How to Organize Your Apartment
Apartments can easily turn into warehouses of all your previous lives. For some reason you still have your collection of high school trophies, novels and sports uniforms, piles of college textbooks seven boxes of memorabilia from past relationships and mini-skirts you wouldn’t be caught dead in now. Let us here at Apartments.com be the ones to say it: It’s time to clean out your stuff. Luckily, this is a rather simple and even therapeutic, process. Out with the old and in with the new.
Step 1: Get rid of the junk.
Make three piles: Things to keep, things to sell or donate, and things to throw away. If you really need to, you can also make a pile of things to put in storage. Get some boxes and bags and get to it. Tell yourself that if you haven’t used it in the past year, you really don’t need it (this allows for all four seasons in your wardrobe). Don’t allow yourself to stop half-way through as this will only drag out the process. Get it done in one fell swoop, have a quick cry if you need to over sentimental items and then get over it. This is about cleaning out your life as much as it is your closets.
This is also a good time to drop off or try to sell those items you decided to give up. Clean clothing can be brought to a resale shop. Items that may be of some value, or of use to others, can be brought to a sell-it-for-you-on-the-Internet drop-off. These places will usually charge you a fee but you will get some money back if your items sell. Donating useful items to the Salvation Army or other charitable organization is also a good idea.
Step 2: Set up a system.
You don’t want to be stuck in this situation again next month, which is why you need to come up with a better way to store your belongings than you were doing in the past. Consider some of these storage/organizational items to help you out:
- Under-the-bed storage boxes or bins.
- Furniture that doubles as storage, tables with drawers underneath and open-top ottomans.
- Plastic storage bins with drawers for easy access.
- Racks for shoes.
- Shelving that can be installed in closets.
- Filing systems for papers and documents.
- Hanging racks near the door for keys and coats.
Once you start organizing, you may find that you don’t need as much space as you thought or it might be helpful to put some of your bedroom items into the common living area (such as CD cases or books). Spend some time looking through the home improvement section of a local retailer and choose storage items that will work well for your belongings.
| 
Email this Article
Print this Article
