I'm always trying to find new ways to make my home (and everything else) smell great, with varying levels of success. TikTok and other platforms are full of hacks that are supposed to give you long-lasting scents, but they usually fall apart for me. Here's one, however, that works.
Use household cleaner to enhance your home's smell
I came across this TikTok that showed a woman simply filling her sink with hot water and adding a cup of household cleaner, insisting it makes the whole place smell great.
I've been burned before by household cleaner-related scent hacks, but this one didn't have any of the red flags from those. It seemed almost too easy. I decided to give it a shot. I grabbed my trusty Fabuloso and ran to my sink—only to remember I lost the plug after switching to a pink debris catcher that matches my decor and prevents crumbs from entering my plumbing, but is totally ineffective at stopping up the drain entirely. I decided to fill a big bowl with hot water and half a cup of Fabuloso to really test the hack. Could a smaller vessel produce a permeating smell?
The answer was yes. It was like an instant yes. After I filled my bowl, I left the kitchen. I went back five minutes later and noticed the whole area smelled great. I returned to my living room and 10 minutes later, the smell hit me there, too. Her advice is to leave the cleaner-infused hot water alone for an hour, then dump it for all-day scent. It works. It really works. I can't wait to try it with other scents and kinds of cleaners.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
The scent is much stronger than when I simply mop with Fabuloso and I think that's because it's more concentrated, plus the very-hot water gives it a boost into the air.
Smell hacks that don't work
There are other hacks out there that suggest boiling old air freshener wicks or household cleaners to get this result, but you really shouldn't because that can be dangerous. What I like about this plain hot water method is that it doesn't involve boiling at all, so you're not at risk of accidentally heating anything to a dangerous point or putting something potentially poisonous in the tools you use to cook your food.
That said, I never had any luck with the more natural methods, either. Another popular social media tip revolves around boiling lemons to make your place smell citrusy. I've tried it and it simply doesn't work. It just wastes your lemons. Best to avoid.
The old tried-and-true
Although my home still smells of Fabuloso and I am confident it will for a very long time, I do have to add that I recently conceded that the best residential scent trick is probably the most boring. I've tried all kinds of air fresheners in my day and they all basically worked, although the smells dissipated quickly. Last month I tried a new one that is so powerful that the smell lingers for days even after I unplug the beast. It's called a Wallflower and I was so impressed that I got one for my mom and boyfriend, too, and they both reported the same thing: The scent sticks around long after it's been unplugged. To me, that's glorious, but if that's a little too much for you, I get it. Stick to the hack above. Here's the freshener I got, which I will never go without again:
I’m always looking for new ways to motivate myself to do things I don’t want to do. Sometimes I try to trick myself by just getting up and jumping into a task for a few minutes to get it over with—and it works! I find myself getting into the work, getting carried away, and doing more than I intended to. But I didn’t really have a name for it. Then I saw this blog post from the Everyday Organiser that gives a name to the practice: the Five-Minute Snowball. If you have a hard time getting yourself to do tedious tasks—especially cleaning and organizing—I recommend you try it.
What is the five-minute snowball?
This is a simple twist on other time-management and motivational techniques: You can start a timer or just glance at your phone, but decide right then and there that you’re going to get to work for five minutes. That’s all you need to vow to do. It’s just five minutes. Then, when the timer goes off or you check your phone, you’ll likely realize time flew by.
Personally, I recommend not setting a timer at all. Strict time limits can feel harsh and if you’re stressed out already, that might not be helpful for you. I’ve found that if I just get to work, I’m always shocked by how much time has actually gone by when I check the time again, so a timer letting me know that my five minutes is up wouldn’t be too beneficial.
The goal here is to commit yourself to a manageable time goal. Five minutes really isn’t that bad, but you’re liable to discover you blow past that because it’s such a small amount of time, especially once you get into your groove. If, however, you don’t, it’s not demoralizing; you only set out to do five minutes and as long as you meet that goal, you accomplished what you set out to do.
Why this works
I like this less-structured approach compared to, say, the Pomodoro technique, which asks you to work in longer, more defined chunks, adding small breaks in between. The nice thing about launching a five-minute snowball is that it’s completely manageable and doable, so instead of feeling bad if you don’t grind for 15 or 20 minutes straight, you feel satisfied when you meet your goal. Setting attainable goals is important, especially when you’re working on a task you don’t like, because you have to prioritize those positive feelings and avoid the negative ones that can keep you from moving forward.
The general lack of structure here is great because you won’t be counting down minutes while you’re working. You know it’s a small amount of time and it’ll pass quickly, so you can focus on the task instead of the time. Overall, when you operate this way, you're spending less time plotting out what you need to do (or making excuses for why you can't or won't do it) and jumping straight into doing, which is much more engaging.
Cleaning techniques that can work with a five-minute snowball
A little structure isn’t so bad, though, so try incorporating a decluttering or cleaning method into your snowballing. There are a bunch out there, but these work well in small bursts:
You can do the ski-slope method, or the practice of organizing small sections of a room in a random order, in five-minute bursts, dedicating each snowball to one little area.
The 12-12-12 method involves finding 12 things to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to put away every day. You can break that down into three unique, five-minute bouts to make it less overwhelming.
Using the Decluttering at the Speed of Life method, you work through five steps—starting with tossing trash and ending with organizing everything you keep—but you don’t have to do it all at once and can instead move through the steps in bursts using the snowball technique.
I teach a handful of cycling classes every week, and after each one, I grab a spray bottle of cleaner and a paper towel from the back of the studio and give my spin bike a wipe down. It only makes sense: The whole point of being on it is to get all sweaty and gross, and it's inevitable some of that sweat will wind up on the bike and the screen.
I have no idea what's in the bottle of cleaner, as I trust the gym to provide me with the right tools to keep the equipment in good shape. But when it comes to my Peloton at home, I am the cleaning team, which means I have to be much more on top of things. Here's what I've learned about how to clean every part of the machine after three years of ownership.
Clean your Peloton after every ride
First, keep a microfiber cloth or roll of Clorox wipes nearby so as soon as you dismount, you can wipe down your seat and handlebars. There isn't a ton of space on the bike itself to hang a cloth, and it's my duty as a spin teacher to gently suggest you not hang it off your handlebar when you ride, lest you go to grab the bar, accidentally yank the towel off, and lose your grip. (I don't let people in my classes cover their handlebars with sweat towels for this reason.)
Personally, I use Clorox wipes after my rides, and keep the little container on the shelf near my bike. Either way, as long as you're wiping it down after each session, you're doing enough to keep it from getting too grimy between more serious cleanings.
Do an occasional deeper clean
About once a month. I dampen a rag and use a dot of dish soap and wipe down the whole bike, minus any of the electrical components, including the outlet cord powering the bike and the wires connected to the screen (those I just wipe down with a dry microfiber cloth). Scrub the base, wheels, various adjuster handles, and everything else, then go back over it with a dry cloth. Peloton's website suggests using baby wipes for this, but a damp towel works just as well.
Take care with the screen
To clean the screen, Peloton recommends first holding down the red button on top until it powers down, then using an ammonia-free cleaner designed for use on LCD, plasma, or other flatscreen, and wiping with a microfiber cloth.
Windex is a suitable option, and that's what I use once a month, or when the screen is visibly covered in dried sweat. When powered off, the screen is incredibly reflective and difficult to photograph, so forgive me, but in the photo below you can see the improvement made with just one pass of Windex.
A little before-and-after action with the WindexCredit: Lindsey Ellefson
Other Peloton cleaning recommendations
If you're feeling uneasy about using your existing cleaning products on the bike, consider investing in some designed for use on workout equipment.
Wipex comes recommended by users on Reddit and is an affordable option that can ease your worries about what you're slopping all over your $1,500 device.
During your monthly-or-so deeper clean, don't forget about the mat you have probably placed under the machine—wipe that down with a damp rag and a dab of dish soap or the Wipex cloths too.
