Coat rack with various jackets and coats above a bench lined with boots and shoes, wicker baskets on top shelf.
25 Things to Get Rid of This Fall
Summer’s over and fall is here, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to do some major decluttering. (What, you thought that only happened in spring?). The change of seasons is the perfect time to reset by going through your home room-by-room to get rid of all the stuff you didn’t use all season, not to mention all the stuff you know won’t get much use by winter, either.
Oct 8, 2018
New Yorkers Share the Weirdest, Most Frustrating Things About Their Apartments
Living in New York City often means expensive rent and little space, but sometimes apartments here are…an experience, to say the least. It seems like everyone lives in a building that has its quirks—things like strange-but-creative ways of fitting appliances in, weird structural features, odd smells, and more. Even the best apartments—the ones no one would dare give up their leases on—have their own interesting shortcomings.
Sep 24, 2018
5 Things The “New You” Doesn’t Need (And 5 Things You Do)
In the end, decluttering is generally pretty satisfying. But in the process? It can be an emotional, guilt-ridden and stressful situation. You want your home to be a positive space, but if you’re holding onto things that you really don’t need, or even things that actively make you feel bad, it’s time to let go. It’s time to invest in and focus on the things that do make you happy.
Aug 27, 2018
Does it Work? We Tested Those Soap-Free Spaghetti Scrubber Sponges
I recently learned something that totally blew my mind: you uh… actually don’t need soap to wash your dishes. Or at least, that’s what one cleaning brand called Goodbye Detergent claims, thanks to their Original Spaghetti Scrub. Spaghetti Scrubs are an environmentally friendly sponge alternative.
Jul 18, 2018
A Pain-Free Trick that Pays Off: How to Save an Extra $1500 Next Year
Anyone who’s searched for a way to save more money has probably heard of the 52 Week Challenge. It’s a way to slowly build up your savings throughout the year—you start by putting aside $1 on week one, $2 on week 2, and so on until you reach week 52, putting aside $52 that week. In total, if you follow the 52 Week Challenge, you’ll save $1,378 by the end of the year. Easy enough, right? While it sounds like a great idea (and if it works for you, keep it up!
Dec 28, 2017
The Key to Decluttering Without Burning Yourself Out
Decluttering—especially if you have a lot of stuff to begin with—can be an exhausting task. You can spend hours going through your things and realize you’re not even remotely close to being done with all your sorting. If you always feel totally spent when you’re done with a major decluttering session, the key might be in avoiding those giant, day (or weekend!) long clean-outs in the first place.
Dec 6, 2017
This Decluttering Pro’s 10-Percent Method Will Help You Pare Down Guiltlessly
Here’s the thing about stuff—even when we don’t need it, it’s easy to become attached to it, assign meaning to it or feel guilt about getting rid of it. Gifts from loved ones or an expensive purchase you regret but can’t return can weigh you and your home down. So, what do you do when you feel like you can’t part with anything you own—even when you have multiples that you don’t need?
Dec 1, 2017
5 Life-Changing Home Habits You Should Start in Your New Apartment
Sometimes moving into a new apartment is just the push you need to start over. It’s a clean slate—your new home is clean and empty, and as you move in, you have the power to decide where everything goes and what you want your home to be like.
Nov 27, 2017
This Waste-Free, Self-Cleaning Lint Remover Might Just Change Your Life
It's no-waste AND self-cleaning.
Nov 24, 2017
6 Things Everyone Forgets to Tell Their House Guests
One of the keys to being a good host? Anticipating your guests’ needs. When friends or family come to stay with you, you make sure they have clean sheets and towels and know where the bathroom and the garbage is — so you’ve got the basic important things covered. But there might be a few things that you’re forgetting to tell them (and for some of them, they might be too embarrassed to ask) that they should definitely know.
Nov 16, 2017
Everything You Need to Know About the Least Stressful Cities in the World
Have you ever daydreamed about moving somewhere totally new and starting over? If you ever decide to make those dreams reality, consider some of the world’s least stressful cities. A recent report by Zipjet ranks the stress level of cities around the globe based on several factors: Individuals feel stressed for different reasons, requiring our study to look at data from a macro level to determine the comprehensive well-being of a city’s population.
Nov 15, 2017
How To Organize Your Entire Bathroom for Under $100
Wish your bathroom was more organized? Even in the tiniest of bathrooms, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make things work. Between damage-free hooks and shelves to portable items (like a rolling cart), you get can your bathroom in shape in no time. Pretend you have a budget of $100 to get everything you need to revamp your bathroom; here’s what you can get with that to make it all happen. Let’s get shopping — hypothetically at least — shall we?
