White kitchen with stainless steel appliances, pendant lights, patterned rug, and a vase of flowers on the island countertop.
The $13 Way to Take Charge of Your Messiest Kitchen Cabinet
It’s an unfortunate truth of small space living that the tinier the kitchen, the harder it is to find storage space—and worse, stay organized. While some of us invest in new ways to carve out storage space and keep our kitchens tidy, others are forced to forgo their non-essential (and clutter-causing) kitchen wares, especially plastic Tupperware. But fret not my lunch-packing (and leftover-loving) friends, there’s hope for your messy Tupperware cabinet.
Jun 25, 2018
This 3-Word Cleaning Strategy is Your Shortcut to Spotless
When it comes to housekeeping, few people know the ropes as well as Durk Johnson. In addition to serving as the executive director of Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP)—a national organization that specializes in housekeeping principles and procedures—he has over fifteen years experience in cleaning luxury rentals around the world.
Jun 23, 2018
The Best Decor You Can Buy at Aldi
If you weren’t already hip to German grocery store, Aldi, now’s the time to smarten up. Adored for its super low prices and wide range of products, the discount supermarket chain now boasts over 1,600 stores in the United States—making grocery shopping on the cheap easier than ever. But wait, it gets better. Turns out Aldi sells more than just inexpensive groceries.
May 21, 2018
5 Professional Organizers Share Their #1 Tip for Messy People
Getting your sh*t together isn’t easy. Staying organized is especially hard when you’re a self-proclaimed “messy” person. Luckily, we know some amazing professional organizers to call upon for help. We hit up five of our favorite pro-organizers for the number one piece of advice they’d give “messy people” looking to get their homes—and lives—in order and here’s what they had to share.
May 13, 2018
9 Money-Saving Secrets for Shopping at CVS
What’s not to love about CVS? Not only is it brimming with affordable beauty products and home essentials, it’s by far one of the easiest drug stores to save money at while shopping. Don’t believe us? We did our research and dug up nine awesome money-saving secrets for shopping at CVS that you probably didn’t know about. Read ahead to find out how to score even better deals next time you raid the local drugstore.
May 6, 2018
We Bet You Could Use Some “Lagom” in Your Life Right Now
Lagom is a Swedish lifestyle trend that just won’t quit. Defined loosely as “everything in moderation,” the concept of lagom (pronounced law-gum) is all about finding balance in your everyday life. To help us better understand the concept of lagom, we called on Niki Brantmark, creator of My Scandinavian Home and author of Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life, to break it down.
May 3, 2018
8 Grocery List Hacks That’ll Save Time and Money
Grocery shopping isn’t always easy. Along with the crowds, screaming kids, and long lines, you have to successfully secure a week’s worth of foodstuff, most likely while on a budget. That’s why it pays to plan for your trip to the grocery store ahead of time, so you can avoid draining searches and high prices as much as possible. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can hack your grocery list to work for you.
Apr 26, 2018
Why “Clearing the Coffee Table” is the New “Making the Bed”
We all know the benefits of making the bed every morning. Along with tidying up your bedroom in a pinch, this neat ritual helps set an orderly tone for the rest of your day. Clearing off your coffee table every day can be similar. As one Apartment Therapy reader put it: “Clearing off the coffee table is the making-the-bed of the living room!” Take a few minutes to clean up your coffee table each day, and you’ll enjoy a clearer mind and set the tone for a cleaner living room.
Apr 3, 2018
7 Resume Mistakes that Might be Hurting Your Job Hunt
A good resume should be clear and concise. As a rule of thumb, hiring managers typically take fewer than 10 seconds to scan an entire resume, so it’s important that yours conveys only the most relevant information to your audience. And since it’s crucial that your resume be quick and easy to read through, it’s important to know what information should be omitted.
Mar 27, 2018
7 Times You’re Actually Just Hoarding When You’re Trying to Organize
We’ve all been there. It’s almost springtime and after a long winter spent indoors, you’re ready to get your home nice and clutter-free for the warm weather season. Unfortunately, sometimes instead of successfully clearing out the clutter in our homes, we simply wind up organizing stuff we shouldn’t keep in the first place. While catchall storages bins and closet organizers might seem space-savvy, they often end up helping us hoard things we should be getting rid of.
Mar 22, 2018
3 Ways IKEA Makes It Easy to Recycle
As if the stylish and affordable home furnishings weren’t enough of a reason to love IKEA, the store made it their mission to create a streamlined recycling process for their customers. Along with their chic assortment of recycling bins for sale, the Swedish super-retailer offers several convenient ways for customers to recycle their old stuff—think: glass, batteries, furniture, and more—while they’re shopping. Don’t believe us?
