You have probably heard that familiar line about not doing much because someone is too busy. Be it in dressing, cooking, cleaning, I mean name it!
When the talk of interior design pops up we all start thinking who has all the time to transform their homes and office spaces to look like the front page of a lifestyle magazine? Nevertheless, busy or not, we all desire to own a space that is not only appealing but also functional.
2019 is coming in jammed packed with trends that are suited for anyone having a day’s program tighter than gloves on hands. These ideas afford style and minimal attention to maintenance in terms of cleaning and replacement.
How about a look at some of these interior design and décor ideas!
The Importance of Getting Rid of Clutter
With the start of the new year, everyone seems to be looking for some decluttering tips. The truth is, there are many tips you can follow. If you’re wondering how to declutter your bedroom, simply organise your items in order of importance. After all, a clean house is a happy house.
How To Declutter Your Bedroom
There are many ways to declutter your bedroom, everyone will have a unique bedroom so it’s important to tweak any tips to fit your needs. Arguably, the most important step to decluttering your bedroom is putting some time aside each week to fully clean. Clutter happens over time cleaning whilst it’s happening will help.
How To Declutter Your Wardrobe
There are many tips that I can give for decluttering your wardrobe, the main one, however, is taking a little more time. The extra 5 seconds it will take to hang clothes up will certainly help declutter both your wardrobe and your bedroom. Folding clothes nicely and stacking them in piles will also assist the cleaning.
Where To Put Things In Your Bedroom
You probably don’t even realise, but there will be more space in your bedroom than you think. Closets and storage spaces have most likely not been organised efficiently. Take a moment to clean out your wardrobes and storage spaces, then organise efficiently and maximise small closet space.
How To Organize Your Room
Cluttered spaces are unappealing and constantly call for attention to be organized. We do not have that time now do we? The simple thing to do would be get rid of what you do not need. Additionally, you can also find a spot to store every specific item.
How To Organize A Room With Too Much Stuff
An important thing to think about when organizing your room is what’s important and what don’t you need? Check through storage units to see how much of it is filled with unnecessary items.
Now that I have mentioned it, invest in storage and stylish storage for that matter just to spice things up. Keeping items of priority in easily accessible storage units will also avert a clutter crisis when you are searching all over for them.
How To Organize Your Room In A Cute Way
It’s crucial to know what you want to achieve before doing a large organize of your room. If you want to organize your room in a cute way then it will probably take a bit more time. A few tips include:
- Put loose jewellery on display
- Organize closets using a color code
- Have storage units that fit the theme of your bedroom
- Have wall decorations with hooks or shelves to display more items
How To Organize Your Room Fast
The best tip for organizing a room fast is storage. Having large and efficient storage units are just as important as having decorative storage units.
You might be thinking that storage units would be too expensive and may not fit with your home, I would certainly disagree with this. You can find cheap storage units that would add to the decor of your home, not destroy it.
Having trays, bowls and tidy’s around your room can also help with organizing small and loose items that would get lost in drawers. Small storage keepers will add more character to your home and will fit nicely on top of storage units.
How To Get Rid Of Sentimental Clutter
The first step is deciding what is worth keeping, sure items may have nostalgia or memories, but is the item effective or useful? Another thing to be wary of guilt, keeping items just because they were a gift and you’d feel terrible getting rid of it. Don’t take into account other peoples feelings when cleaning your room, after all, it is YOUR room.
A few extra tips for getting rid of sentimental clutter can include donating your items to the memory can live on, keep a scrapbook, take photos of larger items. Saving the memory of items is important, but space can be shrunk by keeping those memories in photos or scrapbooks instead of having the physical thing.
Negative Effects Of Clutter
Ultimately too much clutter can just result in a lack of space and having lost items. Having a messy and cluttered room can also result in creating bad emotions. A good motto to live by is “a clean house is a happy house”. This wont improve the value of your home but it will improve the quality of life you lead and entice a less stressful environment.
Psychological Reasons For Clutter
There could be many reasons for your clutter, a lot of which isn’t too scary so don’t worry. A big factor, and probably the reason for your clutter, is just not having enough storage space. This also ties in with just being too busy to purchase new storage space.