Nov 15, 2017
From Morning to Night: 5 Ways to Practice Gratitude Today
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, many people are starting to think about the things they’re thankful for. But sometimes—especially when things get stressful and you’re dealing with a major life change—it can be hard to get into the right frame of mind or even remember the things you’re grateful for.
Nov 11, 2017
The Millennials Living at Home Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Millennials can’t do anything without there being some sort of stigma attached—they’ve been accused of killing everything from chain restaurants to doorbells, and they’re constantly being labeled lazy and wasteful, despite countless studies proving that that’s not necessarily the case.
Nov 9, 2017
11 Inspiring Gratitude Logs for Your Holiday Bullet Journaling
As the holidays are approaching and the year is winding down, many people are starting to think about all the people and things they’re thankful for. Practicing gratitude is pretty standard during the holidays, but it’s also something you can do all the time to be more mindful and help you focus on more positive things even when you’re feeling down.
Nov 3, 2017
If You Want to Get Along With Your Roommates, Don’t Do This
The standard solution for dividing up roommate chores is to come up with some sort of rotation schedule, but while that works for some people, sometimes it’s just not the most efficient way (even if it does feel more “fair” because some chores are arguably better than others) to do things.
Nov 1, 2017
Score the Apartment of Your Dreams: Everything You Need to Know About Getting a Guarantor
You may have heard about guarantors during your apartment hunt, but if you’re not familiar with what they actually do—or how you can still find one if you don’t know anyone personally who can be a guarantor (or even land an apartment you love without one!)—we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about getting a guarantor. A guarantor is someone who signs your lease with you to guarantee payment in case you can’t pay for some reason.
Oct 30, 2017
How to Find First-Time Home Buyer Programs in Your State
If you hope to own a home some day, you may be under the impression that you need to save up for a 20 percent down payment—but the truth is, that’s just a myth. According to data from Better, an online mortgage platform, only 17 percent of homebuyers actually put between 15 and 25 percent down — and more than a quarter (27 percent) of them put down between 5 and 10 percent.
Oct 27, 2017
Survey Finds Almost a Third of People Would Live in a Spider Infested House For Free Rent
Just in time to give you the heebie-jeebies before Halloween, a recent survey from Insight Pest Solutions found some… well, surprising information about how far people will go for free rent. Apparently, nearly a third of respondents said that they would be willing to live in a house full of spiders in exchange for a year of free rent or mortgage payments.
Oct 26, 2017
Sure, Candy Corn is Gross, But You’re Still Allowed to Love it
Let’s just get one thing out of the way: yes, I am completely aware that candy corn is just sugary wax. I will readily admit that it’s kind of gross when you think about it too much. I will even admit that it has a weird, fake taste. But guess what? I still love it. And that’s okay. During the rest of the year, I forget that candy corn exists. But every year, come September 1st, it’s like a light switches on and suddenly I’m craving it again.
Oct 24, 2017
Rental Red Flags that Signal You’re About to Get Scammed
You know the saying, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is”? Well, that definitely applies to apartment hunting. If you see a listing for a beautiful, spacious apartment that’s well below the median rent for the neighborhood it’s in, for example, there’s gotta be a catch. Like, you know, it might not even exist (!).
Oct 19, 2017
This Interactive Tool Will Show You the City Where You Should be Living
There are a lot of factors that go into making a big move, and for many people, the top priority is either their job or their family. But if you’re on your own and you have job flexibility to go basically wherever you want (i.e. you work remotely), then what? In that case, you have the luxury of finding a place that suits you—and not necessarily just your career. To help you figure out the best U.S. city for you and your priorities, HighSpeedInternet.
Oct 13, 2017
83 Percent of Renters Want Out of New York City
It’s not surprising to learn that there are a lot of people who want to leave their expensive cities for a lower cost of living. But what is a little surprising? The concentration of people who want to move out of the Big Apple—a whopping 83.2 percent of renters in New York City want to settle elsewhere, according to a Apartment List’s annual survey.
Oct 10, 2017
We Tried Tree-Free Toilet Paper & Here’s What We Thought
Let me start this by just saying: this is about to get a little uncomfortable, because there’s really no way to write a toilet paper review without it feeling a little strange —for both of us. But hey, you clicked on this, which means you’re either morbidly curious or you’re really interested in a more sustainable toilet paper option—either way, totally valid. So, let’s get started, shall we?
Oct 5, 2017
New Wardrobe, New You: What to Ask Yourself While Cleaning Out (& Revamping) Your Closet
I’m a stress cleaner—as in, I tend to clean and organize things when I’m overwhelmed or feeling down. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my emotional clean-out sessions, it’s that the sometimes the most satisfying thing on the planet is cleaning out your closet—even if it’s hard for you to part with some of your old favorite clothes.
