Stash Your Clutter

(Image courtesy of PoshSurfside.com)

Regardless of how often your purge your apartment of unwanted items, we all have those few belongings that we just can’t seem to shake. Though these items may not fit our decor, or just aren’t fit to be sitting in full view, we can’t seem to get rid of them.

Just because you’re having trouble parting with a few items, doesn’t mean that they need to be in plain sight all the time. Your apartment can afford you ample opportunities to stash these items. This article from renters.apartments.com offers a room-by-room guide for hiding the essentials you may not want your guests to see. Keep reading to learn more.

Kitchen: When all the cupboards are full but you still have a box full of pots, pans and kitchen gadgets to unpack, look up! The spaces above the cabinets and on top of the fridge are ideal for storing things that don’t get used every day, like waffle irons, blenders and serving trays. They will be out of sight for you and for visitors, but if it bothers you to leave them out in the open, get a couple wicker or canvas bins in colors that match your decor and disguise them in style.

Living Room: As the area where your house guests will hang out most, the living room definitely needs to be free of clutter. One easy option is an ottoman or bench that has a lid and storage space inside, perfect for video games and controllers, blankets and those VHS tapes that you just can’t part with, even though you don’t own a VCR anymore. Another place to look is under your end tables: Buy – or make your own – table skirt and hide whatever you want under there, like workout equipment, crafting supplies or your clarinet from middle school.

Bathroom: If you have a pedestal sink, a fabric skirt is also a great way to hide unsightly necessities like the plunger, extra soap and toilet brush; check out this HGTV tutorial if you want to make your own. Other clutter savers can be purchased at any home goods store, including cabinets that fit over the toilet, over-the-showerhead shelves and baskets or bins for towels and washcloths.

Bedroom: Once the closet and dresser are filled to the max, the best spot to hide clutter in this room is underneath the bed. Buy short and wide bins that are specifically designed for this space to store sheets, blankets and out-of-season clothes. If you need more space, prop your bed up on specially made risers. Other solutions include hollow benches and bins and freestanding armoires.

Home Office: Few things look messier than piles of printer paper, bills and jumbles of paperclips and pens. Tidy up this space in a snap with a filing cabinet or two, and set aside an afternoon to organize important papers into files – think insurance of every kind, lease/mortgage info, bank statements and past tax returns. For smaller items, get a drawer organizer at an office supply store, as well as a multipurpose desk organizer for things like Post-Its, pens and extra staples.