Mar 13, 2018
7 Sneaky Ways Your Stuff is Stealing Your Time
Sometimes your stuff gets in the way of, well, life. Whether it’s not being able to find your keys when you’re already running late for work or missing a train because you took too long digging through your purse for your transit card, searching for everyday essentials can have a major impact on your daily routine.
Mar 2, 2018
These 9 Stores Have the Best Return Policies
Oh, the joys of online shopping. Not only can you bypass crazy long checkout lines and cramped dressing rooms, you get all the stuff you ordered delivered straight to your front door. The only drawback: Returning items that don’t work for you can be trickier when the post office gets involved. That’s why it pays to know ahead of time which stores have stellar return policies, so you can have a totally worry-free online shopping experience.
Feb 16, 2018
Ten Under-$40 IKEA Finds That’ll Double the Storage in Your Bathroom
10 brilliant ideas for your walls, countertops and awkward corners.
Jan 18, 2018
Something Called a Pajama Lounge Is Trending (& You’re Going to Want One)
Warning/workspace/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block.php82 There’s a new term roaming the corridors of the internet that made our ears perk up the second we heard it and we think you’re going to like it, too. It’s called a “pajama lounge”, and we want one.
Dec 23, 2017
The Best Small Space Bedroom Solutions We Saw This Year
8 easy-to-execute ideas to maximize your limited bedroom floor plan.
Dec 21, 2017
You’re Probably Already Paying for Lost Luggage Insurance — Here’s What You Need to Know
Losing your luggage can be a living nightmare. On top of not having access to your stuff while your traveling, you have the daunting task of filing claims and filling out lengthy reports to look forward to—and even then, the safe return of your luggage isn’t guaranteed. It’s no surprise then that more and more travelers are signing up for traveler’s insurance—i.e.
Dec 20, 2017
7 Ways to Upcycle What You Already Have at Home Into (Free!) Holiday Decorations
Decking your halls with holiday decor can be tricky when you’re on a budget. That’s why it pays to be resourceful when it comes to spreading holiday cheer throughout your home. Luckily, some of our most humdrum home essentials actually offer ample decorating opportunity. With a little imagination, you can turn everyday items—like puzzle pieces, newspaper, and houseplants—into seriously stylish trimmings.
Dec 6, 2017
Where to Stack Coats and Bags When You’re Having a Big Party in a Small Space
Nothing is more fun during the holiday season than hosting friends and family for a gathering. But what happens when you love to entertain but don’t actually have a ton of room or even a proper coat closet to store everyone’s stuff? Fret not, friends—a cramped living space doesn’t have to be a problem. Here are five options to consider when deciding where to stow your guests’ things during your holiday festivities this season.
Nov 22, 2017
Readers Weigh In: This is the Room You Should Always Clean First
Getting the toughest room out the way first will help jumpstart the rest of your housekeeping responsibilities.
Oct 16, 2017
How Much Are You Really Saving When You Wash in Cold Water? Or Power Down Your Laptop?
Decreasing the amount of energy you expend at home isn’t just good for the environment—it can be good for your bank account, too. According to a study from SaveOnEnergy, the average American spends a whopping $1,460 a year on electricity and $421 on natural gas; numbers that are expected to rise by 2 percent in 2018. Luckily, there are plenty of simple ways to reduce your daily energy use.
Sep 27, 2017
9 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Clean With a Clothes Steamer
On top of handling wrinkled clothes, this trusty tool can tackle lots more housekeeping tasks.
Sep 19, 2017
How a Decorating Duo Would Spend $200 to Update a Bedroom
We’ve heard it time and again: the bedroom is often the last place you tackle decorating because it’s behind closed doors (and it seems more practical to devote your energy and dollars to the more public areas of your home). However, just because you’re not ready to take a deep dive into reimagining your sleeping quarters doesn’t mean there isn’t something you can do to spruce up the place in the meantime…sort of like a pre-makeover.
Sep 12, 2017
It’s Not Just You: 10 Cities Where $100K Doesn’t Feel Like A Lot of Money
While a six-figure salary might offer more than enough income to most households, believe it or not, there are still cities in the U.S. where $100K-a-year won’t get you far. For a recent report, “The Best and Worst Cities to Live On Six Figures,” Magnify Money analyzed 381 major cities across the country to see which ones offered the least financial wiggle room for two-earner households (with two adults and one child) with a gross annual income of $100K.
Sep 7, 2017
The Best Sources for Inexpensive Hardware to Revamp Your Cabinets and Furniture
When it comes to updating your old furniture, a little change goes a long way. Case in point: upgraded knobs and pulls. Even though most handles are well, hand-sized, these petite fixtures still manage to offer a ton of design potential no matter where you use them. Working with a colorless kitchen but can’t afford to paint? Switch out all of your standard cabinet knobs with splashier ones and see what happens. Sick of looking at your dated bedroom dresser but desperate for the storage?