Another reason could be changes in life, for example having a newborn child can result in an increase in items and not enough places to store them.
Too much clutter could be a result of mental health though, the most common being depression or ADHD. If this is a legitimate concern, don’t worry, speak to a doctor near you for help and advice.
Cleaning Hacks Using Groutless Tiles
What’s the worst thing to clean in your home? I’d personally say cleaning walls and cleaning floor tiles, and I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me. The truth is it takes up a lot of time that we just don’t have, however it could be made a lot easier by using groutless tiles.
Grout is the filling between floor and wall tiles. Think of the poor old toothbrush that has to scrub the dirt of the grout. Fortunately, there is an option for flooring with grout for instance parquet or plastic floor carpets. You can opt for bigger tiles if you still want to go the tile way.
How To Clean Tile Floors with Vinegar and Baking Soda
If you do still want to have tiles with grout, then here’s a handy trick to clean the grout using vinegar and baking soda!
- You will need vinegar, baking soda, water, an empty spray bottle, a measuring jug, a toothbrush and some paper towels.
- Combine the baking soda and water, it will create a paste.
- Apply the paste to the grout using the toothbrush (or a similar tool)
- Combine the vinegar with some warm water in the measuring jug (make sure it’s an even 50/50 mix).
- Put the vinegar/warm water mix into the spray bottle
- Spray the mixture over the baking soda paste.
- Clean and scrub the grout using the toothbrush (or a similar tool)
- Clean the remains by using paper towels or a cloth
How To Wash Walls Fast
If you’re wondering how to clean apartment walls fast, this is a good guide. If your wall is unpainted then there’s a very simple method you can use. The first step would be to move furniture out of the way, perhaps even put a cover over it to make sure it doesn’t get dirty. The next step is to dust the wall, you can do this using a broom or even a hoover. The final step is to just wash the wall! Make sure you start at the top and work down as this will maximise the efficiency and speed of wall cleaning.
Washing Walls with TSP Before Painting
You may be wondering whether TSP is necessary before painting, in some cases it’s a matter of opinion, but I’d absolutely say it’s necessary. TSP is a degreaser and it also helps for the paint to be added properly, it will overall help you have cleaner walls. Though applying TSP before painting may take more time, it’s absolutely worth it in the long run.
How To Clean Walls With Vinegar
The vinegar technique will depend on the wall and paint material. I’m going to show you the techniques to use depending on if the paint is latex or oil-based.
If your paint is latex, mix 2 or 3 teaspoons of distilled white vinegar with a gallon of water. Then simply scrub using a sponge, make sure the sponge isn’t dripping before you begin to wash though. Be especially careful when washing around electrical surfaces as well.
If your surface is oil-based you can follow the same techniques, but be prepared to include an addition. Having a degreaser would be incredibly useful to make sure oil-based paints are not stained. Make sure the degreaser isn’t too strong and to follow the instructions properly.
How To Clean Cigarette Smoke From House
You’re probably wondering “how to clean apartment walls?” Well, the vinegar technique can also be very useful for getting rid of cigarette smoke from your home. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts of warmed vinegar and warm water. You’ll be pleasantly surprised on how effective the vinegar is to remove cigarette smoke stains and smells.
How To Clean Upholstery Yourself
You’ve probably had an experience before where you have acquired a fabric stain, it’s a very stressful experience. At that point, you’re looking for fabric cleaners or upholstery cleaners to try to fix the problem.
Nothing is more annoying than a stubborn stain, and it gets worse when it is on your seat or floor rug. Going for fabrics that resist staining for example suede can fix the problem. Alternatively, you can opt for leather and you will be easily wiping off spills.
Treating fabric with stain-resistant preparations, an example would be Scotchgard, can also take care of the stain problem.
How To Clean Upholstery With Baking Soda
There is actually a very interesting and effective way to clean your upholstery furniture by using baking powder. Follow these simple instructions and you should notice a difference!
- Have a small clean first, cleaning any dirt and dust off before you do a full clean.
- Use your baking powder and sprinkle it over your piece of furniture, allow for the baking powder to sink in for at least half an hour.