When it comes time to declutter and organize your home, you may be someone who just dives in or someone who follows a more structured routine (which is, frankly, recommended). Maybe watching some TikToks about cleaning or reading up on the best approach works for you. Maybe scheduling time into your calendar every night to tidy up is your thing. For some, though, a more intense, step-by-step process might be necessary. Have you considered workbooks? They function kind of like planners, giving you tasks, instructions, motivation, and space to record how you're doing. Here are some you can try if you're having a hard time sticking to the task of decluttering.
The Home Edit Workbook: Prompts, Activities, and Gold Stars to Help You Contain the Chaos
If you're familiar with the Netflix show of the same name, you know The Home Edit is popular, but this book by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin is special for a few reasons of its own: First, it has 52 challenges inside for every room of your home, so you can go at your own pace, but if you even just did one a week, you'd have improvements in a year. Second, it comes with some gold-star stickers, which might seem silly, but if you're motivated by seeing progress or earning rewards, it's an easy way to stay hyped up on your task.
Declutter Made Easy Workbook: Step by Step Checklist to Declutter Your Home
In this workbook, Katherine Hay sets out to make the process of decluttering as easy as possible by providing weekly checklists and planners, plus check-in and progress report pages. It's set up so you can do as little as 10 minutes of cleaning per day and still see results, all without feeling demoralized. In fact, the book encourages you to only spend 10 minutes on each task and gives you enough variety that you don't get stuck on something repetitive. Once you finish this one, check out the My Purged Homeworkbook ($12.99) from Chaos Cleared, which uses the same 10-minutes-only structure.
The Declutter Challenge: A Guided Journal for Getting your Home Organized in 30 Quick Steps
If you're a fan of Cassandra Aarssen's "clutterbug" methodology, try her workbook to take it to another level. With a focus on mindfulness, it takes you through 30 steps toward decluttering, using open-ended questions throughout to make you think more about why your home is cluttered, why you want to change it, and what you can do to make it happen. Knowing yourself is at the heart of Aarssen's technique, so the book helps you get there first.
Swedish Death Cleaning Workbook: The 30 Days Challenge to Organize and Simplify Your Life, Declutter Your Home and Keep It Clean
Kelsie Zaria's workbook guides you through the Swedish death cleaning technique, forcing you to both reckon with your mortality and clean your house. Every day for 30, it asks you to do one 10-minute task, all with the goal of preparing your home for when you're gone and someone else has to go through your stuff—even if that is a long, long way off. Like Aarssen's work, it makes you think not only about the task at hand, but the bigger picture of why it's important to tidy up and adopt a more decluttered lifestyle overall, making this a perfect journal if you have a hard time getting motivated to clean or see it as pointless.
Cleaning Sucks: An Unf*ck Your Habitat Guided Journal for Less Mess, Less Stress, and a Home You Don't Hate
This workbook from Rachel Hoffman is consistently popular and highly rated—and for good reason. It goes along with her book of the same name, providing a full-color, guided journal meant to help you get to the bottom of why, exactly, you don't like to clean. Once you figure that out, you can determine what's stopping you from doing it, then get to work. It's a pretty reflective workbook, not necessarily one that takes you through any cleaning processes step by step, so pick this one up if you're stuck in a rut and can't force yourself to tidy up.
You spend a lot of time in your vehicle, which means you should keep it organized and clean, if only for your own sanity and convenience. While those little suction hoses at car washes and gas stations are fun to use, they’re not the best solution to keeping your car clean long term. What you really need is something dependable, accessible, and strong—in other words, your very own car vacuum. Here are some of the most well-rated and innovative ones on the market right now.
The best heavy-duty car vacuums
First, let’s get into some of the big dogs: the ones you use in your garage or on the street to really get after major spills and crumbs.
The Armor All AA255W wet/dry car and shop vac ($59.99) is compact and easy to move, with a handle on top and a long hose, but it also converts to a leaf blower, which is wildly convenient for your outdoor cleaning needs. It has 13 accessories, like extension wands, a crevice attachment, a detail brush, and various nozzles. One YouTube review says this thing does a great job of yanking the embedded debris from upholstery.
The Black + Decker Dustbuster Advanced Clean ($51.66) is small and portable, but powerful—and popular, with 4.4 out of 5 stars based on over 104,000 ratings. Reviewers call it “the most powerful” of Dustbusters, herald its strong suction, and even talk about “the pleasure of using it.”
For a cheaper shop vac, consider the Koblenz WD-2L wet-dry vacuum ($32.97), with a two-gallon capacity and an attachment for cleaning carpet.
Best small car vacuums
Sometimes, you need to bust dust or obliterate crumbs on the go, but a shop vac or heavy-duty beast doesn’t fit well in the car. Try these smaller options so you can be clean whenever, wherever.
The Saker Mini 3 in 1 vacuum ($50.99) can suck or blow through its wide variety of attachments and recharges easily with an included charger. It’s ideal for crevices, seams along seats, and small messes and the nearly 2,000 people who’ve reviewed it agree: They say it removes pet hair and crumbs easily and is even powerful enough to handle carpets and mats.
For something truly affordable, the NEXPOW car vacuum ($15.99) is a good bet, plus it’s super tiny. It’s just a little cylinder that packs a big punch and includes three nozzle attachments, so it can fit right under your car seat. Reviewers say it’s even powerful enough to suck up sawdust and the filter is surprisingly mighty.
On the other hand, you could spend a little more and get major power from a tiny vacuum if you go with the Turbo Tube ($159). It also includes two attachments, a charger, and a storage bag, and PC Mag highlights not only its "whopping" 15,000 pascals of power, but its included flashlight, which is extra convenient for cleaning in the dark.
Finally, keep an ODISTAR desktop vacuum ($9.98) in the car. These things are super popular for home use, but are also great for picking up small crumbs and dirt on your car seats, dashboard, or center console. They’re not much bigger than a computer mouse, either, so you can just pop yours right into the glove box. To see how they work, look at the endless amount of TikTok videos of people using them for everything from desk cleaning to sucking up acrylic nail dust.
We talk a lot about the general rules for decluttering and organizing your home, namely that you need a spot for everything, containers to keep it all neat, and a structured approach to deciding what to keep and get rid of. Usually, we're referring to the home, but you should also be applying this information to your car, where you spend a considerable amount of time and need quick access to your stuff when the moment calls for it. In addition to cleaning your vehicle, you should be organizing it. Here are a few tools to help you.
Best tools for organizing your car
First of all, let's talk about the center console, also known as the area where you throw everything and pray for the best. There are organizers available for all kinds of vehicle makes and models that will slip in there and provide you with compartments, containers, holders, and all manner of little organizing essentials, but to find yours, you'll need to run a search for your exact car and the words "center console organizer." That said, skip the customization and just pick up these storage expanders, which you secure by stuffing the long part into the gap between your console and seat. You'll get two and they come with some dividers inside, so you can store your wallet, drink, and other essentials without having to toss too much into the center.
Fortunately, other kinds of organizers are more standard and fit in most vehicles, meaning your options for pockets and containers are surprisingly wide. That's good news because—and remember this—when you're organizing, every single item you keep in a space needs a designated spot. They should be stored with similar items and, ideally, placed in a container to keep them all together. This behind-the-seat organizer will help you with that:
Another option is this big storage container that straps into a back seat ($23.98), which has 11 compartments and two cup holders. While this is great for when you have other people back there, it isn't accessible to you in the driver's seat. Don't worry, though. Again, you have options. For instance, pick up this card and document holder designed for glovebox use ($11.99). Registration, insurance, and necessary docs can be stashed in here so the next time you're (god forbid) pulled over, you're not fumbling around searching. (Like center console organizers, glovebox organizers can also be ordered for your specific car type and are fitted to your box's dimensions, offering containers and pocket space.)
Other vehicle organization options
That's all for the interior, which is important, but you also have to consider the other elements of organization in and around your car. How's your trunk looking? Don't even answer that. Just check this out.
Simply put, you need pockets and structure in the trunk. Again, everything needs a place and "the trunk" is not sufficient on its own; it's just too big and likely to get cluttered, especially when things shift around back there. Another solution with some handy pockets is this car trash can. No more tossing trash into a side bin or on the floor of the passenger's seat. If you're serious about organizing (and decluttering), it's time for a real trash holder and this one, with its secure hole and strap-on functionality, is perfect for going behind the headrest of the passenger seat, an easy reach away from you. Disinfecting wipes or napkins can go in the storage pockets, too, making it an multi-use cleaning and organizing godsend.
