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Make This: Minimal Magnetic Towel Bar

by M.E. Gray

Make this minimal magnetic towel bar

Currently I'm living in a place with a kitchen that must hold some sort of record for tininess. There are four drawers, a couple of cabinets, and exactly one countertop. Said countertop is about 2.5 square feet, and that's literally my entire cooking workspace. Suffice it to say, I need to be wise about kitchen organization if I want to keep from going crazy. Knowing there's absolutely no room to store things horizontally, I recently went vertical with this magnetic paper towel holder.    

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How to Fold that Hoard of Plastic Bags that Lives Under Your Kitchen Sink

by M.E. Gray

Life Hack: The quickest and easiest way to fold plastic shopping bags

I am pretty good about remembering to bring my reusable shopping bags with me when I pick up groceries. I walk in the store with my canvas bags, and I leave with my groceries and only those bags (and usually a pint of Ben & Jerry's - don't judge me). No matter how hard I try, plastic shopping bags still seem to magically appear under my kitchen sink. While tiny bags are handy to have around (fellow pet owners may agree with me here), keeping them from looking like a literal wad of trash is tricky. I'm here to share with you a folding technique to beat all others. It's by far the fastest, and definitely the easiest, way to fold a plastic shopping bag.    

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How to: Make a Modern Family Chore Chart Your Kids will Actually Use

by Lidy Dipert

How to: Make a Modern Family Chore Chart Your Kids will Actually Use

As our kids are getting a little older, I thought it might be a good time to introduce a simple chore chart to teach them shared responsibility, goal setting, and following through on commitments. Sometimes parents can be so hard on ourselves (and others) when it comes to the idea of putting our kids "to work" at a young age. I've even heard the term "child-labor" thrown around...which is, of course, silly and even dangerous.

I never thought I would say this, but "when I was their age..." I did chores around our house all. the. time. I started helping to clean at six, babysitting when I was 12, and was expected to cook for the whole family as a teenager. (I began working at a fast food restaurant when I was 14 and I'm still alive to talk about it!)

I'm proud of those experiences, and they taught me a deep sense of gratitude and a positive attitude. I think those are all experiences we want to give our children.  So! This is a super simple DIY to help your kids visualize their responsibilities and celebrate their little achievements along the way.   

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Make This: Minimal Clothes Drying Rack

by M.E. Gray

Perfect for small spaces - a collapsible wooden drying rack for laundry.

If you're looking for ways to save money, or working on shrinking your environmental footprint, air-drying your washing is a great place to start. Dryers, while they are handy, use a ton of energy to operate. Plus, you might own delicate clothes that aren't suited for aggressive machine drying. A clothes drying rack is a must-have asset for your laundry room - and bonus, you can make your own.     

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Make Cleaning Less of a Chore with this DIY Household Cleaner Organizer

by M.E. Gray

Handmade cleaning caddy - keep all your cleaning supplies in one place with this cute carrier

 

There are a couple rules-of-thumb when it comes to successfully keeping your home clean. One of those rules is that you should always keep your cleaning supplies in one place, and you should always put them back when you're done using them. A cleaning caddy meets both those criteria, and - bonus - makes carrying household cleaners from room to room super easy! I've been wanting to incorporate a carrier into my cleaning routine for a while now, and rather than purchase a cheap-looking plastic one that will surely break over time, I opted to make one instead.     

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Organize Dangling Earrings with this DIY Concrete Earring Tree

by Holly Wade

Organize Dangling Earrings with this DIY Concrete Earring Tree

I've tried multiple techniques for organizing earrings over the years, but dangling earrings tend to be more difficult to organize in an easy-to-manage way. Luckily, this simple DIY concrete earring tree does the trick and makes the perfect spot to hang several pairs of dangling earrings in a way that's easy to grab what I want and head out the door.         

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How to Clean Tile Grout

by Chris Gardner

How To Clean Dirty Grout

Dirty grout is a common problem. But with so many cleaning tips floating around on the internet, it's hard to know what to believe. So I decided to take the guess work out of it by testing a few methods and reporting back to you. Read on to see what I discovered...  

