Latest news with #clutter
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Hide toys, tidy away cables – and make friends with baskets: 11 clever home storage hacks
Modern home life is messy: between scattered toys, shoe piles by the front door and tangled cables, it can be hard to keep on top of the clutter. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. We've asked design experts and home organisers for their best tips on how to hide it all, from furniture with charging drawers to hidden living room storage, cable clips and sleeves to an overlooked, hidden bathroom storage spot. And remember: storage baskets are your friend. Rachel Burditt, home organiser at The Declutter Darling, says clients often ask for help hiding the cables that dangle from lamps, speakers and TVs. Her solution? Using small cable clips (available from DIY stores such as Toolstation) to hold them in place on the back or side of the item. You just stick or nail the clip on to a hidden spot and feed the cable through it, keeping it out of sight. For cables that need to run along the floor, she recommends using cord sleeves – essentially jackets for your wires – that blend into your decor. She gets hers from Amazon, but you'll find them in all DIY shops. In areas where multiple cables are needed, it might be worth investing in a cable box. They're neutral containers you can sit a block of sockets in, keeping wires and plugs hidden and stopping them from gathering dust. Muji's white, steel cable organiser looks like a desk tidy and fits into even the most minimalist aesthetic. 'You can also get trays that attach under tables to keep wires tidy, which work well if you've got a home office,' Burditt says. Try Livivo's under-desk cord organiser. Amazon cord sleeves £5.10 at Amazon Muji steel cable organiser £19.95 at Muji Livivo cord organiser £14.99 at B&Q£14.99 at Amazon The games consoles, tablets, laptops and phones that litter surfaces while they're charging can also be hidden. Interior designer Loren Kreiss recommends creating a charging drawer in a bedside table or chest of drawers. Drill or cut a hole in the back. Put a block of sockets inside, run an extension cord through the hole and connect them to the nearest power outlet. Then leave your chargers in the drawer, ready to go. Interior designer Wesley Moon takes a similar approach with beauty devices: 'I always build outlets into a drawer in vanity stations so things like hairdryers can stay plugged in.' This means they're always tidied away. If you're DIY-phobic, check out Wayfair, which has a range of cable management cabinets with holes pre-cut into the back. Try the stylish Holz Stainless Steel 2 with a ridged, moody black finish and a slot for wires at the back. Holz stainless steel 2 cabinet £125.99 at Wayfair If you don't have an office and don't want your home to look like a student library post-6pm on WFH days, an easy way to clear away your tech, stationery and paperwork is a must. Burditt recommends using a butcher's trolley from Ikea, such as the Räskog – a stack of three baskets on wheels that you can fill with your work essentials and then stow away easily. 'They're really small [61 x 28 x 38cm]. Mine fits in my under-the-stairs cupboard.' They are also great for handbag collections, tool kits and more. Burditt recommends them for storing kids' craft materials – allowing you to wheel the glue, glitter, felt tips, card etc out of sight after your little one has finished their masterpiece. Want a way to store the artworks they're making? 'Get one of the My Little Davinci picture frames,' says Imani Keal, DIY content creator at @imaniathome. 'They allow you to store up to 50 sheets of paper, and you can display the nicest one on the outside.' Ikea Råskog £25 at Ikea My Little Davinci multi-storage picture frames £29.99 at My Little Davinci£29.99 at Amazon Bulky kitchen appliances such as air fryers and toasters take up valuable counter space. 'If people have enough room, a walk-in pantry with a dedicated worktop is a great place to store appliances,' says Emma Perkin, director of Emil Eve Architects. 'But of course, that's not achievable for everyone.' For smaller kitchens, Perkin recommends adapting standard cupboards. 'You can modify a tall, open-backed Ikea cabinet – for example, a Metod high cabinet – by adding a worktop-height work surface to one of the shelves and installing a plug socket. By removing or reducing the depth of the shelves above this (by either cutting them narrower or using shelves from the matching wall unit, which are only 360mm deep), you can create space for your toaster and air fryer inside a cupboard, with shelves for spices, jars and bottles above.' Metod high cabinet £146 at Ikea 'I don't want plastic scattered everywhere, so I use hidden storage for toys,' says Burditt. She labels thin, flat storage bags – such as underbed grey storage bags from Dunelm – to keep puzzles, games and Lego under her sofa. 'It's all tucked away, but my kids know exactly where to find their things.' For larger items, she says an ottoman works well. 'Just close it up, throw a blanket and some cushions over it, and suddenly it's extra seating.' With a capacity of 117 litres, you could fit plenty of Lego in Swyft's cushioned storage 02 bench, available in velvet, boucle or linen. Moon takes a similar, but built-in, approach. 