimes we keep clothes, shoes, purses or ties because they remind of us of our younger selves or of memories that we cherish. As you go through your closet clutter, ask yourself if the item in your hands makes you feel great when you wear it, is flattering on you or projects the image you want at this point in your life. If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, away it goes! For a “maybe” item, wear it for a day and see if you can decide then. In most cases, “maybes” are “no” items that you’re just not ready to cop to yet.

With newly-available closet real estate space, you can now begin your organization efforts in earnest.

Find the right closet system
Depending on the kind of closet you have (reach in? walk in?), this might be the time to install a closet system. You can call a company like California Closets, which can design and install the storage components for you, or use a system available from the Container Store, the Home Depot or EasyClosets. Most systems can be self-installed. Do consider your lease before you choose a product that requires involved installation or which might be difficult to remove.

If you don’t want to go the expense of installing a complete closet system, consider using modular pieces, such as rolling storage caddies, hanging storage caddies or stackable boxes and crates. You can easily create your own system using these portable options.

Coordinate your closet decor
When choosing your closet organization system, try matching it to your room’s decor. You can match colors from your room to the shelves or drawer faces, use wallpaper from the room to accent the closet interior, or simply choose a complementary shade for your modular bins and hanging caddies. With attention to color and style, you can make your closet an attractive annex of the larger room.

Create a personal touch
Regardless of how deep or spacious your closet, you can add finishes to make the space feel welcoming and purposeful. If you have room, add a mirror or small framed picture. Use hat boxes, vintage luggage, decorative boxes or decorative metal locker baskets as containers for sweaters and sundries. To creatively store small items such as jewelry, gloves and sunglasses, try cigar boxes, vintage lunch boxes or even a small (clean!) tackle box.

The importance of hangers
Once you’ve sorted through your excess stuff and come up with storage solutions for the non-hanging items in your closet, it’s time to consider the hangers themselves. Choosing the right kind of hanger for each particular clothing item can not only preserve the piece, but create more room, as well. Non-slip Space Saving Hangers are available through a variety of retailers. Sturdy and easy on your clothes, they are also thin, taking up considerably less space than plastic tube hangers or wooden hangers. If space is not an issue, durable wooden hangers for blouses and jackets work very well, however. Use clip hangers to keep skirts wrinkle free and pants hangers to keep trousers looking spiffy. A multi-hanger (also available with clips) is a great way to save space when hanging multiple pairs of pants.

It’s time to embrace your closet’s potential! Maximize every square inch to store the wardrobe you love, and you’ll enjoy wearing and taking care of each piece. When you design a closet space that’s easy to access, you may be surprised at the difference in your motivation to neatly hang your clothes back up at the end of the day!

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Kekyalyaynen

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Consider modern-day solutions that make floor cleaning less of a chore.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a robot maid to clean your apartment for you, just like Rosie the Robot on “The Jetsons?” While cleaning technology hasn’t come quite THAT far, there are some modern-day solutions that make floor cleaning less of a chore.

We take a look at some cleaning technology for apartments that makes the robot maid seem plausible. (Who knows? You may be able to talk to your robots, someday soon, and they may complain right back!)

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How do they work?
Robot vacs use infrared sensors and multiple motors to assess and cover the room in which they are left to do their dirty work. While the exact formula for determining how long the device should roam is unknown to all but the manufacturer, the theory seems to be that enough time spent zigzagging in a systematic pattern should allow the machine to reach every accessible inch of a room. (Sensors warn and divert the device when an obstacle like a drop-off comes near.)

Like any vacuum, the robot collects dirt and dust. The latest models return to a home base to empty themselves and recharge. Current techie wisdom about robot vacuums is that they are much improved from their early days, but still somewhat hit or miss when left to their own devices to cover an entire room.

The Roomba and other iRobots
The Roomba by iRobot is the first product many think of when they hear the term “robotic vacuum.” It was the first of its kind to market and has won a lot of loyal fans. Once the Roomba is charged, it goes to work cleaning your floors and can be programmed to clean carpet or hardwoods.