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13 Things You Can Just Go Ahead and Throw Away Right Now

by M.E. Gray

New Years Cleaning Challenge: Get rid of these 13 things cluttering your home

It's a new year. Now that the dust has settled, you want to maintain the great start you've accomplished. That means you gotta make like Elsa in Frozen and just "Let it go! Let it goooo..." That's right, I've caught the purging bug, and I'm talking about getting rid of clutter. After the materialist pressure of the holidays, it always feels good to go through your home and do a quick purge. This January, take on this cleaning challenge and get rid of the unnecessary. Don't think, just act. Here are a few things you can go ahead toss without guilt or a second thought:         

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Everything You Need to Know to Design the IKEA Closet of Your Dreams

by Marlene Sauer
IKEA custom closet solution
Image: Construction 2 Style

Those Swedes sure do love to organize. Flip through any edition of the IKEA catalog, and the first impression you'll likely get is: a place for everything, and everything in its place. But don't our cluttered, modern, go-go-go lifestyles make it seem impossible to live up to this standard? Most especially in that most dreaded place in our homes --- the closet. Chances are, if you're a Curbly reader, you love organization just as much as we do. And you may need a little help figuring out how to make your closet system work for you. That's why today we are talking all about how to design the closet of your dreams using IKEA closets.                

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Seriously Useful Apartment-Friendly Closet Organization Ideas for Renters

by Erica Young
Seriously Useful Apartment-Friendly Closet Organization Ideas for Renters
Photo: Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock

 

Most beautifully organized closets have one thing in common - built-ins. Whether it be custom shelving or even IKEA installations, a little (or a lot) of construction is needed. But what if you're a renter, and you can't make any permanent changes to your closet? Are you doomed to a single hanger rod and basically a hot mess? Luckily we have some solutions that don't require a power drill. Read on for renter-friendly ideas that will keep your closet nice and tidy.

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How to Organize Your Linen Closet Like a Boss

by M.E. Gray

Linen Closet Organization

Ah, the linen closet. The junk drawer of the closet world. The gateway to a lesser Narnia. What should be a place for organized towels and blankets can so easily become pure chaos! If you're the type who wads up their sheets and shuts the door, you're not alone! Fortunately, linen closet organization can be achieved with just a little change in routine and some prep work. Read on to learn how to make the best use of the space in your home, and tame that linen or bathroom closet once and for all.               

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75 Kids' Decor Ideas You Can Totally DIY

by M.E. Gray

75 DIY Kids Decor Ideas You Can Totally Do!

Decorating a child's room is such a fun experience. You can go crazy with color, pick animated and adorable elements, and all the furniture is just so tiny. However, these small spaces do come with their own set of unique challenges. As kids grow and change, so do their interests and needs. If you're looking to save money, or are just looking for ways to add your own unique stamp to a room, why not do-it-yourself? We've rounded up 75 fun DIY...

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Conquer Clutter with 44 DIY Jewelry Organizers and Displays You Can Make Yourself

by Rachel Jacks

Display your jewelry with these DIY jewelry organizers and storage ideas you can make yourself. #DIY #jewelry #jewelrystorage #organization

As fun as jewelry is to collect and wear, it can be tricky to figure out how to store all your pieces. If you're not careful, it can too easily turn into clutter. Home organization stores would love to convince you to run out and spend tons of money on jewelry organizers and storage. But if you're willing to get a bit crafty, you can easily make your own DIY jewelry organizer or holder to store your jewelry in style.               

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How to Give Your Laptop the Deep Cleaning It Deserves

by M.E. Gray

How to clean your laptop

If you're sitting at your laptop right now, I want you to look down at your keyboard. Get really close. Close enough so you can take a peek under the keys. Now look at the screen. Move from side to side to get different angles. How's it looking? If your computer is like mine was before I cleaned it, then you're probably noticing a bunch of greasy fingerprints mixed with crumbs from lunches past. Real talk: When was the last time you actually cleaned your laptop? There's no shame if the answer is "never," and luckily it's a pretty quick clean. If your QWERTY is crusty, keep reading to learn how to clean your laptop at practically no cost.

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