Honestly, this might be a little hypocritical for me to write considering I do have clothes all over my bedroom floor and haven't unpacked my suitcase since I got back from Christmas Break. Regardless, I'm going to tell you anyway because I do like to use these tips when I clean and the rest of my apartment is in pretty decent shape. I like to try to keep my apartment as clean as possible because I get quite anxious otherwise. I already have enough going on in my life, I don't need to come home to a sink with piling up dishes that I don't have any desire to load. And if you're anything like me, then it's often really hard to muster up the energy to do something as simple as that.
Fortunately, these hacks have made my life a little bit easier and I encourage you to make these simple changes to your lifestyle because they do take less energy and you still get the same effect of a tidy apartment that will make you feel a lot better.
1. The KonMari Method
Is the Konmari method the best way to declutter your closet?Recently, the new Netflix show "Tidying Up" with "Marie Kondo" has taken a lot of people by storm. Her method involves organizing by category rather than by room and it is meant to help us gain perspective and be more introspective. I wouldn't necessarily call this easy or quick by any means, but on those days when you get a surge of energy and an intense desire to be productive, then is a great way to organize your apartment. She also gives great tips on how to stay organized so it doesn't feel like your life is falling apart within a week after that cleaning burst!
2. Use Mason Jars
I. Love. Mason jars. You can do virtually anything with them, they're cute and so, so, so versatile. I use them to store coffee and snacks, to drink out of, put leftovers in, store meal prep and to decorate with. Here you can get a dozen of them for less than $20. Pinterest is a great way for you to get ideas so you can personalize your Mason Jars and figure out how you can adjust it your personal style!
3. Storage containers for kitchen organization.
Ditch the cardboard and bags and use storage containers for EVERYTHING. Bonus if it's collapsible because that takes up less space. Those odd-shaped and bulky bags we get for things like coffee, frozen fruit/veggies, chips and anything else you can think of...all of that makes it hard to keep things visible and organized. Storage containers help us stack things much easier and it just looks cleaner.
Plus, food will stay fresh for longer because it's sealed off. I have a cat and her food bag was just so annoying, I opted to buy a container for her food and now it's much easier and faster to get her food out. On top of that, I don't spill her food as much and that means less of a mess for me. Now, I'm not saying it has to look as clean and aesthetic-looking as the picture above, but you get the idea, right?
4. Magazine holders
Never in my life did I ever think these things would be useful. In fact, for a really long time, I didn't even know what they were, and I thought they were the ugliest office supply in the world.
But, you should get some.
You can put them under your sink, or you can use velcro strips to put them on the back of cabinet doors to hold things like hair styling tools, makeup. You can put them in your drawers to hold socks or underwear, to organize t-shirts or books. They are so much more versatile then I ever gave them credit too, and if you are looking for a way to tidy up your apartment and make it look unique and stylish in the process, I recommend this idea. Here is some inspiration!
5. Get some discipline
You're probably questioning this one. But, honestly, it's the most important thing you need to keep an apartment clean. As difficult as it can be sometimes, discipline is how people keep organized. People who let their apartments get messy and whine about it lack the discipline to keep up with it. If you want to have a tidy home and a tidy mind, it takes work. Just like it takes work to lose weight or ace a semester of hard exams.
Your home is a reflection of your mind, taking care of it and keeping it clean is just as important to your mental well-being, as eating healthy and exercising frequently is to your physical well-being. You need that same kind of discipline to keep your apartment tidy. You don't deserve to live in a messy environment, the kind that causes you to go slowly mad. Nor do you deserve to add another thing to that "list of tasks you need to do," when there aren't enough hours in the day for them all.
It's okay to have those messy days, though, I mean I'm having one right now. But now it's just much easier for me to clean since I have adopted all of these various cleaning methods and organizational ideas.
Happy cleaning!
