LAUREN BARTLETT
Features Editor
January is filled with new beginnings, new goals and maybe even a new attitude. Some people like to start the New Year cleaning out some clothes and donating unused items. Another way to start the new year is to get organized. When living in an apartment or dormitory, things can feel crowded or messy at times due to small room sizes. The thought of using what little time there is between class and work just to clean seems like a drag. But, in the end, it will be well worth it. Get 2016 off to a good, organized start with the following D.I.Y. projects:
Over-the-door organizer: If the kitchen cabinets are getting full and making it difficult to find certain cleaning or kitchen products, then it’s time to give each item its own place. Take an over-the-door shoe organizer, which can be bought at Walmart, and hang it over a door in the kitchen. Then, place all cleaning supplies, paper towels and wash- cloths in each section of the organizer. This makes room in crowded cabinets for more cooking utensils and silver- ware rather than cleaning supplies taking up all the cabinet space. It also gives better access to the supplies.
Pantry magazine holders: Another way to get the kitchen organized is to rearrange the pantry. Buy a couple of magazine holders and use them to put items, such as plastic bags and plastic wrap in. This allows for better access and more room for food in the pantry.
Unexpected use for shower caddy’s: When sharing a bathroom with another person, things can get mixed up very easily. A simple way to make sure shampoo and other personal items don’t get mixed up is to put shower caddies to use. Get as many shower caddies as needed and use wet Command strips to mount them on the wall of the shower that is opposite the faucet. This allows for items that are used daily in the shower to be stored in one place, sepa- rated from other roommates. This also prevents the items from falling off of the side of the bathtub.
Wine rack storage in the bathroom: Storage in the bathroom always seems like an issue due to most apart- ments and dorms having smaller facilities. One way to make sure that clean towels are always available is to put a wine rack in the bathroom to store towels. Mount the rack on the wall and roll the towels to place them on the rack. This will insure WC that towels always have a place and that they are easy to put up after doing laundry.
Never lose the remote again: If the television remote and other electronics in the house are always missing, make a secure place for them. Use one piece of Velcro to put on the back of the remotes and the other piece underneath the coffee table or side tables in the living room. This pre- vents remotes getting lost in the couch cushions or under the couch entirely.
These D.I.Y. hacks are the perfect way to get a home or apartment organized. Each project requires little money to implement and just a short time to assemble. They can also be fun to do to get creative in order to make it fit into an apartment better. Don’t think of it as a hassle to get an apartment organized, but as a new year, a new apartment.