Aug 20, 2017
Zippered Sheets: For Anyone Who Can’t Stand Changing Fitted Sheets (AKA “Everyone Ever”)
There are two kinds of people in the world: people who think changing sheets is NBD and the rest of us, aka anyone who doesn't have their bed floating in the middle of a vast room.
Aug 16, 2017
The Second Most Important Homebuying Decision You’ll Make: Tips for Finding the Best Agent for You
The wrong real estate agent—or just one who doesn’t jibe with your vibe—can cast a shadow on your whole home buying experience. That’s why it pays to know what things to look for (and the right kinds of questions to ask) when searching for a reliable real estate agent. So to help make your search a little easier, we called on William E Brown, President of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), for advice on how to find the best agent for your unique homebuying needs.
Aug 6, 2017
The Easiest Way to a Decluttered Home: The Power of One
Decluttering a home is never easy. The thought of organizing a packed hallway closet or a stuffed storage room can be exhausting enough to make you put it off for another year. But what if we told you there was an easy, foolproof way to finally get your clutter under control that won’t take more than a few minutes of your day? All you have to do is remove one thing—just one thing—from your home that you no longer need – every day .
Jul 26, 2017
The Best-Looking Bathroom Trash Cans Under $15
A good-looking bathroom trash bin is hard to find. That’s why most of them wind up stashed near the toilet or under the sink. Sure you can invest in a fancy one that looks great, but who wants to drop serious cash on something as small and well, trashy as a garbage can? Lucky for you, we did our research and it turns out the web is filled with some surprisingly sleek and inexpensive bathroom receptacles.
Jul 20, 2017
Decor Superhero: A Perfect Lighting Solution for the Bedroom
Never underestimate the power of a good wall sconce. Not only will these beauties save you tons of space, they allow you to customize a unique lighting scheme to suit your specific needs. Unlike bulky table lamps, a properly placed sconce or two can offer loads of reading light without taking up any valuable nightstand space. Because we believe in showing and telling, here are nine of the chicest bedroom wall sconce scenes we could find on the web.
Jul 19, 2017
The Cement Tile Trend is Holding Strong (& We Couldn’t Be Happier)
Some trends stand the test of time for a reason. Case in point: cement tiles. Although they’ve been making waves in the decor scene for a looong while now (historians date some versions back to the 12th Century), these beautiful tiles started to pop up inside the most design-savvy contemporary homes across the globe in recent years in a big way. And it’s not difficult to see why. Along with creating artfully polished displays, cement tiles are crafted from natural materials (i.e.
Jul 12, 2017
Study Reveals The Most Common Items that Go Missing at Home
Americans collectively spend a whopping $2.7 billion dollars every year simply replacing the items they can't find.
Jun 29, 2017
Think NYC Real Estate is Scary? This City Might Be Worse
Lately, social media is abuzz with Toronto’s insane real estate offerings: undesirable homes (in serious need of renovation and lacking ordinary amenities) selling at unbelievably high prices. Properties lacking everything from parking spaces to proper bathrooms have been selling at double and triple the asking price—with no signs of the area’s inflated costs slowing down anytime soon.
Jun 20, 2017
The Small Safety Risk Too Many People Are Taking at Home: Some Quick Facts About Home Burglaries
Many homeowners will tell you that securing their home is a top priority, however, that doesn’t mean home invasions aren’t a very real threat for Americans. According to a new survey by Eyewitness Surveillance—a commercial surveillance company based in Maryland—a burglary occurs every 13 seconds in the United States, resulting in a startling 2.5 million home intrusions reported every year.
Jun 15, 2017
3 Things Keeping You from an Ultra-Clean Bathroom
An immaculate bathroom is hard to find. Considering how much time you spend in your bathroom everyday, keeping it clean and fresh can have a real impact on how you feel. Unfortunately, even after you spend hours cleaning, bathrooms have a tendency to get grimy fast.
Jun 14, 2017
9 Ways to Take Advantage of the Space Under Your Sofa
Under-sofa organization is a many splendored thing. Not only does it provide you with extra storage room for stashing your stuff, it offers easy access to everyday items—newspapers, magazines, and DVDs—that can often get lost in living room clutter. To prove it, we’ve rounded up nine unexpected ways to maximize the space under your sofa. From DIY drawers to sliding storage boxes, each idea is designed to make the most of that small, but promising, area.
May 2, 2017
Renters on the Rise: The 21 Cities in America Where Homeowners Are Outnumbered
Nationwide, home renters are on the rise. So much in fact that according to a recent study by ABODO based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.4% of the American population is renting their household—the largest percentage the nation has seen since the 1960s. And as the number of renters continues to grow (there were 1.4 million new renter households in 2015 alone) so do renter-dominated cities. As of 2015, renting has the become the majority in 21 cities across the United States.