- Use a vacuum to clean off all the baking soda dust, clean any remaining stains with a wet cloth.
You can opt to mix the baking powder with another substance like a dry carpet cleaner for a deeper and more effective clean.
How To Clean Microfiber Couch With Windex
Believe it or not, you can actually clean furniture with Windex. This hack was found by a splendid Facebook mum, Samantha Roberson. This hack soon went viral on Facebook. Her exact quote was “All I do is scrub it with Windex and a microfiber towel/rag”, so why not give it a try? It went viral for a reason! It’s crazy to think about all of the home items that can be used for cleaning.
Cleaning With Rubbing Alcohol
Believe it or not, there’s a crazy technique to clean with rubbing alcohol! Here’s a guide on how to clean a microfiber sofa using rubbing alcohol. It’s important to note that it will work better if the sponge and brush colour matches the sofa colour, or opt for white instead.
- You will need an empty spray bottle, a clean sponge, a brush and rubbing alcohol.
- Fill the spray bottle with the rubbing alcohol
- Spray the rubbing alcohol on the stains of your furniture
- Rub the stains with the clean sponge
- Wait half an hour to let it dry
- Do a final brush and clean to make sure it’s spotless!
How To Clean Soft Leather
There’s actually a surprising amount of leather furniture available, you’ll be certain to find pieces that are both durable and stylish. A leather sofa could be the trick you need to have an easier to clean living room, and this leather sofa will only add to your home decor.
The best advice I can give for cleaning soft leather is by either using a damp cloth with a little bit of soap or by using baby wipes. Simple, I know! Of course there are some other strategies, but they’re a little more complex.
How To Clean Leather Sofa With Baking Soda
Cleaning a leather sofa with baking soda is surprisingly very similar to cleaning an upholstery sofa. The steps are essentially the same.
- Clean the sofa first, perhaps by using a clean cloth or wet wipes.
- Apply the baking soda on your sofa and let it sit for a while (30 mins at least).
- Have a final clean, vacuuming off the remaining baking soda and wiping any stains that remained.
What Household Products Can You Use To Clean Leather
There are surprisingly a large number of household products you can use to clean leather, here’s a short list of a few examples. I’d definitely recommend researching these techniques beforehand to find the best technique for your furniture. Here is a short list of some of the crazy household products that have been used!
- Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Dish Soap
- Alcohol
- Ice Cubes
Cleaning Leather Couch With Dove Soap
Cleaning a leather couch with dove soap is actually very straight forward, it’s an easy technique that anyone can use. Simply get a cloth and dampen it in warm water, adding a drop or two of Dove soap to the wet rag. Having a soapy warm water rag and gently cleaning your leather couch will be a huge help for your cleaning!
Is High Quality Furniture With Durable Materials A Must?
Buying furniture, fabrics, wall fittings and literally everything that furnishes your house always poses a choice between what lasts and what looks good. You can actually get beautiful pieces that last long.
The Importance Of Furniture In Life
You may not realize it, but furniture plays a huge part in our lives. Having furniture in your home is not only practical but can help with improving your mood. Living in a well decorated home will make you feel more relaxed, whilst having sturdy furniture improves this. Having furniture that breaks easily can result in a lot of unwanted stress, that’s why it’s important to make sure you choose pieces that last a large time.
How To Choose Upholstery Fabric
You might be wondering how to choose upholstery fabric, the reality is that there are many options and tips. Making sure the fabric has a high thread count with tight weaves is an important tip. However, the most important decision is to choose your upholstery fabric based on home.
As well as fabric, there are many other options you need to think about. How do you know if you can trust the largest furniture manufacturers in the world? In reality, large furniture manufactures will almost definitely provide high-quality furniture, but don’t shy away from smaller manufacturers, especially if they know what they’re talking about. A good consultation with the salesperson at building material or décor stores can help you make the right choice that suits your taste and needs.
Much as more durable materials cost relatively more but I the long run you will not have to spend more time and money, on replacement and repairs. Durable materials not only provide for a more secure home, they’re also more likely to improve the quality and aesthetic of your pieces.
