5 Home Items You Don't Actually Need

"Alessi Dinnerware" by Didriks is licensed under CC BY 2.0

You’re in the home goods store looking for items for your apartment. You’re surrounded by everything from towels, to cutting boards, to “as seen on TV items.” So what things do you truly need and which things should you never spend money on (Hint: You’ll never need the “as seen on TV” items)? Apartment Therapy offers this advice:

Top sheet — Are you hip to this trend? I'm on board (Teresa is too). Forgoing a top sheet has made zero difference in my sleeping comfort, but a major difference in my laundry load and morning bed-making time. I'm a convert.

Place settings for 12 — Every registry will encourage you to stock up, but don't do it. Chances are, if you're ever expecting 12 people at once, there will be ample notice to arrange to borrow or rent enough china and silver. And in the (probably long) interim between your epic dinner parties, you won't have to devote storage space to your huge collection of dishware.

Specialized cleaning products —Every cleaning line wants to convince you that you need to buy many different lotions and potions to get each specific part of your home clean. An extra-strength disposal bomb to get it lemony fresh? Why not just try a lemon? Or...VINEGAR.

Matching nightstands or lamps — Of course retailers will try to convince you to shell out for two instead of one, but don't blindly buy what you might not need. Ask yourself, do both sides of your bed need the same storage? The same lighting situation? Do you even like the look of a matching set? If the answer is no then you're probably a candidate for an unusual nightstand.

ALL the knives — Why buy a set and let the store choose which knives you get? Pare down your collection to the ones you know you'll use and love. (Hint: you probably just need a chef's knife, paring knife and bread knife, says the Kitchn)

What apartment items do you have that you wish you didn't spend the money on?

Organize That Clutter

"Desk Experiment 001" by Josh Lambert Pearson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Unless you’re Felix from The Odd Couple or Monica Gellar from Friends, chances are you have clutter in your life to some capacity. It’s almost easier to clean and organize when you’re moving and are forced to go through everything; but if you have lived in the same space for a while, you might need to do some decluttering. What are some everyday tips you can use to keep up with the clutter? Try these ones from Apartment Therapy:

1. Live within your means.

This is an idea I got from one of our Apartment Therapy videos, and I think it's a wonderful place to start if you're aiming for a simpler, less cluttered life. What 'live within your means' means for your home is this: let the size of your home dictate how much stuff you have, and not the other way around. If your closet is bursting at the seams, instead of dreaming of a bigger closet, why not try paring down your clothes to fit the space you have?

2. Purge often.

Even if you get to a point where you have only as many things as will comfortably fit into your space, stuff has a way of accumulating. So set aside a time, a few times a year, to go through your things and get rid of the ones you don't use anymore. You'll feel so much lighter, and your home will thank you.

3. Have a place for everything.

'A place for everything, and everything in its place.' Almost a cliche, but still some of the best organizing advice out there. A bit of further advice: if you have lots of things in limbo on tables or countertops or the floor and are struggling to find places for them, maybe you need more places. This is where clear plastic shoeboxes or a filing cabinet or maybe just a console with lots and lots of drawers can come in handy.

4. But don't underestimate the importance of a junk drawer.

Every household has those little things — pens, tape, twist ties, whatnot — that get used a lot but don't really have any logical place to go. Instead of agonizing over finding a home for every little thing, keep a junk drawer. The last few little bits of clutter get swept in there, and you're done.

5. Become a habitual putter-awayer.

This is probably the hardest part of this whole list for me: the 'and everything in its place' part of #3. I try to tell myself that it's a sort of game, kinda like one of these for adults. Put the bottle opener back in the drawer! Hang that skirt you didn't wear back in the closet! But ultimately, I think the easiest way to make sure you put things away is just to do it, and then keep on doing it until it's so habitual that you wouldn't ever think of not doing it. When you see how much better your home looks, you'll be that much more motivated to keep fighting the good fight.

6. Store things where you use them.

Be smart about where you store things. Not having to walk halfway across your home to put things away will make #5 that much easier.

7. Stop clutter before it enters your home with a landing strip.

Even if you're conscientious about what you buy, it's easy for clutter to sneak its way into your home in the form of junk mail, freebies, what have you. That's why setting up a landing strip by the front door is so brilliant: because clutter has to come into your home somewhere, and you can stop it right at the source.

8. Go paper-free.

Scanning all the documents you've been hanging onto may seem like a daunting task, but once you're done, they'll be easily searchable (plenty of apps, like Evernote, allow you to search scanned documents for certain words) and you'll have that much less stuff to manage.

9. Realize that life is about experiences, not things.

We're constantly being bombarded with advertisements that try to convince us that a happy life is all about having the latest stuff: a new car, an outdoor kitchen, an ice cream maker. But studies have shown, over and over (and my own experience has borne out) that it isn't the things in our lives that make us happy: it's our experiences that we treasure most. So the next time you're tempted to buy more stuff, ask yourself if the money wouldn't be better spent on a vacation or a nice night out. Bonus: you won't have to find a space for these things in your cabinets.