The garage is a strange place where you keep everything from bikes to screws to that box of stuff you swore you were going to donate last year. (You may even have a second fridge out there.) It can be easy to put off cleaning it since it's all kind of industrial junk that doesn't really need to look nice, but you really should organize the space. Think of how much easier your next project will be if you can actually, well, find your screwdriver.
First: Declutter the garage
You should treat the garage like any room in your house, decluttering it and getting rid of things you really don't need. You can use any one of a number of decluttering methods, but I'm going to recommend Andrew Mellen's Organizational Triangle as a starting point for this task. It relies on just three important tenets: Every item needs a home; keep like with like; and use a "something in, something out" approach. You'll need a lot of storage boxes for this, too.
Move in small sections around the space; don't try to do the entire garage all at once. Start with a work bench, shelving unit, or pile of stuff, then pull it all out on the floor. Sort like with like—put everything similar together. Screws go together. Bike tools go together. Outdoor equipment like leaf blowers and mowers go together. Make piles of all the similar items, then go through each pile and get rid of everything you don't need or use. This is tricky no matter what you're decluttering, but the garage is a real danger zone because it's so easy to say, "I haven't needed this size of screw in years, but what if I do?" Fall back on the trusty 20/20 rule here, asking yourself these two questions: "Could I replace this item for less than $20?" and "Could I replace it in less than 20 minutes?" If you answer yes, get rid of it. The space you save is more valuable than the $20 you may spend three years from now if you actually find yourself in need of that thing.
If something is useful and still works, feel free to donate it, but make sure you do that right away so it's not continuing to take up space. From there, once you've purged everything, put the things you're keeping into containers. Every item needs a home and should be stored with similar items.
Best tools for organizing a garage
First, get some peg boards. Big shelving units are fine, but they can get pretty cluttered over time, and a peg board will help you make great use of vertical space.
The beauty of using a peg board is that you can buy all kinds of accessories for it: Hooks, hangers, slots for certain tools, and containers can all snap in and out of the holes on the board, giving you the chance to designate storage spaces for every kind of garage implement. Grab a set like this.
Shelving units are also important, but you might want to upgrade to the kind with doors, so you can store infrequently used items out of sight. It doesn't have to be pricy or massive.
Within that, you should still use some small containers to organize less-bulky items. Remember everything should be stored with similar things and everything needs its own designated home. Try simple baskets for this.
Finally, I said you should maximize vertical space and I meant it. Any items that aren't secured somewhere run the risk of hitting your car or making you trip, which is especially dangerous in a garage, so they should be stored up and out of the way. Try an overhead storage rack for big bins, bikes, and other large things, like shovels. Store off-season items in the overhead rack, swapping them every six months.
When you set out to declutter and organize, it can simple at first—but if you don’t have a plan in place, things can get overwhelming and go off the rails pretty quickly. Structure goes a long way toward helping you stay on track, see results, and maintain motivation. That’s why there are so many techniques and methods out there. Try this easy one called the "SPACE" formula if you want one that is straightforward and simple to follow.
What is the SPACE method of decluttering?
The SPACE formula comes from organizing pro Julie Morgenstern, whose book Organizing from the Inside Out has been a hit for years. It’s a acronym that you follow while you work:
Sort by grouping similar items
Purge by getting rid of what you don’t need
Assign by giving everything you keep a home
Containerize by putting those items into containers
Equalize by maintaining your system
How to use SPACE to declutter and organize
Start by picking an area to work on, like your office, your bedroom, or your kitchen. From there, you can even break it down into smaller areas, like the desk before the filing cabinet, the closet before the night stand, or the silverware drawer before the cabinet under the sink. Once you’ve isolated a spot, think of the acronym and get to sorting. Pull everything out and sort it. So, if you’re in your office, try sorting writing tools in a pile, then paper products like sticky notes or mini flags, then charging cords, etc.
Next up is purging, so think critically about everything in front of you. Don’t agonize over this; use the five-second rule or 20/20 rule to make quick decisions about what stays and what goes. If you don’t use it often, get rid of it. You don’t have to get sentimental or waste time on it, which is where declutterers usually get hung up. If you come across anything in good shape that might be useful for someone, feel free to sort it into a donation pile instead of the trash, but make sure you have a plan in place to get that pile to the donation center ASAP so it doesn’t become clutter.
From there, assign everything a home. This can be done at the same time as containerizing. Those writing tools should all go in an easily accessible cup. The paper goods should be placed in a drawer. Charging cords can go into a small box. Place the containers in a spot that you’ll remember to look for them and where you can easily put things back when you’re done using them.
Finally, equalize by maintaining your system. Once the area is decluttered, you need to keep it that way; that’s the most important part. No matter what kinds of containers you’re using to store all your different things, make sure you always put those things back where they belong when you’re done using them. Keep the containers where they belong, too, so you’re not searching for them when you need them. Every few weeks, do a pared-down version of SPACE, purging and reorganizing anything you haven’t used or that has gotten out of place.
A major tenet of any good decluttering philosophy is that every item you don't get rid of must have a designated place in your home. Depending on the size of your living space (and your personal preferences), this can pose a problem. I've lived in a number of small apartments over the years, and have found that shelving units and bookcases work best for me, so I take a sort of storage-as-decoration approach: Not everything fits in a cabinet or closet; some things simply must be displayed. Here are the shelving units I love and one I don't recommend.
Cube storage is versatile
The first kind of shelf to consider is the humble cube storage block. I have a four-by-two in my kitchen and two smaller units in my closet, and I've owned numerous other configurations over the years. These are the most helpful because the dividers within the shelves let you get specific with your organizing. Instead of one long shelf for, say, all your shirts, you can put long-sleeved shirts in one cube, short-sleeved shirts in another, sweaters in a third, etc., which makes organizing a lot more efficient. You can also buy collapsible fabric drawers in a variety of colors to keep your stuff out of sight and match the theme of your space.
Another unit I really love is this simple plastic bookshelf. I have three: Two tall, four-tiered ones for seasonal clothing, and a smaller, two-tiered one I use as an entertainment center, with my TV on top, my consoles in the middle, and books on the bottom. What I like about these is you can pick them up in various colors, which makes storing things out in the open a little more tolerable. Just because you don't have adequate storage space doesn't mean your solution has to be ugly, nor does it have to mean investing in a statement piece. (If using longer bookshelves, you can add in some decorative baskets to keep items separated.)
A rolling cart can be an handy alternative to traditional shelves
Here's an unorthodox option: I once got a rolling printer cart off the free section of Craigslist, and though it was pretty ugly, it came in extremely handy in the bathroom of my old apartment because it had three shelves I could use for makeup, hair products, and shower essentials—plus a power strip. Outlets can be scarce in smaller places, so a mobile shelving unit you can also plug things in to can be a real lifesaver. Bonus: Amazon sells much nicer-looking ones than the thing I used to have.
There is one shelf I hate, and it is the wire cube unit. Although it was slightly nicer looking than some other options I considered at the time I bought it, it barely lasted a year. The whole thing is held together with little plastic disks, and the individual cube floors sag under too much weight, making it useless for real organizing. Truly, anything would sag mine, eventually leading to a collapse and a big mess (not to mention a terrifying noise whenever it came apart). In a crafty fit, I tried reinforcing it with twine once; this did nothing but make it uglier. Avoid.
Other cool shelves to consider
In the process of scouring Amazon for the units I already have and recommend, I found the following cool options I may add to my own home—maybe they will fit your needs, too.
First, this tower that holds books (or records, or games) at staggered angles, resulting in a sharp look that maximizes your use of vertical space.
There was a long period in my life where I believed everything could and should be cleaned with Windex. While this saved me a lot of money, it wasn’t really practical or useful when it came to actually cleaning my home, but I’m someone who believes in always growing and evolving, so I swapped Windex for better products and kept moving deeper into adulthood, as one does. What I’ve learned along the way, though, is that no one ever really stops growing and improving; swaps and upgrades are necessary all the time! Here are a few of the recent cleaning swaps I’ve made that have been worth it.