'In one New York apartment, we created a banquette along one wall. It worked as a dining nook, but the seat lifted up to reveal compartments underneath. Each child had their own section for toys, and we made sure the lids had spring mechanisms so they stayed open – no pinched fingers!' Dunelm storage bags £5 at Dunelm Swyft storage bench From £299 at SwyftFrom £340 at John Lewis Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion If you want to keep heavy dumbbells to hand in your living room without ruining the aesthetic, hide them in a sturdy, shallow throw basket such as H&M's large handmade seagrass storage basket. 'Put the weights at the bottom of the basket, and then use it to hold throw blankets on top to camouflage them,' says Keal. H&M storage basket £19.99 at H&M If you want to get fitter without joining a gym, check out our guide to the best home exercise kit 'You can place a litter box at the bottom of a cupboard, getting a carpenter to cut in a discreet entry hole for your cat,' says Perkin. 'We designed one against an external wall with an air vent leading outside, helping with ventilation and keeping things smelling fresh.' B&Q has a range of cupboards and cabinets designed to hide cat paraphernalia, such as the Feandrea decorative litter box cabinet, which has a flexible internal space where litter trays, cat beds and bowls of food can be tucked away. Moon took a similar approach to Perkin when it came to integrating a dog crate into a design for a client. 'We built it into an end table beside their sofa,' he says. 'Instead of a basic wire crate, we used a decorative metal grille – similar to what you'd see on an air vent, but with larger openings for airflow. He used New York-based Architectural Grille to make custom-designed sides, working with a carpenter on the frame. 'We bolted it to the floor so its table surface didn't wobble when the dog moved,' he says. Lots of furniture designers are selling similar dog crate furniture on Etsy. Tolotun dog house makes mid-century modern dog crates that look more like kooky 1970s display cabinets. Meanwhile, Kurr Pets' dog and cat beds and houses, made of Baltic birch plywood and jewel- and pastel-tone fabric, would blend into a contemporary flat. Feandrea litter cabinet £50.99 at Songmics£78.39 at B&Q Tolotun dog house From £279.56 at Etsy Burditt has a simple idea for keeping an exposed gas meter concealed, which she used for a recent client. 'We got a picture shelf and put that underneath it, and then got a few big prints to put in front of it.' Perkin says: 'Hiding an ugly boiler inside a cupboard can make a massive difference. There are lots available specifically for this, or you could incorporate the boiler into a larger cupboard, perhaps with shelving around it for additional storage. She recommends Lark & Larks, who make tall cupboards specifically designed to conceal boilers, starting at £75.16. 'You need to make sure you leave adequate space around and in front of the boiler for ventilation and access.' Lark & Larks boiler cupboard £75.16 at Larks & Larks 'You know the panel on your bath? On some – usually the wooden ones – you can actually slide that out and use the space behind it,' says Burditt. If not, she recommends installing a Ceramica bath storage panel, which turns the space around your bath into a hidden cupboard with a sliding, lockable door. She says this is good for storing kids' bathroom toys, spare beauty and cleaning products and loo rolls. Perkin says if you're planning to renovate your bathroom and you're getting a concealed cistern and wall-hung toilet installed, you have an opportunity to put in hidden storage. 'You're building out the wall anyway for the cistern to sit behind,' she says. 'So you can get a carpenter to build in recessed shelves above the cistern, with mirrored doors flush with your new wall.' Ceramica panel £119.99 at Plumb World Try Ikea's Trones storage cabinet. 'They are only 18cm deep and work in every single space,' says Keal. It looks like a clean white box, and was designed to store shoes, but she uses it to hide her wifi router, incoming post, her dog's leash, food and toys. 'And you can use the top of it to put a little basket or drop your keys on.' And for the shoe littering? Perkin says if you're undergoing renovations and you have a generous living room next to the entrance hall, 'you could look to borrow a bit of space from this to create recessed shoe and coat storage from the hallway.' Like Keal, she recommends fold-out racks for storing shoes away in narrow spaces. More than 10 pairs of shoes can be tucked away in the five-tiered steel Logan shoe rack from Sklum (£209.95). Wayfair also has a range of similar shoe tidies, such as the Sheringham six-pair storage with a wooden slatted finish. Ikea Trones cabinet £25 for two at Ikea Sheringham shoe storage £78.99 at Wayfair Whether they're wardrobes or kitchen units, Perkin recommends always building cupboards up to the ceiling. 'We will often try to avoid any form of cupboards or wardrobes that stop below, because it creates a dust trap and you're just wasting space that you could use.' While that space might be hard to get to, it's a great place to store the things you only need every now and then – boxes of Christmas decorations, for example. You can do this by stacking two standard kitchen units on top of each other. 'I always recommend getting a bed that's at least eight to 12 inches off the ground,' says Keal, 'so you can slide suitcases and other items under it.' Dusk and Loaf both have great options with vast ottoman storage. 'It's the perfect space for things you don't need access to all the time and want to keep out of sight.'
