Category Archives: Uncategorized

2 August, 2011
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Making Space in Your Apartment

Apartments offer an attractive living option for many people. You don’t have to worry about maintenance or yard work. You often have amenities, such as a pool, hiking trails and a gym. Rent can be lower than owning a home and it often times allows you to live closer to work. However, managing the living conditions inside of an apartment can be more work than inside of a spacious home. Here we will discuss how you can take better advantage of the space that you are given in an apartment so that you can enjoy the benefits without feeling cramped.

Apartments generally cost more if they have more closet or cabinet space than apartments that may have even more square footage. This is because most people are fed up with not having enough room for their stuff. Everything gets cluttered and disorganized making you feel like your living space isn’t big enough. But if you learn a few tricks, you can get away with living in smaller and smaller places, saving you money.

If you plan to live in an apartment forever, then you really should invest in space saving furniture. There are lots of different options when it comes to this. Many items, such as ottomans, coffee tables, and end tables come in a wide variety of styles that offer storage. Coffee tables and end tables, along with the arms of couches, ottomans and chairs, can open up to reveal storage. You may find a bed with drawers underneath to store your out of season clothes. Furniture like this makes it easy to store things outside of the closet.

You can also decorate with items that give you storage. For example, a trunk is an attractive decorative piece that gives you a place to store linens, blankets, and other bulky items. A bench that opens up to reveal storage is great for a front entryway because it gives you somewhere to stash things that generally clutter around the front door. A rolling garment rack can give you a place to hang bulky items or help you to manage laundry. Inexpensive shelves can be hung all around the apartment for knick knacks and photos, leaving your table tops free for organizers.

In your closets, you can use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to give yourself extra room. These slim hangers are great for allowing you to hang items close together. They also have attachments and hanger accessories, such as cascading hooks and clips. Specialty hangers allow you to hang multiple pants, skirts, ties, scarves, and belts on one hanger. Using hangers like this will help you to triple the space in your closet.

Once you’ve given yourself a lot of storage options, you can concentrate on limiting what you allow into the apartment. When you buy something, ask yourself if you need it or if you simply want it. Do this and you can be happy in your apartment for many years without feeling cluttered.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

21 July, 2011
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Small Space Organizing

It’s hard to keep a small room or small apartment organized. Things can get piled up and it gets hard to find what you need when you need it. Use these tips to help keep a small space organized. You’ll have a clean space that will help your small place seem bigger and more orderly.

1) First determine what you need to clean. There are usually “hot spots” around small homes that collect junk. Tackle one area at a time. Use the counters, beds, dressers, or coffee table to start organizing. Take everything from the pile and divide it into categories.

2) Create a pile for each category so that you can get an idea of what types of organizational products you might need. You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get organized. For storage, you can use old shoe boxes, plastic zipper bags, things of that nature. Avoid making a miscellaneous pile. This is what generally gets us into clutter mode to begin with. Make sure that similar items are kept together so that you can find what you need when you need it.

3) You may want to install some shelves in a closet or in the corner of the room. Shelves give you a space to put boxes, bins and other containers that are storing your belongings. Label boxes so that you can easily locate things when you need them. As a general rule, store things that you don’t need very often up higher or down lower than everything else. Place things that you use more often at about eye level so that you can have quick and easy access to them.

4) Get creative with storage space. There are lots of furniture pieces on the market that are designed to save space in small apartments or homes. Couches have armrests that open up to reveal cup holders, storage for remote controls, magazines, and more. Coffee tables have tops that open up to reveal storage. Even ottomans can open up and provide storage for blankets or anything else that you need them to. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, check thrift stores and used furniture places for trunks and other things that can serve as storage or tables.

5) You can make more space in your closets than you realize by utilizing space saving hangers, like velvet hangers. These hangers are all the rage because they allow you to double or even triple the space in your closet. The slim design helps clothes to fit closely together. The finger clips and cascading hooks allow you to coordinate outfits. The possibilities are endless. You just have to use your imagination.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

11 July, 2011
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Quick Fix Closet Tips

It’s time to get creative with your closet and make some real, usable space in there. If you do it right, you’ll have that extra storage space that you crave. Most people complain that their home doesn’t have enough storage room, so this is a hot topic. If buying a bigger house isn’t an option, then you’ll need to do something to make even your small closets usable and spacious. Use these quick tips to get your closet in order fast. You’ll be glad that you did and you can enjoy the benefits every day.

1) The first thing is always to clean out the closet. Clothing can collect in there for years before you realize what a crowded mess you’ve created. Make sure that you have space on the floor or bed outside of the closet before you start. Then, go through and get rid of things that don’t deserve the space that they’re taking up. Old, out of style clothes, clothes that just don’t fit right, clothing that doesn’t match anything, and things that you just never wear need to go. If you have a lot of nice items to get rid of, consider having a yard sale, taking them to a consignment shop, or selling them online.