Like the idea of a robotic maid, but have more of a mobile mop in mind? Look into iRobot’s Scooba. The Scooba has a squeegee-vacuum system that washes floors without pushing around dirty water, as a conventional mop would. (This might be the way to go if your apartment is carpet-free.) The iRobot Mint is another robotic cleaner which uses microfibers to sweep and mop hard floor surfaces.

Neato Automatic Vacuum Cleaners
The Neato line of robotic vacuum cleaners share a lot of the features of their competitive counterparts. They also map a room (using their own proprietary formula), clean in a pattern and work on different types of flooring. While Neato only offers vacuums, they have come out with a special pet and allergy model for those who desire a deep level of clean.

Samsung’s Smart Tango Corner Clean
As of this writing, Samsung has just announced its new Smart Tango Corner Clean. Along with the usual functions found in robotic cleaners, this automatic vacuum has special attachments that are designed to clean corners, spots that are traditionally difficult for robotic vacuums to reach.

No matter which robotic vacuum or cleaner you want to purchase, do your homework first! Check out reviews by editors and users on sites like CNET, PCWorld, or Amazon. Make your informed choice, and then sit back, relax and let your personal robot assistant do the floor cleaning for you!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Jirsak

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Maintain an apartment space that’s comfortable, livable… and sharable!

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Are you a man? Is your apartment appalling? Why not consider joining the cult of men who clean?

You owe it to yourself to investigate the mysteries of the livable apartment. A new year requires new ways of doing things, so read on for a few quick cleaning tips that will help keep your apartment presentable. (You may discover it’s not as bad as you expect.)

Pretend your apartment is a car
Many a woman has lamented the fact that her man could spend hours detailing his car, but seem blind to household grime. Why not tackle your apartment cleaning in the same way you would your car? Vacuum under all the furniture, dust every corner and surface, and scrub away every bit of mildew in the shower — all with the same single-mindedness and dedication you reserve for keeping your car clean! Once you’ve done a thorough apartment cleaning initially, the gleam will be much easier to maintain and in even less time.

Assemble your tool kit
What man doesn’t like assembling tools for a project? Apartment cleaning is no different than a workbench scheme. Get the right tools for the job, and clean-up will be a breeze.

Here are a few things you may already have on hand to gather together in your cleaning tool box.

• A squeegee for windows, mirrors, shower doors and tile.
• A wet/dry vac. Attach a soft brush attachment and you can spin away cobwebs and dust.
• Car polish. Wipe down your shower stall and door to keep soap-scum from sticking.
• Tennis ball. Spray with a general cleaner and buff away scuff marks on floors and walls.
• Steel wool (fine, synthetic). Good for scrubbing pots and counter gunk.
• Sponges, scrub brushes.
• All-purpose cleaner.
• Mop or Swiffer WetJet.
• Electromagnetic duster.

Create a plan
Guys like solutions to problems, right? So look around. Even the worst mire can be cleaned up with a bit of smart planning. Come up with your own system on your own time. If you’re a night owl who gets inspired at 3 a.m., work your cleaning magic then. Or maybe you’re self-employed and want to get your clean on first thing in the morning. Don’t fight it; go with your particular flow, grabbing any time you can get.

Multitask for success
You likely value multitasking in your work endeavors, so try double duty to clean your apartment, as well.

• Start your bathroom cleaning while you’re getting clean yourself. Scrub the shower while you’re taking one, wipe the sink right after you brush your teeth, and quickly wipe down the toilet with a flushable cloth, after giving it a scrub with a little cleanser.

• Throw on a load of wash while you’re getting dressed or undressed, and start the dishwasher as soon as you’ve finished your last bite of breakfast or dinner.

• Sweep or vacuum your kitchen floor every morning or evening, and never leave a mess in the sink or on counters overnight.

• Vacuum, dust and straighten your living room during the commercial breaks of your favorite show.

A man can take good care of his living space without giving up the image that he just doesn’t care about those things! Implement these cleaning steps, adapting them to your own schedule and needs. Remember that some effort is required – preferably, a little each day – to maintain an apartment space that’s comfortable, livable… and sharable. Your buddies will be impressed — and you can even bring home a friend without wondering where you tossed your boxers!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Yuri Arcurs

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Keep your clothes looking so fresh and so clean with these at home garment care tips.