Sep 26, 2017
All About Kansas City, By Locals Who Love It
If you haven’t spent much time in Kansas City, you might not realize that it’s a city with a vibrant culture, tons of great food (barbecue, of course, but it goes beyond that, too) and friendly, creative people—but that’s exactly what it is. It’s an up-and-coming city with a lot to offer, so we asked KCMO residents to share what they love about their city, along with their recommendations for visitors and transplants.
Aug 30, 2017
One Day at a Time: The Only Chore Chart You’ll Ever Need
It’s no secret that the key to cleaning success is to do a little bit every day. Of course, there are the things you already keep up with daily or regularly—like doing the dishes, taking out the trash, or wiping down the kitchen counters—but it’s the tasks beyond that that can so easily fall by the wayside if you don’t have a plan that fits in with your already busy schedule.
Aug 30, 2017
The Apartments that Listing Sites Have Been Hiding from You
How often do you browse popular websites for apartment listings? As it turns out, they might not be giving you all the facts—at least not according to a new report from Apartment List. It’s what they’re calling a “luxury bias.
Aug 29, 2017
The Simple Key to Keeping a Maximalist House Tidy
Minimalism may be all the rage, but that doesn’t mean maximalism is out by any means—some people would just rather live with more space and others, with more stuff. It’s all a matter of preference. One of the perks of minimalism, however, is how much easier it is to keep your home clean. It’s less about the practice and more just common sense—not owning a lot of stuff means there are fewer things to clean, along with fewer opportunities for clutter to pile up.
Aug 23, 2017
Quintessential New York Pre-War Apartments for Less Than You’d Think
When you think of what makes a quintessential New York City apartment—one with a lot of character and charm—you probably picture a pre-war apartment (even if you don’t realize it). Built between the 1880s and 1939 in both Manhattan—the highest concentration is in the Upper West Side, though you can find them pretty much all throughout the borough—and some areas of Brooklyn, pre-war buildings were made with a lot of personality.
Aug 23, 2017
Beyond As-Is: How to Save Even More Money at IKEA
Thrifty IKEA shoppers know the key to a good deal is to always check the As-Is section, where you can find items that have been returned or assembled and used for display for a discounted price. Even savvier shoppers know that you can negotiate prices for As-Is items, and that you can score better deals there at certain times of the year. But, the As-Is section, as glorious as it can be, isn’t the only way to save money at IKEA.
Aug 18, 2017
The Cities Where Salaries Are Actually Growing Relative to Rent
The whole point of having a job is to be able to afford housing, food and the necessities so you can keep on keeping on, right? So it would make sense for salaries to rise with housing costs, but that’s not always the case. In many areas, rent prices move on up without giving wages a chance to catch up, and it especially varies when you factor in the industries people work in.
Aug 15, 2017
The Internet’s Favorite Plastic Zipper Food Storage Bags
Plastic zipper bags are probably a food storage staple in your home—they’re an easy way to store food in the fridge and freezer, plus they can help keep you organized in other ways, including being a necessity when you travel by air.
Aug 14, 2017
The Cities with the Highest Hidden Costs of Owning a Home
If you’re looking into buying a home, your mind is probably focused on things like your down payment and monthly mortgage costs, but those aren’t the only costs that come with owning a home—there are hidden costs you might not be thinking about, too.
Aug 14, 2017
The Incredibly Easy One-Touch Cleaning Rule Will Keep You Clutter-Free
How often do you quickly tidy one area of your home by just moving the mess somewhere else? Have you ever come home only to put your coat on a chair temporarily before you finally hang it up in the closet? (I know I’m guilty of this, because it just feels easier in the moment after a long day). It might not feel like a time suck, but it actually makes you put in more effort in the long run—all those steps add up, and it makes keeping your home clutter-free a slightly harder task.
Aug 10, 2017
10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle or Compost
Want to be more mindful while you’re cleaning? You’ve probably got a good handle on the items you can toss into your recycling bins—paper, plastics, glass, aluminum, etc.—but there are also a lot of specialty programs that allow you to recycle other household items to reduce waste and even help people in need.
Aug 8, 2017
Impossibly Tough “Would You Rather?” Questions: The Apartment Edition
We all have deal breakers in just about every facet of our lives—from dating to jobs, and of course, to our homes, there are some things we just can’t deal with. And those deal breakers are different for everyone—for one person, a roommate leaving dishes in the sink overnight could feel like the end of the world, while for another person, cleanliness (or lack thereof) is a non-issue compared to whether or not they get along with their roommate on a personal level.