Cleaning swaps for the floor
First, this isn't quite a "swap," but for a few weeks, I was using both the Swiffer WetJet and PowerMop. My opinion on the newer PowerMop and its additional features over the trusty old WetJet hasn't changed since I wrote this more detailed comparison—I still prefer the WetJet—but if you like a bigger pad and guide lights, it might be a solid swap for you. The WetJet starter kit is $28.24 and the PowerMop is just a little over a dollar more at $29.94.
A more significant shakeup in my floor-cleaning routine came courtesy of the Bissell CrossWave OmniForce, a multi-surface wet/dry vacuum that was sent to me by the company after I declared myself a Bissell fan in a roundup of good vacuum sales. It's true: I have loved and cherished my $33.98 Bissell Featherweight Stick, a cheap-but-powerful tool that switches from standard vacuum to handheld dust buster. The Featherweight met all my vacuuming needs and I was consistently surprised how much power it had for something so small. The CrossWave OmniForce, though, meets all my vacuuming needs and mopping needs, which is kind of a big deal, and it has even more of a suction force (obviously) because it's bigger and stronger. You can use the vacuum alone or go dual mode, vacuuming and mopping all at once, and it maintains a decent charge for about half an hour, so you're not tethered to a cord. Two tanks keep clean and dirty water separate and it even has a self-cleaning mode that refreshes the brush roll and moves debris into the dirty tank.
To be clear, I probably wouldn't have made a roughly $300 upgrade on my Featherweight if I hadn't been sent one of these to try out, but I'm really glad I was because it's replaced not only the little vacuum I was using, but my mops, too. Ultimately, it's that two-for-one deal that makes me recommend this as a solid swap, so if you're in the market for a new vacuum or mop, consider this, which speeds up cleaning time considerably simply by not forcing you to switch devices.
The final swap I've made to improve my floors lately is getting rid of my one big, nice rug and replacing it with smaller, cheaper ones in high-traffic areas. Little faux fur runners cost between $18 and $32 on Amazon, are easy to clean with a vacuum, and are cheap enough that I don't freak out if (well, when) I spill on them. They don't look any less cute than the big honking rug that was in the middle of the floor before, so it's been a win-win-win. (Bonus: They make a great, easy backdrop when I'm taking pictures of items I want to sell online.)
Other recent cleaning swaps
A few months ago, I swapped out my regular melamine sponges for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy ($8.94 for five). Obviously, a new-and-improved version of a classic is likely to be, well, improved, and I found these made cleaning things like my tub and tiles a lot faster and easier, but the moment I was truly convinced of the superiority of this swap came when I had to get sticker residue off a new glass tabletop the other night. Melamine sponges are already a go-to for getting stickers off surfaces, but they usually take a while. The Extra Foamy did not. The residue was off in maybe six seconds. It happened so fast I didn't notice at first; I was still scrubbing for a while before I realized there was nothing to scrub. A+ swap.
Cleaning power is one (important) thing, but I'm also really into scents. If a cleaning product doesn't have a nice smell, I'm not repurchasing it. Hell, I'm not using it a second time; it sits untouched on my shelf. For laundry, I usually use Gain, but that still doesn't give me as nice of a scent as I'm looking for. I found a display of laundry detergent at Bath & Body Works recently and after overcoming my surprise that it even existed, was moved to pick it up because it came with an optional corresponding scent booster. I got the Champagne Toast detergent ($19.95) and Champagne Toast booster ($19.95) and have felt very smug every time I get into bed and my sheets still smell like it. With the booster beads, I'd say the smell lasts about a week.
Finally, it's not so much an upgrade as a level swap, but I do like the new lavender scent from Pine-Sol ($4.59). It does what regular Pine-Sol does, but with a nice floral smell, which is good for me because I am much more into that than I am lemon or pine.
Winter is gone and summer is here, which means it's time for barbecues and lazy days spent lounging outside. But to get all that, you have to clean your outdoor spaces. (Boo.) The tools below will help you do that quickly and efficiently so you can get back to the good stuffwhile we still have the weather for it. Here are some resources to help you freshen up your patio, outdoor furniture, and gutters, and hide away unsightly garbage cans and AC units.
Tools for cleaning the patio
Let these tools do the hard work for you to get your patio guest-ready:
The Leebein electric spin scrubber ($49.99) is a heavy-duty scrubbing machine that comes with a variety of brush heads to tackle all the crevices and hard-to-reach areas on the deck, but is also remote-controlled and cordless, so you’ll never have to bend down, even to change the speed or settings. It adjusts to a number of lengths and angles, too.
The Old City Unltd. Moss removal brush ($23.97) has long wire bristles in a thin line to help remove moss and weeds that grow between pavers.
If it’s time for a new scrub brush, try the AIR U+ floor scrub brush ($19.99) which is dual-sided and comes with a squeegee, too.
Tools for cleaning everything else outside
Your deck is clean. Great. What about all the other outdoor stuff?
Keep your windows and glass doors pristine without breaking your back by picking up Windex Concentrated Outdoor Glass Cleaner (two for $22.80), which does what Windex does for your regular windows, but on a much larger scale. You screw your hose into it and wash down all your glass, achieving the classic streak-free shine with minimal work.
CLR outdoor furniture cleaner ($13.29) is highly rated and safe to use on fabric, wood, wicker, PVC, plastic, and whatever else your outdoor furniture and decor might be made of. It’s non-abrasive and contains UV protectants so every time you clean, you also shield your items from the sun, keeping them nicer for longer.
Power washers can get expensive, but the Rock&Rocker pressure washer ($119.99) splits the difference there, offering four nozzles and a spray of up to 2.6 gallons per minute at a decent price point, so you can power wash everything and call it a day.
If you can’t clean it, hide it: Whether it’s an unsightly garbage can or an air conditioning unit, hide it behind a more aesthetically pleasing multi-purpose privacy fence ($121.81) to give the illusion of spotlessness. The fence comes with planters so you can create a garden vibe while hiding your unsightly necessities.
The power washer will help with your gutters, but if you need a little more help, try the CHOMP GutterSmop ($25.97) which attaches to the CHOMP handle ($39.97) to remove dirt from your siding and gutters and help scrub away any stains caused by the elements.
For the past year, I’ve been on a decluttering and organizing journey, which I’ve been writing about, sharing all the useful techniques and tools that make this sort of thing easier. But I haven’t discussed one of the major factors that has helped me most: accountability. You can follow the advice of every pro organizer, buy storage bins for every little item you own, and schedule your cleaning down to the second, but sometimes you need an outside influence to keep you on track.
Cleaning accountability from other people
Last June, when I started my biggest decluttering effort to date, I knew I had to set up some kind of system of rewards and punishments or I’d lose steam. Here’s what I did:
I asked my friends to continue sending me memes and TikToks, but stop if I opened or responded to them before 10 p.m., the time I designated for stopping my cleaning and enjoying a “reward.” This worked because I knew that at 10 p.m. every night, I’d have a curated collection of funny stuff to look at as a treat, but I had to earn it. (This approach was really similar to the “animedoro” method, which allows you to enjoy one episode of a show after a predetermined amount of work.)
Every week, I asked a new friend to come over on Saturday. I’d clean and declutter all week, knowing I had to, since someone would be coming over. Then, when they got there, I’d tell them they could pick five things—clothes, tchotchkes, whatever—to take home with them. Most major decluttering techniques center on making you categorize items as things to donate, things to throw away, and things to keep, so this was a way to fulfill more “donate” and less “toss.”
If I was doing a big throwing-away day, I’d let a friend know early in the day and they’d text me periodically to ask for photos. Even knowing I’d have to prove my progress to people whose opinions I respect pushed me to fill my garbage bags.
These are just the things I did and some were a little silly, but they were helpful to me. Accountability doesn’t have to be harsh, the punishments don’t have to be awful, and you don’t have to do much more than snap a few pics or send a few progress updates if you don’t want to, so use these examples to come up with similar approaches. Of course, mine depend largely on the involvement of my friends, who (luckily) were happy to help, but if you don’t want to drag other people into your decluttering, you still have options.