Upholstery Fabric Durability Ratings
These durability ratings are measured using a double rub count. This count is a test where the fabric is constantly rubbed with friction to work out how durable it is. 3,000 double rubs is approximately 1 years use. Now, here’s a list of the types of upholstery and their double rub strength:
- Delicate Duty – Less than 3,000 double rubs
- Light Duty – 3,000 to 9,000 double rubs
- Medium Duty – 9,000 to 15,000 double rubs
- Heavy Duty – More than 15,000 double rubs
Of course when viewing this list you need to take into account that the lower double rubs will most likely be for furniture that isn’t used much, for example detailing and curtains.
Disadvantages of Wooden Furniture
When it comes too wooden furniture, it’s fair to say the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. But this doesn’t mean wood pieces don’t have any disadvantages, and it’s important to take these into account, especially if you’re a busy person.
- Wood furniture requires special care and a lot of cleaning, it’s easy to scratch and stain wooden furniture so it’s important to clean them carefully.
- If your wooden furniture is exposed to sunlight or extreme temperatures then your piece could lose its original colour, shine and shape.
- Wooden materials typical get darker with time which requires a regular polishing and varnishing, this is something you need to be prepared for, especially if you’re short on time.
A Minimalist Home And A Plain Interior Is Not Always Boring
The myths that a minimalist home is boring is not true, there are a lot of benefits that having a plain interior can implement. There are also a lot of negatives to having an interior that is too decorated.
Having wall or surface details like more edges and protrusions can be appealing but poses a major challenge when it comes to cleaning. Corners and edges allow dust to settle and yes, the bugs will come out to play.
Plain And Simple Home
Having a cluttered room can make your home feel small says Valerie Steil, you’ll actually be pleasantly surprised how large an empty room can look. From there, add essentials and the decor might actually surprise you.
Steps To Decorate A Room
- Get the necessities, decide what you actually need in your chosen room and start from there.
- Choose fabrics, I’d recommend starting with fabrics and not paint. It’s a lot easier to match paint with fabrics than it is to match fabrics with paint.
- Paint or decorate your chosen furniture. This is optional of course, but you might find that painting your furniture to match your fabrics will definitely make them fit nicer together.
- Paint your room. After you have the content of your room, it will be much easier to decide what colour to go with. Of course make sure the furniture is not in the way whilst you paint!
- Add a few accessories. This is again optional, but you can make your home feel a lot more personal to yourself by adding a few accessories. It’s important to not go overboard, remember a simple home can feel a lot larger and more comfortable.
Tips On Becoming A Minimalist
There are a lot of tips on becoming a minimalist, this goes even further outside of your home. The first step to becoming a minimalist is cleaning out your home, a good quote to remember this is “clean house clean mind”.
To clean your home simply examine your space, deciding if a room is covered in unnecessary items. Do you really need the jumper your aunt knitted for you that you’ve never worn? Getting rid of gifts is not something to be guilty about, if the item is sentimental you can always store it in the attic or basement.
Minimalist Living Tips
Just cleaning your home doesn’t make you a minimalist, there’s a lot of other factors to take into account. Here are a few minimalist living tips that you can follow.
- Purchase High Quality Stuff – it’s important to have items that are of high quality, a minimalist will often choose quality over aesthetic. Of course, aesthetic is still important, finding a combination of both is the true ambition.
- No More Impulse Buying – it’s very easy to see an item on sale, or perhaps something you just want, but make sure you think before you buy something new. Do you really need a new pair of shoes, or would it just add to the clutter?
- Love What You Have – I think this is definitely the most important step in becoming a minimalist. Being grateful for what you have makes you love your belongings more, as well as removing the impulse to constantly get new things.
Minimalist Organization Tips
Minimalism plays a huge part in decor so don’t be afraid if your room isn’t cluttered with decorations. A minimalist bedroom can have a very charming style, whilst also providing a cleaner and larger space for happy living.
The best tip for organizing as a minimalist is first evaluating your space, then deciding on priorities. Put everything that isn’t a necessity to the side and fill your home with the important items first. Then use drawers and chests for important items. You can also implement some trays and bowls to store smaller pieces that you’d want to keep.
