Declutter Your Space

Messy piles of stuff aren't just ugly; they're stress-inducing. Interior designer Taniya Nayak, host of HGTV's Destination Design, makes straightening up less of a chore. 

Mason jars are great organizers: They look pretty and are functional. Line them up on top of your dresser or bathroom sink, and keep hair bands and clips and makeup brushes in them so that stuff isn't loose.

Shoe stores will often give away whatever boxes they have lying around. Ask a cashier for some, and use them to file documents (like credit-card statements, tax info, etc). Label each box with what it holds, and then stack them in a closet. You will be relieved not to have random papers floating around and won't have to scramble to find something important.

Like to keep magazines in the bathroom to read in the tub? They look sloppy heaped on the back of the toilet. Grab an extra towel rod at the hardware store, and install it (it's as simple as screwing it in) within reaching range. Hang mags over it so they look pretty on display — the way they do at cafés. If you store them in your living room, make neat stacks under your coffee table. It looks less messy than when you keep them on top.

For less than $10, you can buy bed risers — little plastic blocks sold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that you put your bed on — that will give you about 42 extra square feet of storage. Then keep your clothes and things you rarely wear in containers underneath so they're not clogging up your closet. To hide everything (and avoid that dorm look!), use an extra-long duvet or a dust ruffle — you can get cool, totally non-granny-looking ruffle-free straight ones — so your bed looks bigger and more majestic.

It's just plain annoying when too many dishes end up crammed into your cabinets. Pick up little hooks with screws on the end at a local hardware store, and screw them into the bottoms of your cabinets. Then hang coffee mugs on the hooks so everything's less crowded.

Swing by the fabric store to pick up cheap, pretty cloth, and cover old boxes you have saved using material glue. Put the now-pretty boxes under your coffee table and end tables, and use them to store blankets, games, or anything else you like to have readily accessible. No one will ever know they're just cardboard boxes underneath, and they'll add a pop of color to your room.

By Bethany Heitman

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Newby Realty provides sales of new and used manufactured (mobile) homes throughout Florida in Bradenton, Debary, Edgewater, Ellenton, Englewood, Fort Pierce, Hudson, Lakeland, N. Fort Myers, New Smyrna Beach, Ocala, Orange City, Palmetto, Port Charlotte, Port Richey, Sarasota, Winter Springs, Zephyrhills.