Aug 3, 2017
Machine Washable Rugs? They Exist, and Here’s What You Need to Know
Story time: When we first started talking about this at Apartment Therapy, my immediate reaction was, “Machine washable rugs exist?!?” so if you’re reading this thinking, “wait, really?” you’re not alone. (If you did know this already, you can probably still learn a thing or two, and those of us who didn’t know appreciate your patience with us.
Jul 31, 2017
7 Kitchen Drawer Organizers to Actually Get Excited About
When you think of a silverware organizer, you probably think of a standard cutlery tray—a plastic bin with sections for knives, forks and spoons, with maybe an extra section or two for other miscellaneous utensils. But just because most of the options you come across are simple, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck settling for the basics.
Jul 28, 2017
Where To Buy a Whole Bunch of Wooden Hangers Without Going Broke
Wooden hangers are supposed to be the best—Martha Stewart swears by them, and a quick Google search reveals tons of sites extolling the benefits of using wooden hangers. They protect your clothes by preventing your clothes from being hung too closely together, they’re less abrasive and they allow for more air circulation, according to The Spruce.
Jul 25, 2017
All About Philadelphia, By Locals Who Love It
You probably already know Philadelphia is a city rich with history and things to do, but unless you’ve experienced it first-hand, you might not know just how great Philly is—it’s more than just cheesesteaks and Rocky movies, it’s a big city with a tight-knit community feel that’s chock full of culture. Ask any local what they love about their city, and they’re sure to tell you the same (and more).
Jul 25, 2017
From People Who’ve Been There: Home Sellers’ Top 5 Regrets
The saying “hindsight is 20/20” can apply to most major decisions in life—you often don’t know how you could’ve done something better until it’s already been done. And in the case of selling your home, it definitely rings true. So what is it that home sellers wish they could’ve done differently, knowing what they know now? A recent Zillow report asked home sellers (both first-time and repeat sellers) to share their biggest regrets about the process.
Jul 13, 2017
The DIY Cleaning Recipes Bloggers Swear By
Looking to DIY your cleaning products? Your favorite lifestyle and cleaning bloggers can help. Seriously—just a quick Pinterest search for cleaning recipes will lead you to tons of popular DIY cleaning sprays and solutions from top bloggers. Many of these cleaning recipes use essentials you probably already have on hand at home. Whether you copy them or put your own DIY spin on them, here are some popular cleaning recipes from bloggers who know their stuff.
Jul 7, 2017
Make it Count: Smart Uses for the Space Above Your Doors
Think your apartment is totally out of storage space? Think again—and look up. You probably have at least one doorway in your home with a little extra space above it, right? Now’s your chance to turn it into something useful—maybe it will be your new mini library, maybe you’ll turn it into a garden, or maybe you’ll use it to store towels in your teeny tiny bathroom.
Jul 6, 2017
Forget Avocado Toast: Here’s How Long It Takes Millennials to Save for a Down Payment
Contrary to what some might believe, avocado toast isn’t what’s keeping Millennials from buying houses—rather, a shortage of affordable homes is stopping prospective homebuyers from their purchasing dreams, no doubt combined with things like student debt (according to Forbes, more than 44 million people face a total of $1.3 trillion of student debt, more than any other kind of debt, outside of mortgages).
Jun 28, 2017
Stylish and Clever Recycling Solutions That’ll Up Your Cleaning Game
Trash cans and recycling bins can take up a lot of space, especially if you have to sort your recyclables into different containers. All those bins definitely add up. Whether you’ve been recycling and you’re just tired of your old system or you want to start so you can be more mindful, there are plenty of solutions that will allow you to recycle without taking up too much space in your home, or at least that won’t detract from your decor.
Jun 23, 2017
30+ Shortcuts & Strategies to Get Your Home Cleaner Faster
Raise your hand if you wish you could clean your home faster, but you just don’t know how to make it work. (I’m raising my hand along with you, if you couldn’t tell). The good news: Housecleaning pros, former messy people and the like all weighed in on Reddit with their best speedy—but effective—cleaning tips. Below are some of the best methods and tricks from the thread that might help you reduce your cleaning time and clean more effectively.
Jun 19, 2017
Smart Cleaning Advice That Only Messy People Could Give
If you’re a messy person looking to making cleaning and organizing a little less painful—and, you know, incorporate it into your regular routine—who better to get advice from than people who face the same challenges and have found ways to make it work? We asked self-admitted messy people to share their shortcuts and what helps them (along with combing through a few super helpful Reddit threads—this one and this one, to be exact).
Jun 16, 2017