2) If you want your closet to stay uncluttered, you’ll need to come up with a system for getting rid of things as needed. You may want to install a hook in the closet to hang a bag on. This bag can be used for tossing in clothes as you realize that you really don’t like them as much as you thought you did. You can force yourself to get rid of something every time you put something new in the closet. As new shoes and clothes come in, old ones must go out. Many people find it helpful to turn the hangers backwards. As you use the clothes in the closet, turn the hangers forward. At the end of the season, get rid of the clothes that are still hanging backwards.

3) You will also need to come up with a good system for switching out summer and winter clothes. Out of season clothing can be stored in bins under your bed or in large containers in the top of the closet. When you store clothes for a longer period of time, you’ll want to be sure that they have cedar closet products inside. This will absorb moisture, preventing mildew from forming, making your clothes musty. It will also keep pests that damage clothing away from your stored items.

4) Find storage space inside and outside of the closet as well. Use the space on the back of the closet door, under the bed, in a cedar chest, and near the ceiling in the closet. Make good use of specialty hangers, like belt hangers, tie hangers, skirt hangers and cascading hangers to create more room and use less storage space around the room. Space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, are perfect for coordinating outfits, cascading multiple items from one hanger, and keeping your clothes hanging close together and wrinkle free while they’re in your closet.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

1 July, 2011
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Saving Space on a Budget

Space often comes at a premium in the bedroom, where clutter is most common in many homes. The bedroom is sometimes the last place that we think about cleaning, because it stays out of sight and out of mind until it is time to go to bed. But really, we do a lot in our bedrooms and they deserve our attention. You get ready for work, put away laundry, and essentially spend a good portion of your life sleeping in there. So, get ready to make your bedroom more spacious without spending a lot of money.

1) Choose furniture and decorations for your bedroom that also double as storage areas. A trunk is a good example of an inexpensive item that looks nice at the foot of the bed or underneath a window. You can use it for out of season shoes, blankets, pillows, extra clothing, holiday gift storage, or whatever you need. This small item can help you to take a lot of the clutter out of your room and make space in your closets and underneath your bed.

2) Speaking of under the bed, this is an often neglecting storage area. You may think that things under there would be hard to get to. However, if you use boxes or drawers on casters, you can store a lot of things under there that are easily pulled out for access. Many containers are designed to fit under the bed and they don’t cost much. You don’t really need anything fancy because your dust ruffle or blankets will cover them when they are pushed underneath for storage. You can also add risers to many beds to make even more space underneath.

3) Another way to create storage areas in your bedroom is to better arrange your closet. We all have a little extra square footage in there that we don’t realize we have. If you go in and add or move shelving around, you can usually make some more space in there. Check out the corners, front wall and ceiling of your closet. Is there unused space? Would it be better used by maneuvering your hanging bar or top shelf around? Experiment with your closet arrangement until you figure out a better use for the space. Sometimes just hanging your short items on one side and the longer ones on the other will create extra space below the shorter items.

4) The easiest way to quickly make space in your bedroom closet is to use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers. These hangers don’t only hang closely together, but they can also cascade from each other creating up to three times the space you had before.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

28 June, 2011
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My Small House Organized

Living in a small home is a popular way to simplify your life. Many people feel that a small house is easier on the environment, takes away a lot of life’s stressors, and helps to minimize consumerism in their lives. Then again, some people are forced to live in a small apartment or home because of their financial situation, or because they need to live close to their work. Whatever your situation, you can use these tips to help you make the most of the small space that you have.

People complain of having no storage space in small homes and apartments. So, the question you should ask yourself is, “How much stuff do I actually need in storage?” The storage space industry is huge. This tells us that even people with adequate space are either saving more than they actually should be, or they don’t know how to efficiently use the space that they have.

Learning to live outside of the box takes a little imagination. Have you ever found yourself stuffing things into your closet, storing things outside of it, and just complaining about how small it is or how full it is without thinking about the fact that you could simply move some things around to make room? Many people have trouble solving problems and simply give up after thinking about how they could make things better.

Practice thinking outside of the box for a bit. First, of course, you will need to get rid of any excess items that are in your possession. Be choosy about what you allow to take up your precious space. Then, consider moving your hanging bar up high in the closet so that you can add another one below. You can even add bars to the sides and shelves to the front corners of the closet. This can help you go from something as small as a five foot long hanging bar to twenty-two feet of hanging space, plus the added convenience of corner shelves for buckets that organize smaller items.

