How To Stay Organized In Your Apartment

Do you already live in an apartment, or do you plan on moving into one? If so, then set a goal to keep your space clean and organized. It's clearly easier to get in disarray, and with limited space in an apartment, it can clutter quickly. Here is a list of tips I put together for you to help you stay better organized.

1. Quick Cleanup Every Evening

Every evening, even on the weekends, set a goal to do a real quick cleanup. This does not have to be time consuming at all, and it doesn't have to be complicated either. If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish this very quickly. Just set aside 10 to 15 minutes in which to complete the tasks.

If you make this a regular habit, you will be able to easily stay organized in your apartment. Also, when you do this cleanup regularly, you space will remain much less cluttered and you will tend to feel better about your living quarters. So the question is, exactly what should you do each evening? Specifically, I'm recommending that you pick up the various things that are lying around and put them where they belong, do a quick dusting in needed areas, and wash the dishes. Of course you can add any other tasks to this short list. If you have a long list you want to accomplish, don't spend more time per day, just rotate your tasks through more days. 

2. Use Storage Containers And Shelves

Storage containers are great for things you don't need all the time as well as small things that could be easily misplaced. So get some containers! It's important that everything have a place. That way, when you are cleaning up, you know where to put the stuff so it is out of the way. This includes small items such as jewelry and other things like clothing, shoes, trinkets, and anything else you might leave lying around.

Vertical shelving units are really nice for items you might want to display. They go high, but they are not very wide, so they take up less floor space and look quite nice. On that note, for areas where you are not trying to display unique things, you could combine the two ideas - buy some shelving units and some small boxes to place on them. Then you can store items in the boxes and put them on the appropriate shelf. 

3. Only Keep What You Need

Too many people hold onto things they no longer need or use. This is not a good idea if you want to stay organized within your apartment. When you want to stay organized, you have to get rid of things that you don't need. You might actually be surprised by the amount of stuff you can do without. 

As a general rule of thumb, you can eliminate any items that have no emotional value for you. Only hold onto the things that are regularly used, have sentimental value, or have some important meaning. If you have a lot of stuff, then use that barometer to gradually get rid of the meaningless things. You can do little bit each day, until the only things remaining are those that you truly need.

4. Raise Up Your Bed

You can raise your bed a little bit higher off the floor and store stuff under it. Since a bed takes up a lot of floor space, it's possible to store a lot of stuff under one. If you cannot raise your bed, then consider going out and buying a bed that is already raised up, and then you can store your belongings in storage containers and put them under the bed.

Also, you can easily put important papers into a box or even a safe, and then place that under the bed. The same is true for small equipment. Package it up and store it under your bed. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

In summary, keeping only the things you need and raising your bed are great ways to keep your space organized in an apartment. Buying containers and storage or display shelves along with tidying up regularly will complete the process. Do more of these things, and you will discover that you can stay more organized.