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why This Professional Organizer Swears by the OHIO Organizing Method
As a professional organizer, I've often heard the phrases 'I'll deal with it later' or 'I'll put it away later' from my clients (and, if I'm being transparent, from myself occasionally). When you're busy and overwhelmed, deciding to tidy up later feels like the best thing to do in the moment. But it's also what causes clutter to build up over time—and the problem is made significantly worse if you don't have a designated home for all your things. If you have perpetual piles of paperwork, clothes, or charging cords littering every available square inch of surface space, try the OHIO organizing method. It's a straightforward—yet highly effective—approach that encourages you to deal with each item right away, rather than postponing decisions. Learn what the OHIO organizing method is and how to implement it into your daily routine. It not only keeps clutter from accumulating, but also reduces the mental fatigue that comes along with constant tidying. Related: The 1-3-5 Rule Will Help You Organize Your Home for Good As we're sure you can guess, the OHIO method has nothing to do with the state. Instead, it's an acronym for 'only handle it once,' and was initially popularized in the corporate world to assist with email management. It's since been adapted as a home organization technique that helps curb clutter and decision making (just as it does with digital clutter, like emails). The OHIO method is based on a simple principle: when you pick something up, decide immediately what to do with it. Either put the item away, create a storage spot for it, add it to a donation bag, discard it, or address it however else you might need to. The key is to avoid setting it down with the intention of dealing with it later, saving yourself from clutter and stress. The primary advantage of the OHIO approach is that it helps curb unnecessary clutter in your home since you're incentivized to take quick action. Handling each item only once reduces the time and energy spent making decisions. Doing so not only creates a tidier physical space but also improves mental space since you're not left dwelling on what to do with your things. Related: I'm a Professional Organizer and I Swear By the 90/90 Decluttering Rule Applying the OHIO method is simple once you get into the habit. Here are some examples of how to do implement it: Set up your entryway: Designate specific spots for essentials such as keys, bags, and shoes. When you arrive home, immediately place each item in its assigned location. This prevents entryway clutter from accumulating and ensures that everything is easy to find when heading out the door. Manage your mail: It's easy to let mail and other paperwork pile up, but, eventually, it becomes too much to handle. Instead, set aside time each week to sort through each piece of paper (rather than picking it up and shuffling it around multiple times per week!). Toss junk mail, file important documents, and tackle any actionable items immediately. Do a quick kitchen clean up: After mealtime, have everyone pitch in to promptly clear the table, clean the dishes, and wipe down surfaces. Avoid leaving items in the sink (soaking a pot or pan is a minor exception) or out on the countertops with the intention of getting to them later. This habit keeps the kitchen tidier and reduces the overall workload at the end of the day. Keep your closet under control: When trying on clothes, aim to immediately hang them back up or place them in the laundry. Resist the urge to drape items over furniture—like the dreaded 'clothes chair'—or leave them scattered on the floor. If you're running late to an event and don't have the time to put away the things that didn't make the cut, be sure to do it as soon as you get home so the mess doesn't linger. Detox your digital clutter: Apply the OHIO method as it was originally intended to declutter your digital life. Reply to, organize, or discard emails and messages as you read them rather than revisit them over and over. Related: What Is the FIFO Organizing Method? Here's How to Use It Use the following tips to make the most of the OHIO method in your life and home: Start small: Begin by applying the principle to a specific area, such as your desk or entryway, so you can feel confident before expanding to other, larger parts of the house. Be mindful: Be conscious of those moments when you're tempted to set something aside "for later." Instead, challenge yourself to deal with it immediately until it becomes more like second nature. Set aside time: If you know you won't have the time or energy to, say, tackle the messy bathroom counter before your next Zoom meeting, carve out a few minutes later so you can clean up in one fell swoop. Involve everyone: Encourage the whole household to adopt the OHIO method so you're not doing it alone. This helps little ones learn how to tidy and will also speed up results thanks to the collective effort. Be consistent: Work on making the OHIO method a regular part of your routine so you can reap the benefits of a tidier physical—and, just as importantly, mental—space. Related: I'm a Professional Organizer and I Swear By the Core 4 Decluttering Method Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A therapist told me this home organization hack can 'lower your mental load.' I tried it and here's why you should, too