After you get all of this space in, you can also use specialty hangers to make even more room. You can double or triple the space in a closet by using space saving hangers, like velvet hangers. These hangers fit flat together to save space. They also have detachable hooks so that you can cascade one hanger from the other, pairing up outfits and doubling hanging rod space. You can make even more space by using pants hangers for skirts, pants and shorts that allow you to hang five items from one hanger. Use these few tips to give yourself the space that you need in a small home.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

9 June, 2011
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Minimalist Furniture

Living in a small space may feel cramped at times, but there are ways to make it a rewarding experience. Finding ways to store what you really need and then getting rid of your other possessions can be very liberating. Many people discover that they find more happiness living in a smaller place than in a bigger one. In fact, many people stick to their minimalist ways even if they end up moving to a bigger place.

1) Start looking at things differently. When you shop, think about what you need as opposed to what you want. This by itself will not only limit the amount of money that you waste, but will limit the amount of stuff coming into your home. When you do find something that you need, try to purchase things with multiple functions. A foot rest or ottoman can open up to reveal storage for books, magazines, or remote controls. A chair could have armrests that open up to reveal storage. A couch could have drawers underneath to store out of season shoes. Concentrating on buying multiple-function furniture is a great way to create storage and harmony in a small living space.

2) In the kitchen, see which appliances you can do without. You don’t really need a stand-alone mixer if you have a small handheld one. You may find that you don’t need a microwave as much as you thought you did. The broiler in the oven is just as effective as a toaster or toaster oven. A percolator or French press is just as handy as a coffee pot. Minimize the things that you own. Then, for dishes, only buy casseroles and mixing bowls that have lids and that nest inside of each other. One set of bowls and one set of casserole dishes will have your kitchen almost fully stocked.

3) Try to choose furniture that takes advantage of vertical space in your home. A short wide bookshelf will take up floor space, while a tall, slender corner unit will take up almost no space at all. Look at things that can fold up or store flat instead of big, traditional furniture. A table the folds up and stores flat against the wall can be very useful. Beds that double as couches are perfect for accommodating company.

4) The need for dressers can be eliminated if you learn to use your closet space correctly. Use vertical space by moving bars up high. This can usually free-up enough space below for additional bars or shelving. Use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to cascade items from each other. These hangers fit flat together to help eliminate wrinkles and save you two to three times more space in your closet than you can with traditional hangers.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

30 May, 2011
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Clutter Busters for Closets

Your closet is probably the place in your home with the most wasted space. Dressers are usually packed to the top of every drawer. Bathroom cabinets and drawers are usually full as well. Kitchen cabinets are filled with bowls, pots and pans just stacked on top of each other. You may think that your closet is the same, but actually, most people have several square feet of unoccupied space just hidden in their closets. Use these tips to find and reveal the hidden closet space in your home. Rid yourself of clutter and take advantage of the square feet that you’ve invested in around your home.

1) Take measurements of the spaces in your closets that you are not using. There may be room between your top shelf storage items and the ceiling. There may be room in front of these items between the shelf and the front wall of the closet. There may be a foot or two free underneath your hanging clothes before you get to the shoes. Most people are surprised when they find out that they have around one hundred square feet empty in their seemingly packed closets.

2) Figure out where space is being wasted and learn how to utilize those spaces. An additional shelf may be added to the top of the closet. Make sure that you avoid the light by at least twelve inches in all directions. You may be able to add a shelf or two over the closet door, inside and out. The front and back corners of the closet may be prime places for shelving to go. Doubling up your hanging bars is an easy and inexpensive way to double closet storage fast. If you still have longer items that don’t work well with a double bar, hang a third one on the empty sides of the closet.

3) Getting rid of as much as possible is a great way to quickly and easily make some closet space, but it often isn’t enough. This is especially true if you share your closet with a spouse or need space to store your off-season clothing. You can use flat, space saving hangers, like velvet hangers to make your clothes fit closely together without getting tangled or wrinkled on the bar. Cascading hooks make it easy to pair up outfits, coordinates, and other like items. Combining hangers like this can help you double or triple the space that you had available on your closet rod.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

19 May, 2011
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Storage Space Revealed

Does your home seem like a cluttered mountain of junk? Are you starting to feel like you should be featured on one of those shows about hoarders? Well, you are certainly not alone. Most people today have busy schedules that make it nearly impossible not to accumulate more clutter than they ever imagined that they would. Things just tend to slowly pile up as we hurriedly try to make space for what we need at the moment. Getting things organized may only work for so long if you don’t take the time to get some of the junk out of the house and store the things that you don’t use every day.

Getting rid of as much as possible is a liberating feeling. Think about how much you pay for the space that you have. Now think about how much your storage space is worth. If the clutter is not worth the price of the area that it is consuming, then maybe it’s time to rethink how much that junk is actually worth to you.