Best apps for staying accountable while cleaning
There are some apps out there that can help you schedule your cleaning, but they still don’t do much for accountability. You can just… not use them! The benefit of getting your accountability checks from real people instead of apps is you can’t just turn real people off. Get the best of both worlds with apps that match you to a person.
FocusMate
FocusMate pairs you with an accountability partner in real time, allowing you to get matched with someone who’s also working on something. You can video chat, share what you’re working on, and use virtual “body doubling” to tap into the theory that people work harder when someone else is around them. You can work three times a week for free, but unlimited sessions run you $9.99 per month.
Supporti
Using Supporti is similar, but you get matched with a long-term partner who has similar goals. Every day, you chat through the app, sharing your progress and checking on theirs while mutually swapping feedback. You work together for a week, then get the chance to pick a new partner if yours isn’t working out—but if you both opt in, you stay together. It costs $15.99 per month or $129.99 per year.
Other accountability apps
There are also apps you can use to monitor your own progress without involving anyone at all. Try Loop Habit Tracker, which offers the opportunity to track progress and maintain a schedule. You’ll get notifications when it’s time to work or check in and the more you enter into the app, the higher your Habit Score goes, gamifying the experience. It’s free for up to seven habits, but for more, you’ll pay $9.99 per month.
Finally, there’s Boss as a Service, which uses a novel approach that might not be best for everyone: It acts like a demanding boss, requiring proof that you’re making progress. You have to send in screenshots, photos, or any other kind of proof that you’re actually doing what you’re setting out to do, otherwise it sends you notifications relentlessly, harassing you just like an overbearing boss might. If you work best under pressure, give this app $25 per month (or $60 per quarter or $200 per year) to provide you with a sense of urgency.
Today when I woke up, I was greeted by a beautiful notification: A pair of my shoes sold on Poshmark. For a few months, I’ve been obsessed with selling my shoes and bags on the app. It’s a big part of the overall decluttering journey I’ve been on for the past year. A lot of the popular decluttering techniques ask you to sort your items into three categories—keep, throw, and donate—but by adding the fourth category of things to sell, I’ve been able to make a little extra money and, hopefully, make the day of some folks out there with the same sense of style I have. Here’s what I’ve learned about the best apps and approaches.
A few notes on selling online
The other day, I popped into a vintage shop to see if there were any shoes in my size and got to chatting with the curator, who came to the mistaken conclusion I consider myself a professional reseller and tried to give me some advice because of it. There are people on these apps who do this in a hardcore way, sourcing cool, rare, or expensive items and turning them for a profit. You don’t have to be like that. I’m certainly not. Everything I sell is something I wore and enjoyed. Don’t worry about the listings that feature professional-grade photos and hundreds of listings; someone out there who wants the thing you’re selling will find it by searching for it—it won’t really matter if you’re displaying the item on a mannequin in studio lighting as long as it’s the right size and price for the buyer. Here are my tips:
Don’t list something unless you’d actually want to get rid of it if it sold. It seems obvious, but this has happened to me: I’ll get a little too gung-ho, list something I still use, and feel sad when it gets bought sooner than I wanted it to.
On the other hand, don’t list something if you really want it out of the house. You can’t determine how fast something will sell, even if you undervalue it in price and promote it on the apps every day. I have a shelf on one of my bookcases that is dedicated to the items that are waiting to be bought on my Poshmark; it does take up space. If this impedes your decluttering, the apps might not be for you. Consider a brick-and-mortar consignment shop if the item is truly valuable or just donate it if you want it gone. The free space could be worth more than the money you’d get by waiting three months for the thing to sell.
I still use my items while they’re listed on my app, but be wary with this. If something happens to a bag, like it gets a scuff or a stain, it reduces its value and you’ll have to update the listing at the very least. Don’t try to trick people by showcasing something in perfect condition, then sending it a little worse. They can send it back, and this can have an impact on your seller rating.
Take a lot of pictures. You don’t need fancy lighting or a backdrop, but I at least try to set my items on a nice rug and keep other stuff out of the frame. Take pictures from every angle, close-up photos of any damage, and a shot of the date stamp or serial number if it’s a luxury or high-end item. Tags, defining features, and details are important to include. (If you don't do this upfront, be prepared for people to ask for them later.)
Be open to offers and respond to inquiries. Most of the time, you won’t get the price you ask for, at least not in my experience, but accepting reasonable offers or being willing to lower the price will help you get the thing out of your house.
Always search for the item you’re selling to see what other people are selling theirs for. If yours is a comparable quality, consider listing it for a little less than your competitors to get it sold faster.
The best apps to sell clothes
Even though I only really got into this recently, I've done it off and on for a few years with less dedication. I recommend Poshmark, Vestiaire Collective, TheRealReal, and Depop. To me, these four have the best interface and are easiest to use for buying and selling. Let’s go over their details.
Poshmark
When you sell on Poshmark, you keep 80% of your sale as long as it’s over $15. For anything under $15, you pay the app a fee of $2.95. On this app, buyers can offer lower prices than what you’re listing your item for and you’re free to accept or decline their offer. Declining gives you the chance to submit a counteroffer, so you may end up negotiating for a little bit, but the app always notifies you of what, exactly, you’ll make if you sell something at a certain price. The app also allows potential buyers to like items and you can send private discount offers to all of a listing’s likers at once. Lowering the price of an item is easy, too, and you can share listings to “parties” that match your item’s description. For instance, Poshmark regularly hosts luxury bag parties, creating a landing page for shoppers looking for those, and I share my listings for bags to those parties when they’re happening. If there’s a downside to Poshmark, it’s that you do need to be pretty active and engaged. Offers expire after 24 hours, you can only share listings to a party when the party is happening, and users expect timely responses to their comments.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
Best for: Anything. You can sell a Louis Vuitton bag or a Nike T-shirt on Poshmark. Some people sell housewares. I’ve bought some Diptyque candles and have a baseball bobblehead for sale in my shop. If you want an app where you can sell everything, not just a certain kind of clothes, it should be Poshmark.
Vestiaire Collective
Vestiaire Collective is meant for higher-end items, which usually means luxury goods, but I’ve seen it include plenty of other quality stuff, like Lululemon. Where it shines is its authentication process. Most of the time, items you sell will be shipped straight to VC, where a staffer will authenticate them and send them out to the buyer. This extra security is great, especially for really high-ticket items, and VC has low selling fees: You pay 5% on every sale, plus a 3% payment processing fee. You don’t get charged on your first listing, either, as long as it’s below $2,000. Right now, they’re running a special where you pay no seller’s fees on 4,000 brands, and specials like that pop up all the time. Like Poshmark, buyers can send offers, but here, you have two days to accept or decline them.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
Best for: Higher-end items you want to maximize your profit on.
TheRealReal
TheRealReal is only for designer, luxury items, and it operates more like a consignment store than direct selling. How much you actually make depends on your “loyalty tier” at the time of sale, so if you’re just starting out, you get 55% commission on anything sold for more than $195. If you earn $1,500 in annual net sales, you move up to a new tier and earn more. You can also just fork your goods over to TRR in exchange for site credit and let them sell as they will. I won’t lie: It’s a little confusing, so only go with this one if you have really expensive items to sell that require authentication and can still bring in a hefty chunk of cash, even with fees.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
Best for: Fancier stuff you just want out of your house.
Depop
Depop is another site where you can sell anything. It can be fancy, it can be basic, it can be handmade—you can sell whatever. You don’t pay a listing fee, but you pay a 10% selling fee for everything you sell. That’s it. It’s super straightforward, and what’s also nice about Depop is that it helps you fill out the listing by populating suggestions based on your pictures and text inputs, which speeds up the process so you’re not spending five minutes on every listing, pulling brand names and sizes from drop-down menus. You can offer likers discounts and, like Poshmark and VC, field offers from potential buyers.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
Best for: Getting rid of anything you have, from mall finds to more luxe items.