Opting for a bare simple wall or surface will not only deal with the hassle of dusting but also give an ambience of space and tidiness. Moreover, you can enjoy and appreciate the wall color.
Dusting Hacks By Using Tall Furniture
Cleaning dust is never fun, so what if there were some sort of way to reduce your time that you have to dust furniture? There’s a very helpful trick that also creates a very stylish design for your home.
A genius way of taking care of dust and dirt that settles on built-in compartments for instance wardrobes or cabinets is having them built all the way to the ceiling. Less dust means less cleaning right?
However, some of you may not wish to have tall furniture, so here’s some information and tips about dusting.
What Attracts Dust?
There are a lot of factors that come into play when dust accumulates in your home. There isn’t much you can do to counteract these problems, but there is one issue which plays a huge part.
Having low quality air filters is definitely a big problem when it comes to dust, and it’s not very well known. It’s important to make sure air filters are changed regularly and are checked on a regular basis.
Harmful Effects Of Dust
Yes, there are harmful effects of dust. Do not worry though, in most cases it will not be noticeable. Just be careful that you’re not breathing in large amounts of dust on a regular basis. Some harmful effects of dust include:
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Hayfever
- Distressed Eyes
- Asthma Attacks
Best Dusting Techniques
When we’re talking about dusting, we cannot forget about vacuums. It’s important to have a good vacuum, but make sure you take care. If you rush vacuuming then you might miss dust hidden in corners.
You might be wondering how to dust without a duster, and it is possible. Using a cloth that’s slightly damped will certainly help in the cleansing of dust. You can also try to create a homemade dust repellent that would be cheap and effective.
How To Prevent Dust On Furniture
The best way to prevent dust on furniture is by making sure your home is not cluttered. Having a cluttered room will store hidden dust particles. It’s also important to clean from top to bottom, if you clean from the top last then dust will most likely fall and you’ll have to clean the bottom once again to clean anything you missed.
How To Make A Room Look Brighter
When it comes to brightening spaces and creating an illusion of space, the use of mirrors and glass panels cannot go unmentioned. However, they also come with such a demand of cleaning and that scores low on maintenance.
How To Brighten A Dark Room With No Windows
The first step to brightening a dark room with no windows is having a selection of lighting. Researching the brightest lights might aid your help, but of course furniture can play a big part in a bright room too.
The rising popularity in mirrored furniture and glass furniture is a large decor choice that is very stylish but does require high maintenance. Most people are now looking for a solution to this issue. The solution will be picking frosted glass partitions, having a neutral color theme or just doing more with actual lighting.
Frosted Glass Furniture
The addition of frosted glass to your home could be a wonderful idea. There are plenty of frosted glass designs out there, allowing you to make your home feel distinctive and unique. Maybe start with something simple like a frosted glass bathroom door, you’ll be sure to warm up to the frosted glass texture and the lighting it gives.
How To Make A Small Bedroom Look Bigger
Of course, we’ve mentioned how having a minimalist home can make your room look bigger. Decluttering your bedroom is a large step and a brilliant start, but there are a few extra tips and tricks I can offer.
Painting Techniques To Make A Room Look Bigger
One of the best techniques that I’ve personally used is painting the ceiling a lighter colour compared to the rest of the room. This makes the ceiling look a lot higher than the rest of the room, opening it up.
Another technique is using horizontal stripes with contrasting colours. It adds a lot more depth to your room, once again making it look bigger.
What Colors Make A Room Look Bigger And Brighter
Having dark colors like black will certainly open up your room, giving the illusion of a bigger room. However, this comes with contrast and the room might not look as bright as you want too.
The alternative is to go a complete opposite. Using all white for everything (yes, including furniture!) will certainly make your room feel a lot more bright and natural.
Final Tips for your Interior Design
In the end, interior design and décor ideas always sprout to suit individual needs. So do not shy away from sprucing up that space because of that schedule that glares at you. Experiment with some of the ideas above and look out for more that blend well with your routine.
Embrace the elegance in simplicity and own that space in a style as unique as you are.