Combat the clutter in your home today with our storage and cleaning ideas!

  • Doing housework may be a chore for many, but the act of cleaning has many health benefits! Let us share some with you.
  • Regular cleaning reduces dust and allergies and may help to relieve the symptoms of people with respiratory problems.
  • Clearing out the garbage and vacuuming regularly keep household pests out as pests tend to hide in dust and damp environments. You will be able to quickly treat pest problems as well, if any.
  • Cleaning burns off calories and is a good cardiovascular activity. It helps to relieve stress as well. When your house looks clean, you will feel good too.
  • Occupants of an unsanitary environment are more prone to illnesses caused by bacteria and pests, so keep your home pest-free today.
  • When your home is free from clutter, you will be able to prioritise and concentrate better, making you more productive.

Now that you know the benefits of cleaning, it’s time to get started for a cleanup!

Entryway

Footwear is one of the first items you see as you enter a house or an apartment, so it is important to keep your entryway clutter-free. Before you splurge on a shoe organiser, consider alternative ways to store your shoes.

  • Wall-mounted shelves on an empty wall are a good way to display your shoes. They keep your shoes off the floor and make it easier to clean the floor area underneath the shelves.
  • A bookshelf is an alternative way to organise your shoes. Not only can it be used as a room divider, you can also place the bookshelf in a closet or in a room where there is space for it.
  • Storing shoes in shoe boxes and stacking the boxes on top of one another protects shoes from dust. To get the pair you want without the hassle of unstacking the boxes, label the front of each shoe box with a photo of the shoes for easy identification.

Tip: Place a wire basket next to the door for dirty shoes to prevent dirt and mould.

To clean: To get rid of shoe odours, sprinkle some baking soda inside your shoes and leave them overnight. Remove baking soda the following morning before wearing.

Living Room

 

The living room is the heart of a home and should be a comfortable space for you and your family to spend time in.

  • Declutter old newspapers and magazines and create a magazine basket or rack to hold only the latest issues. Categorise your magazines by year or genres, such as business magazines and entertainment/fashion magazines, and hold them in upright positions. Alternatively, you can place magazines on the bottom shelf of a coffee table or a side table.

Tip: Store newspapers and magazines away from sunlight which may fade text and colours on the pages.

  • Keep the floors of your living room wire-free by hiding unsightly cords in an old shoe box. Just cut out holes on the sides of the shoe box, place the charging extension inside and pull the wires out through the holes. Voila! You have a charging station now.
  • For tangled cables and cords, label or colour tag each one to avoid unplugging the wrong cable by accident. To store charging cords, coil and store them upright in leftover cardboard paper towel tubes or in empty CD/DVD cakeboxes to make them more manageable.

Tip: Coil your cables instead of folding so your cables will last longer.

To clean: Pick up all the clutter at the end of the day and put them away to maintain a cleaner living space.

Kitchen

The kitchen should serve as a clean and inviting space where healthy and wholesome meals are prepared for the whole family.

  • Keep things in the refrigerator with storage containers or shallow baskets that are easy to slide out. This makes it easy for you to reach for your food items. Food labels will allow you to have an easy glance at what you already have in your refrigerator before you go grocery shopping. Consider storing fruits, fresh juices, soups and salads in glass jars with tightfitting lids, as glass jars can be washed safely inside a dishwasher. Food waste can be reduced as well since you can see what is inside and eat your food before they go bad.

Tip: Line refrigerator shelves with easy-to-wash placemats or plastic wrap that you can just toss out when there are spills from food/drink items. This makes clean-ups easier.

  • Store plastic bags in an empty tissue box and tack the tissue box on the inside of a cabinet door for easy retrieval. Alternatively, stuff plastic bags in empty paper towel tubes and place them in a drawer for easy reach.

Tip: Lemon is good for cleaning. Use salt and half a lemon to freshen up your cutting board. Rinse with water after five minutes. Also soak rusted silverware and cooking knives in a glass of lemon juice to loosen rust.

Bedroom

Start and end your day stress-free by making your bedroom a relaxing space to be in.

  • It can be tempting to throw everything into a bedside drawer and turn it into a junk drawer. Tidy up your drawer by using compartments to store everything. Colour code each compartment to make finding items easy.

Tip: Store small items such as bobby pins and clips in a pill box or an ice cube tray.

  • Make dressing up in the morning easier by hanging all the long-hanging clothes on one side of your wardrobe bar and the short-hanging clothes on the other side. You will create space underneath the short clothes to put in drawers that can be further divided into compartments for other clothing. Also consider colour coding your wardrobe so that it will be easier to pick out what to wear.

Tip: Store least-used items on the top shelf, most-used items at eye level and less-used items on the bottom shelf.

Bathroom

Use dividers inside bathroom drawers to compartmentalise items such as cotton buds, gels and bottles. Alternatively, place bath items into baskets and hang them from a towel bar or use a basket with suction cups.

  • To increase towel space, consider installing multiple towel bars on the back of your door. You can also add hooks to your towel bar for additional towels so that they can be air-dried thoroughly. Towel hooks are easy to mount and each family member will have their own towel space.

To clean: Towels trap moisture and are breeding grounds for bacteria. Wash and replace towels every three to four days.

  • For those with a bathroom sink cabinet, store toiletries in baskets that are easy to slide out. This form of storage gives you easy access to items stored right inside the cabinet. Alternatively, use a hanging shoe organiser to store beauty/cleaning products. The shoe organiser can be hung behind the bathroom door for instant visibility and easy access.

To clean: To disinfect the bathroom sink, pour baking soda down the sink and flush with boiling water. Also disinfect faucet handles as you touch them after using the toilet and before washing your hands.