No matter which you choose, you’ll have to fill out a listing, usually including photos, a title, a description, dimensions, colors, sizes, and a price. Don’t list until you know all that information, but filling it out doesn’t take much time.
One of the most important parts of decluttering you home is the subsequent organizing of what remains. No matter how you approach the task, you need to ensure every item you decide to keep has a designated storage space, lest you fall back into your messy, cluttering ways.
I recently shared my best recommendations for adding storage space in your bathroom, but your bedroom is a less obvious spot that will benefit from storage and organization solutions. Here are some ideas to get you started there, too.
In general, closet storage should be customized to fit your needs. I have small closets, so I've added small bookshelves like this one that I use for extra clothes storage:
I put two of these shelves on the floor of my closet, and I let everything on my hangers drape over them—if I need to access the shelves, I just push the clothes aside. It makes use of space that would otherwise be wasted, plus the small sections within the shelving units allow me to designate spots for all kinds of clothes: Bodysuits, wide-strap tank tops, spaghetti-strap tanks and tube tops, sweatpants, yoga pants, leggings, hooded sweatshirts, crewneck sweatshirts... each of these gets their own cubicle, making organizing much more efficient.
I can't overemphasize how important maintaining a designated home for every kind of item is, whatever it is, so the more small shelves or cubes you can add, and the more you can separate your stuff into different categories, the better.
Also consider these tools for neatening up your closet:
Metal cascading hangers utilize vertical space to let you fit more on your clothing rack, all without warping under the weight like plastic ones eventually do ($7.69 for four)
Over-the-door storage units make use of space that would otherwise be wasted, so try this one ($22.98) that has a variety of pocket sizes and shapes for things like shoes, products, bags, or whatever else
Other bedroom storage solutions
I'm a big proponent of storage furniture, or dual-purpose pieces that mask their storage capacity, and can come in handy all over your bedroom. And my first recommendation is a storage mirror—mine revolutionized the way I get ready for the day.
With lights inside and outside, plus storage space for earrings, bracelets, makeup brushes, necklaces, bottled products, and other self-care essentials, this mirror hides all the small stuff I struggle to keep looking neat, without making it inaccessible. It's one of the most useful pieces of decor I've ever bought.
Another option is upgrading your side table. You need a nightstand with multiple drawers and compartments so you're less likely to let the top of it turn into a messy pile. Try something like this:
And don't forget other storage solutions, which aim to make the most of your usable space
Under-bed storage is great for out-of-season items or big things like coats and duvets—and you really need ones with wheels, like these (two for $35.99).
A storage ottoman at the foot of the bed is nice for shoes, blankets, or just random items that don't have any other obvious spot ($39.97).
If your shelves are looking jumbled, grab a bunch of little boxes or baskets to keep everything organized and out of sight; start with this set of three ($32.39) and your room will be looking neater in no time.
Even if you're decanting all your products and putting them in tidier dispensers, your bathroom won't be organized until you fix up your shelving and other storage spaces. If there's one organizational lesson I can teach you, it's that everything you own needs its own designated place—and if there's another thing I can teach you, it's that one big shelf for everything doesn't quite cut it. Here's how to get that bathroom storage into shape.
Consider more shelves
My bathroom came with three shelves built into the wall, which was nice and all, but I immediately knew I needed more. One became the home of my perfume, another was marked for skincare, and the third stores hair products—but that didn't leave any room for makeup, hair accessories, hair tools, spare towels, lotions, and random items like cotton balls or q-tips. Before unpacking anything when I moved in, I went out and got more shelves.
First, I got a bookshelf, which might seem weird, but only because it was. (I didn't buy it, but I found it discarded in the street and took it home to wash it off. I may not have bought one, but you should if you have room.) Mine looks like this basic one and sits right next to my sink. Look around your space and consider if there is room for any kind of shelving unit. Even a slim storage unit like this is great because it creates a designated shelf for four different categories of items.
How you choose to organize the shelving in the bathroom depends on what you have to organize, of course. Personally, I invested most of my time into getting the right tools to organize my makeup, but I also got dividers to space out my shelving for other uses. A major help has been an under-shelf basket like this one, where I keep headbands and other hair accessories that aren't easily stored in other ways:
These turn any shelf into a double shelf without encroaching too much on the shelf below. I also got a locker shelf to set on top of my shelving unit, extending how much can be stored on the top, too. It's designed to help organize the lockers students use in school, but it has been really helpful for keeping my q-tips, cotton balls, tooth whitening strips, and wet wipes separated. (Yes, I decant all of those and put them in more organized little containers, which then go on or above the locker organizer.)
You may already know the benefits of decanting everything you buy—basically, that putting soaps, snacks, and everything else into sturdier storage boxes makes your home look nicer and keeps your stuff more organized. For the most part, this is helpful in the kitchen, but you know where else dispensers and organizers really shine? The bathroom. Here are some cool ideas for how to dispense and store your bathroom essentials. (And don't forget to check if your city has a refill store where you can bring these dispensers to fill them with products, avoiding purchasing single-use plastics altogether.)
Toothpaste dispensers
What makes toothpaste dispensers so useful is the lack of mess. Regular toothpaste tubes can get crusty, especially if you're someone who isn't great about securing the cap every time. They're also hard to squeeze toward the end, so any device that eliminates that struggle is well worth the investment.
This bad boy has a drawer to store small items, a shelf to store bigger ones, and enclosed toothbrush storage so your brushes aren't exposed to the bathroom air. Here are a few other options:
If all you want is a toothpaste dispenser with no storage, this little wall-mounted one ($8.63) will do the trick.
This wall-mounted dispenser has space for two electric toothbrushes and four regular ones ($9.99).
Shampoo dispensers
You know how it feels strangely luxurious when you're at a nice gym or hotel and the shampoo comes out of a dispenser mounted in the shower? I like to have that experience all the time instead of battling with slippery bottles.
You could also try standard pump bottles if wall-mounting isn't an option. As with the wall-mounted device above, it's better to get clear containers so you can more easily monitor when you need a restock or refill (which is another reason these are better than using the opaque bottles your products come in). Try this four-pack for $9.98.
Soap dispensers
Nothing classes up a bathroom like a nice soap dispenser. Before I started using soap dispensers that matched my decor, I'd buy colorful soap bottles that did—even if I hated the smell. With the introduction of soap dispensers to my very classy and sophisticated life, I can have whatever scent I want and keep my vanity looking fresh. Here's the set I bought for my boyfriend, which basically revolutionized his bathroom by making everything from the garbage can to the toilet brush to, yes, the soap dispenser match:
Of course, you don't need to get all of that. You can find a variety of soap dispensers, like this set of two black pump bottles ($7.99) or even this wall-mounted one that saves you some counter space ($17.89).
Other bathroom decanting options
Don't store your toilet paper in the big plastic monstrosity it came in. Instead, use this sleek storage bin, which is slim enough to fit next to the toilet ($23.99). Menstrual products take up a lot of valuable drawer and cabinet space, too, so this little wall-mounted dispenser is a discreet, useful solution ($12.98). Finally, this pack of little jars is perfect for q-tips, cotton balls, flossers, or other little self-care essentials ($6.90).
Like bags, shoes are tricky to store. By their nature, they come in sets of two, so you have to figure out where you have space for both. Most are pretty rigid, too, and you don't want to squish them. Personally, my ultimate goal in life is to have a big walk-in closet where I can display all my shoes, but in the meantime, I spend a lot of time (and a little money) finding other ways to store my footwear in my small apartment.
Shoe storage ideas
I am a shoe fiend. I'm hardcore. Even though I try my best to adopt a "one in, one out" mentality, I'm much more likely to bring a new pair of shoes home and not get rid of an old one. I have shoes stored in my front closet, boots by my front door, hanging storage on the back of my front door and bathroom door, and even more shoes in a fancy rack in my living room. I don't say this to brag, nor do I say it as a cry for help; I'm simply letting you know I know what I'm talking about here. Learn from my storage triumphs and mistakes.