I grew up with a mom who I would describe as the world's most organized person. My mom, a retired school principal and self-proclaimed neat freak, kept our home meticulously organized. Every gizmo and gadget has its place in my parents' home, a rule that, until recently, I adopted in my own space. Despite my best efforts, my home is more disorganized than I would like to admit. I live in a small apartment and own a lot of stuff (a side effect of the job, you know?), which means it can easily become cluttered. The more disorganized my space, the more stressed out I become. "Clutter is emotional and when our homes feel chaotic, our brains absorb that stress," Anita Yokota, a licensed therapist and interior designer, tells Yahoo Canada. "Research has shown that disorganized spaces can increase cortisol, the body's main stress hormone, and drain our ability to focus or make decisions. That's why labelling your pantry or tidying a drawer can feel like a breath of fresh air... It's actually lowering your mental load." When my space becomes overly cluttered and messy, it can feel overwhelming. Not only is a disorganized space stressful to live and work in, but for some, it can heighten feelings of depression and anxiety. That's why, for me, it's essential to stay on top of my cleaning routine. "There's fascinating research that supports what I call the 'emotional blueprint' of space," Yokota says. "Studies show that having control over your environment (even something as small as deciding where things go or how to label them) can help reduce anxiety and improve emotional regulation. So yes, there's science behind it, but more importantly, there's a deep emotional benefit that people feel almost immediately." Yokota, the author of Home Therapy, says that organizing your space is "one of the fastest ways to shift how you feel in your home." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anita Yokota (@anitayokota) "It boosts productivity by cutting down on all the tiny decisions that drain your energy," she says. Organizing your space "creates calm," Yokota tells Yahoo Canada. "Our brains are constantly scanning our environment, and when there's visual clutter, it sends a low-level signal that something's off. When your space is organized, it tells your body that you're safe and you can relax." If you're struggling with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, Yokota recommends organizing and using devices like a label maker to create structure in your space. "For busy parents, clear labels mean fewer questions, less decision-making, and more independence for everyone in the house. And for anyone navigating anxiety, even just knowing where things go can create a sense of control in a world that often feels unpredictable." Whether you're organizing your junk drawer, kitchen pantry or filing cabinet, using a label maker is an easy way to create structure, no matter how small it may made-in-Canada cleaning brands to clean your bathroom, laundry room, kitchen & more This made-in-Canada cleaning brand is eco-friendly, affordable and available on Amazon The best robot vacuums and mops we've tested in 2025 In my home, I use a label maker to organize my large storage bins, so I know exactly where items like Christmas decorations, winter boots, gift wrapping paper, and extra cords are stored. Yokota recommends using a label maker for spaces like your kitchen, where you can use it for best-before dates and labelling freezer leftovers, as well as in your storage room. If you live with a messy partner or small children, a label maker can be particularly handy. To help keep the clutter at bay, I've rounded up five items that reviewers swear by for a clean, mess-free home. I've included Yokota's label maker of choice — the Brother P-touch PT-N10 Personal Handheld Label Maker Machine — plus other gadgets that my fellow clean freaks may find useful. "Labelling and organizing might seem small, but they create structure and our brains crave structure," Yokota tells Yahoo Canada. "For busy parents, clear labels mean fewer questions, less decision-making, and more independence for everyone in the house. And for anyone navigating anxiety, even just knowing where things go can create a sense of control in a world that often feels unpredictable." The Brother P-touch PT-N10 Label Maker is easy to use (even for little ones) and can quickly create custom, colourful labels for anything and everything in your home. The device offers a large selection of fonts