You may be able to spend a lot of your hard earned money on designing and decorating your home so as to make it look wonderful in and out. Basically implementing beautiful wall colors, hanging exquisite draperies, collecting chic furniture and appliances, and haute floorings may make your home attractive. But what is the use, if you can’t maintain your abode well.

Clutter is a beauty killer. It will present your house’s otherwise beautiful visage in a sorry manner. Guests may notice piles of paper gathered in your living room, instead of the plush seating you have there. What is the point of sophisticated countertops if it is hidden from view by a muddle of kitchen appliances?

Also guests may certainly not be impressed by the pile of personal toiletries stacked up, while using your bathroom. You need to know some basic rules of housekeeping to avoid this happening. Keep your home inviting and appealing throughout the year. Let’s tell you how.

Recycle newspapers and magazines

Recycle is not the word only applicable to someone who practices a green living.  Many items in your house – like old newspapers and magazines –  need to be expelled before they grab your bedroom space. Always have in mind this adage: if you don’t read them now, you will never read them later too. So, keep only the very recent issues in your rack and chuck out old ones.

Start reading when the new one arrives, and if you want a particular article for future use, tear it out and file it instead of keeping the entire magazine. To avoid future magazine cluttering and piling, keep a floor basket near the place where you are likely to read it. News papers and magazines you have finished reading can be then recycled week after week.

Don’t leave bunches of books lying about

In case you don’t know, it isn’t a must that books are always to be kept in cases or shelves. Don’t always fully pack or pile your bookcases or shelves, they look gross. Keep the less frequently used books in places like a trunk under your bed, a big floor basket, or a drawer in the chest of the guest bedroom.  You can even donate them to someone.

Clear your kitchen and bath countertops

Kitchen is for cooking and bathroom is for bathing. We know you know that. But many kitchens and bathrooms have no room for their charted out functions. Beautiful countertops in your kitchenette can be rendered a waste if a motley of appliances and utensils are on it. Stuff your countertop only with essential items. Try to keep only the three things you use frequently. For instance, if you drink coffee frequently, leave your coffee maker out always.

In the case of the bathroom, don’t stuff all your toiletries in there, and keep the occasional toiletry elsewhere in the house. Organize the containers and gathering them in a tray is also a way to look presentable and efficient.

Arrange clothing

Tossing your clothes on a chair or a door knob is a habit you should leave behind when you exit your college hostel. You need to perfectly hang them up in your room to have clean and cozy décor. Try hooks and earmark a basket to each member in your home. Also get rid of clothes which are out of fashion, or those that no longer match your body. If you are still out of space, you can pack your season clothes in boxes and keep them under the bed. Your room will look a million times better when you have organized your clothes.

Before you are complaining about the shortage of space as a reason for clutter, make sure that you have already used stuff effectively. Vertical space is one aspect that is underrated often. Instead of filling in countertops and table tops, try to use vertical wall space. Collections and displays can be suitably added to built-in shelves or wooden shelves. It’s neat and tidy and easy to see. Use your kitchen shelves below the workspace to efficiently keep the utensils. Keeping unattractive items inside the cupboard will give a neat look to your kitchen.

Get creative!

Undoubtedly, creativity comes in handy any time. You may not worry if you don’t have enough cupboards and closets to stash your stuff. There are many ideas you can work on to beat the clutter, For instance, forming a striking tower of vintage suitcases or bags that can hold linens, filed papers, holiday items, craft materials etc can add an elegant look, plus help storage. That’s just one idea.

Another thing you may try out is to hang pieces of jewelry items that usually cause a mess in your vanity cabinet. By using a hanger with many pockets, you can have easy access to jewelry whenever you need them too. You can always keep the valuable pieces tightly locked in separate jewelry wardrobes. But with the frequently used ones in a clear hanger, you may not have to waste your time by scavenging for the other pair of jewelry in your drawers.

It goes without saying that removing clutter does much to bust stress. With systematic clutter control, you may not have to worry about your house when guests appear in short notice. Clutter busting is the foremost virtue in good housekeeping. Apply the above tips for a clean and cozy home year-around.