My system is this: Any shoes that have a high resale value and I think I'll list for sale in the future get stored in their original boxes, which are stacked next to my clothing rack. (That's not space-saving, but it's the truth.) Nice shoes that don't have their original box are stored on this shoe tree, which is a major space saver in my closet—it holds the pairs vertically and rotates 360 degrees so I can easily access shoes in the back without disrupting the rest of the stuff in the closet or making a mess digging around in there.
That is the exact one I have and it has held up well for over six years. It's indispensable to me because of how much space it saves and how well it holds the shoes, maintaining their shape by propping them up from the inside.
For everyday wear or less valuable shoes, I rely on over-the-door racks, but as I'll explain in the next section, I do not use the rigid ones made of metal rods. Instead, I use the fabric kind that feature pockets. These take up less space when the doors they're on are closed and are easy to maintain. I have ones like this:
To store boots, you need to keep the structure and shape at top of mind. The goal should be not allowing the tops to fall over or crease, so even if you're just storing them on the floor of the closet or a shelf, make sure they're always stuffed with newspaper or even out-of-season clothes, for a two-for-one storage solution. (You can also try hanging them.) You only need two things: A hanging chain designed for holding clothing hangers ($9.99 for seven) and a set of clips on hooks ($9.99 for 50). Thread the hooks of the clips through the chain, then use the clips themselves to hold the boot pairs together from the top. Not only will this maintain the boots' shape, but it will save major floor and shelf space, too.
Finally, consider some multifunction storage furniture, as long as you have the space. Try an entryway bench with shelving underneath to store everyday shoes and rain boots.
In my years of being a true shoe hound, I've tried many more storage methods than the ones listed above. I don't recommend acrylic storage boxes, for instance, if your goal is to save space; they actually take up way too much. The most ineffective tool, in my opinion, is one that I see being promoted pretty often online: The rigid over-the-door rack made of metal rods. Simply put, I hate these. First, to make them truly stable, you need to find a way to attach the free-hanging bottom to your door, which could involve screwing it in. Even if you do put holes in your door, which I especially don't advise if you rent your home, that won't keep the shoes in place when you open and close it. I had one of these on my front door for a few years and any time I opened or shut it with even a little vigor, all my shoes popped out onto the floor. These things use plain, horizontal rods to hold the shoes in place; there's nothing else there to help the footwear stay in the rack. Avoid these and use the kind of over-the-door holders that have pockets. But if you must, here's one similar to the one I had ($41.15).
There is an exception to this rule, though. You can mount one of these to the interior side of your closet, filling up space that otherwise goes unused. Since it will remain static there—not ride back and forth on an ever-moving door—the shoes will be safer and you'll get some use out of those few inches of wasted space. Also, add a few motion-activated LED lights to your closet, so when you have to look deep in there (like you will if you mount the shoe rack), you can at least see what you're doing. I have these, which attach to adhesive magnets so they're easy to remove and recharge when necessary (two for $19.96).
You can use whatever method you want to declutter your home, but they all require you to find a good way to organize the items you choose to keep when you’re done. KonMari, arguably the most famous decluttering and cleaning technique, even advises you on how to fold your clothes when you’re finished deciding which ones spark joy for you—but this tip from Marie Kondo is too often overlooked in favor of her structured approach to paring down how much you own. Don’t let Kondo down by only following half her advice.
What is file folding?
This technique is one of Kondo’s original, most long-standing tips and comes straight from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Sometimes called “file folding,” this involves folding your clothes in a way that allows you to stand them up vertically in your drawers.
The way you fold each kind of clothing will be different and you can try a few approaches until you figure out how to get each one to look like a triangle or rectangle and stand straight up. Here’s how Kondo recommends doing it on a few kinds of clothing items:
Once you get everything folded so it’s vertical, you can stack it front to back in the drawer. You’ll know you’re doing it right if you can see every item.
Why file folding works
There are a few different benefits to folding your clothes this way. First, storing them vertically and with chunkier folds reduces wrinkles, especially because there are no items on the bottom that are being weighed down by ones on the top.
Second, this allows you to see all your clothes, so you have a better sense of what you’ve got. It’s easy to forget what you already own, buy duplicates, or waste space on things you never wear if you can’t see your stuff, but this prevents all of that.
Finally, you can store more this way than you can just plopping everything on top of each other, especially if you make crisp, small folds. While the ability to store more doesn’t necessarily help you declutter or reduce how much you have, it at least makes the drawers more organized, which prevents clutter and the space getting overwhelming.
Make this easier by picking up a few flat baskets, like this set of four for $15.99, to keep every type of clothing separate and maintain structure even when some items are removed.
TikTok is useful for many things, but for me, learning how other people clean and what they use to do it has been especially valuable. CleanTok is a sensation in its own right, and for the most part, you can find great tips and recommendations there—some recommendations, though, are better than others. Here are some great products TikTok loves, and a few you can skip.
Great TikTok cleaning products
Keep in mind that influencers across all platforms may get commissions or other kickbacks for certain recommendations, which they're supposed to disclose, but don't always. The products below will be from a mix of Target and Amazon, but can be found in a variety of places—and even purchased directly from creators' videos on TikTok Shop.
This product is popular because you can pump the spinner with your feet, not your hands. It keeps clean and dirty water separate, plus the mop head is shaped like a triangle, making it easy to shove into tight spaces and corners.
Next, another all-timer: An electric spin brush. CleanTokkers use these all the time, comparing brands and recommending them for everything from shower cleaning to floor scrubbing. All of the brands seem comparable in price and reviews, so feel free to pick one that's on sale, like this bad boy:
The Scrub Daddy ($7.25) may seem like just a sponge, but with its slots for cleaning utensils, different levels of coarseness, and friendly little face, it's developed a major cult following.
Soap-dispensing brushes, like this one from Scotch-Brite ($6.33), are also popular. They make doing the dishes easier, but can also be used to clean the shower or anything around the house with minimal effort. (The most popular one on the app is the OXO version, but it's $4 more than the Scotch-Brite, and since they do the same thing, go for the cheaper one.)
The Chomp wall cleaner ($39.97) has remained popular on CleanTok for a long time and the videos of the telescopic scrubber blasting through wall grime are very satisfying to watch.
There are a few hacks out there that recommend using certain products, but not only are they unnecessarily expensive in the name of being a "trend," they can be dangerous. For instance, the "overloading" trend asks you to mix a variety of products in your toilet bowl for the pleasing color effects, but overlooks how you may be creating noxious gases that could hurt you or just damaging your pipes.
You also don't need to buy Fabuloso to stick in the back of your toilet tank. While the colored water swirls look nice in a video, they can damage the toilet overall.
Finally, don't boil air freshener wicks to make your home smell clean, no matter what TikTok says. It's not clear if it's dangerous, but it is a waste. Just plug them in.
For some people, cleaning and organizing is liberating, relaxing, or even fun. For others, it’s overwhelming—and only gets worse when the aversion to it outweighs the motivation to do it, resulting in bigger and bigger messes that need attention. Some cleaning and decluttering methods are geared toward people in that first category, the ones with the attention span and drive to take on a big project all at once. For everyone else, the methods need some modification. If you struggle with feeling overwhelmed, try micro-decluttering.
What is micro-decluttering?
The term “micro-decluttering” has been trending on cleaning blogs for some time and while the phrase is novel, the idea is pretty well understood: Instead of cleaning all at once, choose small sections to tackle instead.
So, instead of vowing to clean the bathroom in a day, hone in on the medicine cabinet. Instead of cleaning your bedroom, go after the closet or the nightstand. Instead of cleaning the kitchen, consider the fridge or the silverware drawer. Obviously, you’ll get around to all the “micro” spaces within those rooms, but you don’t have to do them all at once. Rather, you can really spiff up a small section, revel in the feeling of accomplishment it brings, see some immediate results, and check in with yourself on whether you have the capacity to do another section quickly.
How to micro-declutter
To micro-declutter, find a system that works for you. You can dedicate one day to small sections of individual rooms, working through each room for about a week, or you can switch from room to room every time you clean. This is like a modified version of the ski-slope method, which calls on you to clean in a zig-zag fashion instead of going straight through a room. The nice thing about micro-decluttering is that it can be more metered out. You can space out your sessions in a way that works for you, decreasing the amount of overwhelming feelings. If it doesn’t feel like too much, try to create a schedule so you’re doing at least one micro section per day and getting a little structure to go with the plan, keeping you on track.