Apr 17, 2017
The Only 3 Things You Need to Clean Before Having People Over
We’ve all been there. It’s Friday night and after a long work week, you make it home just in time to remember that you’ve invited your friends over—gasp!—in an hour. Your sink is full of dirty dishes and you haven’t swept in days, so naturally, panic ensues. But before you pick up your phone to cancel or postpone, perhaps consider a new a plan of action.
Feb 10, 2017
The Important Cleaning Task We All Skip (But Shouldn’t)
Considering all of the different cleaning sprays and solutions available on the market, we’re surprisingly trusting of the ones we bring home. That’s why the pros have always sworn by “spot-testing”—where you sample new products by testing them out on a small area to make sure they won’t cause any damage or discoloration.
Jan 17, 2017
Selling Your Home: The 11 Most Important Spots to Declutter Before the Open House
Make no mistake about it: when you’re selling your house, potential buyers want to see everything. That means no area of your home (not even your utility closet) is safe from the gaze of a serious house hunter. That’s why it’s crucial to maximize every square inch of your place—backyard shed included—by minimizing your overall clutter.
Jan 9, 2017
Sleep Mode: Where to Buy Matching PJs for the Whole Family (& Grownup Onesies, if that’s Your Thing)
Sleepwear is a many-splendored thing. On top of being a great last-minute gift idea, a solid set of pajamas is guaranteed to keep you (and your loved ones) comfy and warm all winter long. Luckily, the Internet likes jammies just as much as we do, and while most loungewear on the market deserves some time to shine, we thought it would be fun to focus on two of our current faves: adult onesies and matching family sets.
Dec 5, 2016
The Secret to Happiness at Home is Hygge — Here are 9 Ways to Practice it this Winter
Finding the words to convey sentimental feelings can be hard sometimes. Yet, the opposite is true when it comes to the Danish term “hygge.” Although there is literally no single translation for the concept (pronounced hoo-gah or hue-gah) the Danes use hygge to describe the warm feelings of happiness, comfort, and coziness—not unlike our idea of holiday spirit—they strive to achieve during the cold weather season.
Nov 3, 2016
One-Day Warriors: Tips for Cleaning Your Whole Home in a Day
Even if you happen to be a Monica Gellar type—someone who spends their free time dusting and sweeping—spending an entire afternoon indoors cleaning is still way less fun than, well, just about anything. It’s really no wonder that so many people make a habit of putting off cleaning until it’s absolutely necessary, i.e. until you’re suffering from either out-of-town visitors or out-of-control allergies.
Oct 22, 2016
9 Signs Your Home is Cleaner than You Think it Is
Keeping your home clean and put-together is hard work. Throw a full-time job, kids, and/or pets into the mix and it’s dang near impossible. Yet somehow you manage to pull it off. Whether it’s because of daily wipe downs, weekly chores, or even monthly cleanouts, you’re making it happen—even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Chances are your place is a lot less cluttered than your headspace, and most importantly, it works for you.
Oct 16, 2016
6 Dirty Little Secrets of People Who Live in Small, Perfectly Organized Apartments
Let’s be honest: we all have a friend or family member who against all odds is irritatingly clean. Despite their studio-sized apartment space and insanely jam-packed schedule, they somehow manage to keep their place perennially—if not inexplicably—prim.
Oct 11, 2016
10 Storage Sacrifices You Have to Make When You Live Solo in a Small Apartment
Although scoring your first solo apartment can be a wonderful thing, you still have to prepare yourself for the daunting task of packing—and fitting into—a presumably much smaller place than you once shared with your roomies. The fine line between “holding onto” and “hoarding” means it’s finally time to decide which of your housewares are truly worth keeping—a process that can be almost as exhausting as moving itself.
Aug 24, 2016
Smart Tips for Avoiding “Dishues” with your New Roomies
If you’ve ever had a roommate, you know exactly what we mean by “dishues.” They’re those petty but persistent issues—think unwashed dishes, stolen Kind bars and late-night commotions—that can only come of an inconsiderate cohabiter. Though trivial, they can prove problematic nonetheless.
Aug 23, 2016
5 Plans for Efficiently Organizing Your Home’s Most Cluttered Spot
When it comes to a design-savvy home, a proper entryway is key—pun intended!—to staying organized and prepared to leave the house every day. If you’re lucky enough to have a formal foyer at home, by all means, go buy yourself an entry table or storage bench and bask in all of your front door glory. But if you’re like the rest of us—working with a tight corner or narrow hallway in place of an actual entrance—staying coordinated can be a bit more trying.
Aug 15, 2016