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It's been nearly a year since neatntiny.com was launched! To commemorate this blog-iversary, I've rounded up some of my best tips and tricks from the blog for maintaining a tidy, clutter-free home.
Kind of like the montage episode of blog posts. Except this won't totally suck, I promise!
But, first, a look back at the blog...
(Scroll down about three swipes if you're just here for the tips!)
Over the past year, neatntiny's given me the opportunity to share tips, tricks and DIYs from our home and personal life.
As an introvert with an incongruently social day job, blogging's been a solitary refuge into which I can withdraw after a long, people-filled work day.
The blog's had many other benefits; it’s lit a fire under us to get started on projects around the house (in the name of new content, of course!), and I've made meaningful connections with other bloggers and brands (check out my awesome sponsors!).
As for what the future has in store, I'm not entirely sure. I've picked up yet another side hustle, but hope to keep going with neatntiny as much as my two other jobs (three, if you count the mom gig) allow!
This year, I plan to incorporate more decor and design-based posts, as we chip away at our home's to-do list. We have a powder room and front entryway facelift in the works, and major renos on the horizon for our mudroom and master bath. In April, I'm participating in the One Room Challenge with our family room makeover! I hope telling you all of this in advance will hold me accountable.
I also hope to continue sharing organizational tips and tricks and our pursuit of a more minimalist-ish lifestyle!
Thank you for continuing to follow along!
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neatntiny.com's
Top 10 Tips for A Clutter-Free Home
1. Don't Store Things On Your Kitchen Counters
The simplest way to keep your kitchen looking tidy is to minimize what’s on your counters.
Clutter's like a magnet: by keeping your counters clear, they're less likely to become a dumping ground.
To clear your counters, relocate counter inhabitants (i.e. appliances, knife block, spice rack) to kitchen drawers and cabinets, adjacent to where you'd normally use them. For more on this, see my post on how to keep your kitchen clutter-free with drawer organizers!
Shop This Idea
In-Drawer Knife Block ($26.42, Amazon.com).
Expandable In-Drawer Spice Rack ($14.99, Amazon.com).
Self-Adhesive Towel Hooks - Set of 2 ($12.99, Amazon.com).
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2. Keep Wires Out of Sight
I don't know about you, but the sight of wires (especially tangled wires) makes my skin crawl!
Here are a few ways we've minimized wire clutter in our home:
An Electronics Closet
In our media room/family room, we keep all our wires hidden in our DIY electronics closet next to the TV (this room's actually a bedroom we repurposed).
We connected our hard drive and gaming systems to the TV via a small DIY cutout in the wall between the closet and the back of the television.
An Appliance Garage
We have an appliance garage (i.e. cabinet with a power outlet) in the kitchen, to keep the toaster and coffee machine hidden away, yet functional.
Robot Vacuum Under the Couch
We store the home base/charging center for our Roomba under the couch, so that when it's not working, it's completely out of sight!
Because it's scheduled to clean when we're away at work, it feels like our floors have magically vacuumed themselves while we were out!
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3. Use A Rotating Bin System for Kids' Toys
We store the bulk of my son's toys in clear bins in the basement. He's allowed to 'check out' one bin at a time. The contents of each bin must be tidied up and the bin returned to the basement before he can have another.
This means that at any given time, we only have one bin's worth of toys scattered around the house!
This strategy may seem a little austere to some, but if this is what it takes to keep my home from being taken over by kids' stuff, then so be it!
For more on this, check out my post on how to organize kids' toys.
Kidraft Bookcase Reading Nook ($101.12, Amazon.com; $156, Amazon.ca).
Kidcraft Sling Bookcase ($47.85, Amazon.com; $53.41, Amazon.ca).
4. Create Hidden Storage
For Kids' Stuff In Common Areas
We often get asked how we keep our home looking like we don't have kids. The answer? Stealthy storage for my son's stuff in our common areas.
While the vast majority of Owen's toys are stored in rotating bins, we allow for a select few high-yield toys to have a permanent spot in the living room (ex. small bin of LEGOs, activity books, his favourite transformers). We keep these things hidden away in baskets and cabinets in our credenza; these also serve as last-minute storage where we can toss the odd forgotten toy in a pinch.
Shop This Idea
Extra-Large Storage Baskets ($29.99, Amazon.com).
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5. Use Color Blocking to Add Visual Interest Without Clutter
In our bedroom, I painted the bottom half of the wall behind our bed to serve as a faux headboard in this tiny, awkward enclave.
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6. Switch Out Decor Seasonally to Reduce Visual Clutter
Instead of just piling seasonal decor on top of your existing decor, why not switch it up?
By replacing your baseline stuff with seasonal pieces (like subtle Halloween and Christmas-themed prints instead of pumpkins and tinsel), you won't increase your clutter footprint.
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7. Get Yourself Some Over-the-Door Hanging Shoe Organizers
These are the under-utilized panacea of home organization. They're not just for shoes! Consider any interior closet door as a candidate for one of these.
We use one in my son's room to organize his undershirts and thermal underwear (gotta love Canada, where cold-weather clothes require their own storage solutions!) and in our DIY walk-in-closet for accessories like hats and belts.
Others have cleverly used them for cooking and cleaning supplies. Basically, anything other than shoes!
Shop This Idea
Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer ($7.99, Amazon.com).
8. Use Sofa Covers That Are Durable & Washable
When your kid's a professional couch gymnast and your dog sleeps on the couch when he thinks no one's looking, you need to play defense.
You may think we're nuts for having a white couch, but the fact that we can remove and wash the sofa covers makes all the difference!
Removable covers mean that you can yank them off and give any soiled spots a thorough soak in the sink. We've had our share of spills, but our Comfort Works sofa covers have held up incredibly well the past six months!
9. Make A Good First Impression With A Clutter-Free Entry Way
The front entry is the first part of your home guests see. To make a good first impression, keep it as clutter-free as possible. We keep most of our outerwear in the back mudroom, with only one pair of shoes and one coat allowed per family member in our front entry. For more on this, check out my post on how to maintain a clutter-free entryway.
10. Come Up With A Quick Tidy Up Routine for When Company's Coming
We try to keep our home's main living space in a state where we're visitor-ready within ten minutes. We have our last-ten-minutes-before-guests-arrive routine down to an art!
There you have it, my top 10 tips for keeping your home clutter-free!
Thank you again for following along this year! If you haven't already, subscribe for my free, printable declutter checklist!
Keep an eye out for my future posts: Vintage Chair Gets A Boho (Zero-Waste!) Makeover, Cheap Date Night Ideas, and How to Build A Capsule Wardrobe.