Try taking before and after pictures of the small sections you work on to reinforce the feeling of accomplishment. Being able to see the results will go a long way toward motivating you. As areas start to get cleaner, the whole room will slowly follow suit, giving you even more of a boost. Eventually, you may be able to do bigger sections or more sections all at once.
As with any decluttering attempt, make sure you sort everything into four piles: keep, throw, donate, and sell. Grab a set of stacking boxes to make this easier. Every time you finish a micro section, make sure you address the boxes, moving the things you’re keeping into their proper place, throwing away everything from the trash pile, and getting the rest ready to donate and sell. Don’t let anything hang around and impede your progress. Then, go at your own pace, taking on sections bit by bit until the job is done.
There are so many techniques you can use help you declutter your home, but they all have the same end goal: reducing the volume of junk lying around your house, and organizing what remains.
Where these techniques differ is in their methodologies. Some are better suited to larger homes or larger volumes of stuff, for instance. Some are ruthless and unsentimental, while others leave some wiggle room for items you are hesitant to part with. Here are some of my favorite decluttering techniques, so you can find one that will help you downsize with minimal stress.
Micro-decluttering
This technique is ideal for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task facing them. It has been trending on cleaning blogs for some time, and while the phrase is novel, the idea is well established: Instead of cleaning a whole room at once, choose small sections to tackle instead. So, instead of organiing the bathroom in a day, start with the medicine cabinet. The whole bedroom? No. The nightstands? Yes. The entire kitchen? Why not start with the silverware drawers?
Obviously, you’ll get around to all the other “micro” spaces within those rooms eventually, but focusing one a small section allows you to witness immediate results, revel in the feeling of accomplishment that brings, and consider whether you have the capacity to tackle another section right away. It's similar to the ski-slope method below, but even less regimented, since there are no rules about the order you need to clean in. You can dedicate a week to sprucing up small sections of one room, or you can switch from room to room every time you clean.
The ski-slope method
Anita Yokota's ski-slope method was born from her experience as a licensed therapist and interior designer and is meant to help you declutter in a way that won't be overwhelming for you mentally. She outlines the method in her book Home Therapy: Interior Design for Increasing Happiness, Boosting Confidence, and Creating Calm, suggesting you imagine your messy room like a ski slope, zig-zagging from section to section instead of working in a straight line, as you would if you were skiing down a hill.
Rather than looking at it as a whole (a huge mess you'll never be able to clean!), start in one corner or section and work from there: Clean, declutter, and organize. Move to the next side or section and do it again. Continue moving through the room, working from side to side. As you finish each section, you can pause for a break if you need to, then pick back up where you left off.
Project 333
Adhere to the TikTok-famous Project 333, which comes from comes from Courtney Carver's Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More, if you want to pare down your wardrobe and create a "capsule wardrobe" of basic, mix-and-matchable pieces over time. Start by selecting only 33 pieces of clothing, jewelry, and accessories (excluding underwear or sentimental, everyday-wear jewelry), then boxing everything else up for three months. At the end of that time, you'll have combined your 33 pieces to make outfits and will have a better sense of what you really need for daily wear and what you own that might be good for donating.
For a similar approach, you can adapt the Pareto principle or 80/20 rule, recognizing that you use about 20% of your stuff 80% of the time, whether that's the clothes you wear every day, the kitchen tools you use to make your most common meals, or anything else that you reach for the majority of the time. Once you start identifying the 80% of things you rarely use, it becomes pretty easy to give them the boot.
The 12-12-12 method
This is one of the longer-term methods on the list and it calls on you to overhaul your lifestyle a bit. When you use the 12-12-12 method, you find 12 things to throw away, 12 things to donate, and 12 things to put away—every day. With 12 in each category every day, you're dealing with a number small enough to work with in an achievable way but big enough to make an impact on your clutter. Of course, you can move that number up or down slightly to accommodate your own needs, but the real idea here is that you get in the habit of identifying what you can get rid of and what needs to be organized and put away every day.
By making sure you get into the habit of putting everything where it belongs (and getting rid of things that don't belong anywhere), storing everything with related items, and getting rid of one thing every time you bring something new in, you can not only get organized, but stay organized.
The five-second rule
The five-second rule is a trick you can use when you're decluttering to make fast decisions about what stays and what goes. It's a widely-adaptable technique from organizational coach Mel Robbins, who advocates for it in her books. Basically, you should make major decisions in under five seconds, counting down five, four, three, two, one so your brain senses some urgency. At the end of the countdown, you have to make a choice and when you're decluttering, you'll decide whether to keep something and find a place for it or toss it or donate it. In your heart, you already know which items are useful and need to stick around. Instead of deliberating over the decision, make it fast and keep going so you don't lose momentum.
If you're really stuck after five seconds, there are two questions you can ask yourself to illuminate the right choice: According to organizational gurus the Minimalists, you should ask yourself, "Could I replace this item for less than $20?" and "Could I replace it in less than 20 minutes?" If the answer to both is yes, that thing can go. The space you'll save by tossing it will be worth the $20 you may spend in the unlikely event you ever need it again.
KonMari
Arguably the most famous method on the list, Marie Kondo's KonMari leaves a little room for the items you care about, even if they have fewer practical uses than others. Kondo's method of organizing follows a few simple steps designed to ensure “you will never again relapse to clutter.” Here’s what she calls for:
Commit yourself to tidying up.
Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
Finish discarding first.
Tidy by category and not by location.
Follow the right order.
Ask yourself if it sparks joy, and get rid of it if it doesn't.
Start with trash, like receipts, wrappers, bags, anything that is broken, expired food or products, or anything you simply don’t need or use at all. Throw all that away.
Do the easy stuff. Put everything you see out of place back where it belongs.
Categorize “duh clutter,” or anything that could be donated. Keep a box on hand and toss anything worthy of donation into it.
Ask yourself one or two decluttering questions. First, “If I needed this item, where would I look for it?” If you can instantly think of an answer, take the item where it belongs. If you can’t think of an answer, ask a follow-up: “If I needed this item, would it occur to me that I already had one?” Get rid of the thing if the answers are no.
Finally, make it fit. Only keep what you have space for and organize those.
Throw a packing party
Another intense, room-clearing option is the "packing party," which also comes from the Minimalists. To throw a packing party, invite your friends over and have them help you pack everything in the room into boxes, as if you were moving, and label those boxes. For three weeks after that, live your life as normal, only pulling things out of the boxes if and as you need them. At the end of the three weeks, go through whatever you haven't needed and commit to throwing or donating most of it. This method helps you "move back in" to a cleaner space full of only the things you really need.
365 Less Things
Colleen Madsen's unique 365 Less Things technique is a slow burn. It will take a year to complete, but at the end of that year, you'll be living in a cleaner, more organized space—and will have built up the habits that can keep it that way. All you do is commit to getting rid of one thing every day for a year. The goal here isn't instant progress, but incremental progress that you can learn from. Set a reminder in your phone for every day at a certain time and, when the alarm goes off, find one thing to get rid of. You can donate it, sell it, or throw it away, but it has to go. The beauty of this method is that while it takes time, the time is actually beneficial: Eventually, it'll become second nature to find and get rid of one thing in your home every day. Plus, decluttering so incrementally is a lot less overwhelming than other methods of home cleaning and organization, so it's perfect for if you're feeling too put-upon by the daunting task.
The Before and After technique
If you're a more visual person, the Before and After approach from Becoming Minimalist is for you. Pick a small section of your home, like a countertop or junk drawer, and snap a picture of it. Then, clean it up. Just focus on the small area you photographed. Once you’re done, take a new picture and compare the two. Do this any time you have a few minutes to dedicate to a minor cleaning task, so the pics are right next to each other in your camera roll. When you can see the difference just by swiping between the two photos, you’ll feel motivated to keep going. Without the pictures, it can be hard to remember what the mess even looked like, so you won’t stay as motivated to clean or keep it clean.
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