Hang It Up
Make sure to put your clothes on a hanger at night if you are going to wear them again. Put dirty clothes into a hamper to be washed. Try to avoid crumpling up your clothes into a ball on the floor, which will help protect the fabric and make them last longer. Button the top button on shirts and blouses and hang them neatly on the hanger, while pants and jeans should go on a special hanger with clips that hold the top of the waist.

What’s In Store
If you need to store items seasonally, like sweaters or purses, make sure you’re storing them properly. New, airtight garbage cans make great storage containers for freshly cleaned clothing. To prevent mildew from forming in a purse during storage, stuff the inside with crumpled newspaper and leave it unfastened.

Washed Out
Wash your clothes often, using a gentle wash cycle for delicates and separating whites from colors. Don’t use liquid bleach in the wash, but instead choose a pure soap with a scoop of baking soda for a cleaner, more environmentally friendly solution. Chemical bleaches don’t completely wash out of clothes, posing a potential danger to your health.

Out to Dry
Try not to use a dryer at all, as dryers can wear out your clothes and make colors fade more quickly than if you just air dried your clothes. Additionally, dryers use a large amount of electricity, which you will see reflected on your power bill. Try drying your clothes on a drying rack, which are generally inexpensive and can be found at any home furnishings store. Once your clothes are finished drying, remove them immediately and hang them up or fold neatly to avoid any wrinkles that might occur.

Blow Off Some Steam
You can de-wrinkle clothes quickly by running hot water into a bathtub and hanging the garment on a shower rod – the steam will help to remove the wrinkles. Or, invest in a portable steam cleaner and fabric steamer that sanitizes surfaces and freshens garments without the use of chemicals, like the EnviroMate Pronto, which features a 15-piece accessory kit, four bar pressure for maximum cleaning power, a 1200W heating element and a soft touch ergonomic handle. The best part? The steamer heats up in only two minutes, which is perfect for when you need to freshen up clothes in a hurry.

DIY Quick Fixes
Just a few simple tips can help fix clothing snafus or prevent them from happening. When you first purchase a garment, dab clear nail polish on the center of each button to seal the threads and prevent the button from popping off. Rub zippers with wax occasionally to keep the teeth from snagging. Wrap tape around your finger with the sticky side out to remove lint from a concentrated area. To create your own DIY lint roller, roll up a magazine and wrap double sided tape around it.

This post was sponsored by Reliable Corporation, which carries an extensive line of home and professional sewing machines, steam cleaners, steam irons and industrial fabric cleaning products

Photo credit: iStockphoto/lucentius

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Keep your holiday neat and tidy with five organization tips that will keep your home clutter-free.

3. Control your boxes and trash
Whether you stash all of your purchased gifts in the trunk of your car, the guest room or attic, put them all in one place until you’ve made all of your gift-giving purchases. Remove them from their shopping bags and throw the bags away immediately, reserving the receipts. If they arrived in boxes in the mail, set aside only which boxes you’ll need to wrap gifts, and break down the remaining boxes. Put them in the recycling bin or Dumpster immediately, and store the saved boxes in the same place you store your gifts.

4. Select a wrapping paper “station”
Various companies sell wrapping paper organizers, but you don’t have to shell out lots of money on specialized storage bins; you can keep everything together in a cheap, new (or clean) 13-gallon plastic trash can. Place the tape, tissue paper, scissors, gift tags and ribbon in the bottom and stack wrapping paper rolls on top. To keep bows from losing their shape, store them in a plastic shopping bag and hang it from one of the wrapping paper rolls, and hang gift bags from another roll. Stuff plastic shopping bags between the rolls to keep them from sliding around.

5. Wrap everything at once
As soon as all of your gifts have been purchased or arrive in the mail, designate one day to wrap them. Then, you’ll only need to get out your wrapping paper supplies and clean up scraps of paper once. When you’re finished, place the gifts under the tree and store your wrapping paper station in the attic, home office or hall closet, wherever you keep the rest of your Christmas decorations.

Photo Credit: iStockphoto/daneger

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