and symbols and has a LCD screen so that you can preview labels before pressing print. If your kitchen drawers look like a bomb went off, this 9-in-1 drawer organizer could be your new favourite thing. The set includes three foil, plastic, and wax dispensers with cutters, as well as specific storage spaces designed for different-sized plastic bags. It also comes with an additional storage box for bits and bobs like elastic bands, strings, paper clips and twist ties. If the sight of one more dangling cord is enough to send you over the edge, you might want to pick up a pack of these cord covers. The large cord hiders are designed to conceal cables such as HDMI cables, Ethernet cables, optical cables, and USB cables. Importantly, it has also passed a plastics flammability test, ensuring it's safe for your space. This two-tier organizer is designed for your bathroom, but you can use it anywhere you need a little structure, such as your pantry, laundry room, or makeup corner. Stacked in two layers, the top drawer can support up to 15 lbs and the overall unit measures just 11.8" L x 7.5" W x 10" H, so it can easily fit under your sink or in tight spaces. Piles of shoes are the absolute worst. You can avoid the chaos with these clear, stackable boxes. Each box features a magnetic door and the boxes easily connect, so you don't have to worry about them wobbling and falling over.
Independent Singapore
28-05-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
‘It's like their storage unit' — Woman asks what can be done about neighbour who clutters the entrance corridor of their HDB unit
SINGAPORE: Fed up with her neighbour's clutter, a woman took to social media to ask how she can deal with the problem, adding that she's also concerned with making sure that her family stays safe, especially in an emergency. 'How to handle this kind of neighbour?' asked 岑燕飛 in a May 28 (Wednesday) post on the 岑燕飛 Complaint Singapore Facebook page. Screenshot She added that the neighbors clutter their entrance corridor to the point of making it difficult to go in and out every day. The post author also claimed that the neighbour stores items inside their electric meter drawer, which could be dangerous. Moreover, she added that there are slippers and dirty socks 'spreading everywhere.' She also featured photos of the clutter on her TikTok account. 岑燕飛 explained in her post that before she and her family moved in, the neighbours used the corridor as their 'private storage room' and when they first saw it they were shocked. At the time, however, the neighbour promised to clean up everything before 岑燕飛 and her family moved in, but instead of doing so, they simply made excuses, and only half of the clutter was cleared up. Three weeks after they had gotten the key to the unit from HDB, the neighbour's clutter was still there. 'We can't keep waiting for them… as we also need a place to stay,' she wrote, adding that she and her family had thought the neighbours would clear the rest of their items out once they moved in, as 'normal people will do if they know how to respect their neighbours.' And while 岑燕飛 's husband tried to communicate with the neighbour's son to ask them to clear their clutter, even more stuff accumulated, including a washing machine. As for the post author, she only keeps a broom outside her main door. However, her neighbour moved the broom to make way for their own items, doing so in such a noisy manner late at night. The post author wondered what would happen if an accident should occur, how she, her husband, and their three young children would be able to get out quickly. The Independent Singapore reached out to 岑燕飛 , who told us that she has since heard from the Town Council and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). An officer from the Town Council is scheduled to come over on Thursday (May 29) to hand over a notice to the neighbour informing them they need to remove the items within seven days. 'Every day, I must face this kind of neighbor. It is really very stressful as I have kids around me. I just worry that if any accident happens, I won't even be able to escape, nor save my kids.' She added that she had thought many times before reporting her neighbours, out of respect and the desire to maintain good relationships with them. However, due to their actions, she told TISG, 'I have no choice.' /TISG Read also: Elderly karung guni clutters corridor in Potong Pasir HDB but neighbour worries about fire hazards —who should give way?
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
How to reduce visual clutter for a calmer, more functional home
Much is made of clutter: common sources of clutter, the effects of all that stuff on how we live our lives, the importance of reducing clutter, how to stop clutter before it starts. Then there are the seemingly endless methods, techniques and approaches to dealing with clutter — the KonMaris, the poop rule. (The what? The poop rule, please read about it here!)