Storing clothes that you might fit into one day is generally a good idea if you actually think that you’ll get back into them. However, it is generally not a good idea to save the entire wardrobe of that size. Not only do clothes quickly go out of fashion, but the space they rob you of makes keeping them too much of an investment. Keep a few items that mean a lot to you or that are particularly “timeless”. Get rid of the rest and reward yourself for losing weight by buying new clothes when the time comes.

Creating storage for other items around the home can help you to get the clutter out of sight and out of mind. Clear out cabinets of dishes, pots and pans that you never use. Give them away and make room for storing things that you actually need. Use cabinets and closet shelves to help you make room for containers that can hold chargers, computer equipment, photos and books. Scan documents that you need to keep and put them away so that you can access them without having to dig them out of storage.

Make extra room in your closets by using space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to consolidate clothing and minimize the space that they occupy. You’ll be amazed at how you can double or triple space in your closets simply by using cascading and specialty space saving hangers.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

11 May, 2011
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Combating Closet Clutter

Do you look into your closet and think that you’ll never be able to get rid of the clutter, create storage space, and still have room left over? Most people struggle with controlling clutter because it is difficult to always categorize every little thing in your home. We lead busy lives and don’t have time to constantly work on keeping everything in order. However, there is a quick and easy closet trick that can help you to create maximum space in your closet so that you may be likely to control the clutter and get things in order.

You may have heard of the space saving hangers revolution. Before you think to yourself that hangers can’t save very much space, listen to what we have to say. We are talking about slim, flat, velvet hangers that are far superior to wire or tubular hangers. These are designed with a velvety coating that keeps the slipperiest fabrics from falling off and ending up in the clutter heap at the bottom of the closet. The flat design keeps clothing hanging very closely together, preventing wrinkles and saving space.

Besides that, there are accessories that make these velvet hangers the only closet accessory you’ll need to keep your clothing straight and doubling or tripling your closet space. Finger clips and cascading hooks can transform your space saving hangers into a space saving miracle. You can use cascading hooks to pair outfits and store out of season clothes. Hangers slip into these little hooks and hang from one space on your hanging bar. You can hang two, three, four, or five items in the space of one, slim hanger.

You may also benefit from the finger clips. These can be attached anywhere on the hanger to create a specialty hanger that accommodates everything from shorts to camisole tops. Hang like items together using hooks and clips to double or triple the space in your closet. Not only will you create space, but you will also save time. When all of your shorts are together, work tops are hung separately from casual clothes, and shirts and pants are already paired up and ready for use, you’ll benefit from the time that you save, as well as the space.

These new velvet hangers are gentle and sturdy, unlike those old wire hangers that you’re used to. These space saving hangers do not get tangled, crossed up on the bar, snag or stain your clothes, and they come in a huge variety of sizes, colors and prints that are sure to meet your needs.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

29 April, 2011
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Small Bathroom Solutions

Getting the bathroom organized can be a real challenge if you have limited space. If you’re tired of having to dig for what you need or having everything piled on the counter around the sink, use these tips to get it organized. Making room for all of the little things that must be kept in the bathroom is possible if you try!

1) Clear everything off of the counters and pull everything out of any cabinets that you might have. You may be surprised at what you find buried in the back of the junk. Throw away any expired make-up, medicines, or things that you just don’t use anymore. Consolidate things that you can, like half empty body washes and shampoos, into one container. Clean out dust and spills while you have the cabinets empty.

2) Evaluate the space. Do you have a deep cabinet that just holds what you need, but it’s so low and far back that it’s impossible to simply reach in and get what you want? No one wants to get down on the floor and dig through a disorganized mound of bottles and containers to find one little thing. Consider taking better advantage of your cabinet space by installing sliding drawers. You can get wire ones that are designed to go into cabinets at home improvement stores. You may even want to put a straight board on casters on one side of the cabinet. You can install hooks on it to hang things like cleaning products, your hair dryer, curling irons, and more.

3) Use the drawers for all of your little things, like make-up and medicines. You can lay an organizer tray in the drawer for things that you need to access all the time. Use containers that close, like a recipe card box, for things that you don’t use very often. Label the box with what’s inside. Put things like nail polish, nail clippers, polish remover, and cuticle cutters into one container and label it. When you need it, you can pull the whole container out and then put it back when you’re done. Keep your medications together in the same manner. You may need one for hair accessories, face creams, tools like eyeliner sharpeners and eyelash curlers, or stock items like razor blades and new toothbrushes.

4) You will need on drawer or shelf for things that are needed for maintaining your bathroom. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies can go in this section. You can put towels and wash cloths under the cabinet, or you may want to use some shelves outside of the cabinet, near the shower, for this purpose.

5) You can install a hanging bar, like one you would see at a restaurant concierge, to hang your robe or clothing on. Hang your work clothes in the bathroom as you’re showering to release any wrinkles that they may have and keep them looking fresh. You can use a very small bar stocked with space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to use the least amount of space possible in your bathroom.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.