10. Forgive yourself and try again.

Remember that nobody is perfect, and nobody's home is perfect. Even the homes you see in the magazines aren't perfect — it took a whole team of stylists to make them that way. So if you have an off week, or two weeks, or month, and suddenly your house is a disaster, don't panic. It's never too late to forgive yourself and try again.

Prolong the Life of Your Pumpkin

"Pumpkins" by James Wilcox is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Halloween season is upon us! It’s the time of year for candy corn, costumes and pumpkin carving! While carving a Jack-O-Lantern is fun, it is also time-consuming, so you want your work of art to last as long as possible, right? Here are some natural ways to extend the life of your pumpkin from Apartment Therapy.

Scrape and discard the "pumpkin guts." When prepping your pumpkin for carving, be sure to scrape and discard as much of the pulp (aka “pumpkin guts”) as possible. The cleaner and drier the pumpkin interior, the slower the rotting process.

Clean with peppermint dish soap. Dilute one tablespoon of peppermint dish soap such as Peppermint Castile Soap in a quart of water. Pour into a clean spray bottle. Lightly spray the inside of your pumpkin. Peppermint is an antifungal and will slow the decomposition process, significantly extending the life of your pumpkin.

Consider refrigerating overnight. If you live in a warm climate, consider placing your carved pumpkins in the fridge at night instead of leaving them on the porch. Spray your pumpkins with the Castile-water mixture and wrap in a trash bag prior to placing in the fridge. This process will rehydrate your pumpkins each night.

Consider soaking overnight. Another way to rehydrate your pumpkins is to fill a large bucket, bin or tub with cold water. Soak pumpkins overnight. Typically, pumpkins set out for less than a week won’t need rehydration, especially if you live in a cool climate. If you notice yours beginning to wilt, however, take them for a dip!

Use a fruit fly trap. Much like any other produce you bring into your home, pumpkins attract fruit flies. Drawn to rotting fruit and vegetables, fruit flies will expedite the process, leaving a damaged pumpkin and an infestation behind. Natural fruit fly solutions, like Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! or this DIY mixture, are a poison-free way to prevent fruit flies from settling in to do damage. Your pumpkin lives to see another day, and your home remains free from invaders.

Have you carved your pumpkins yet? Share your pictures with us!

Maximize Your Kitchen Space

"counter space!" by Maggie Hoffman is
licensed under CC BY 2.0

Regardless of the size of your apartment’s kitchen, it seems like there is never enough space for cooking, not to mention storage. If you are especially pressed for space to cook, storing your kitchen utensils in an organized and efficient way is paramount. Get creative with maximizing the space in your kitchen with these storage ideas from The Kitchn:

Add shelving anywhere you can: When space is at a minimum, you have to make the most of whatever you can find. That will likely mean adding shelving or a hanging cabinet to spaces that might otherwise go unused. Just make sure you have stylish storage containers if you opt for open shelving.

Hang your pots and pans: By storing your pots and pans vertically, you’ll free up cabinet, shelf, and drawer space for more pantry storage. We’d much rather see a beautiful Calphalon or All-Clad pan than a box of cereal or a bag of chips.

Make use of your cabinet doors: The inside of your cabinet doors are a woefully underused resource. Use them for storing spices or small kitchen utensils to free up even more space for larger items.

Put even narrow spaces to use: Think an awesome skinny storage rack is out of your reach? Think again! Find out how you can easily DIY a rolling pantry that is designed to fit whatever space your kitchen has to offer.

Organize in tiers: A simple and inexpensive addition, risers in your cabinets will not only make use of the vertical space on your shelves, but they’ll help you know what you already have and avoid buying duplicates.

Add a cart: If you have more space near your oven than you do in your pantry, keep a rolling cart with all your essential items at hand. You can move it around to wherever you’re cooking or stash it away when you have guests over and need more floor space.

Don’t forget about the space under your cabinets: Steal a trick from woodworking workshops, and affix lids to the bottom of your cabinets to keep jars of your most used items handy. Just be sure your cabinet is sturdy enough to hold the jars when they are full.

How do you make the most of the space in your kitchen? Share your tips with us!

Keep Fall Allergens Away

"Fall Back" by Ian Sane is licensed under CC BY 2.0

When you think of allergy season, you probably think primarily of spring and summer, but fall is a part of allergy season, too. We still spend time outside, and keep our doors and windows open until the weather gets too cold. What should you be on the lookout for and how can you protect yourself from the sneezing, itchy eyes and congestion? Apartment Therapy offers some tips for allergy-free apartment life.

The main culprit of fall allergies is ragweed. A WebMD article on the subject says:

Scientists estimate that a single ragweed plant can release one billion grains of pollen over the course of a single ragweed season. And the grains are so light that they float easily even on gentle breezes. Pollen has been detected as far as 400 miles out to sea and up to two miles up in the atmosphere.

Here are some ways you can help keep these microscopic nuisances out of your home:

Take your shoes off at the door, or better yet, in a separate area that's not in your living zone, such as a garage or front porch. A much debated topic on Apartment Therapy, the fact remains that we track many allergens into our homes through our shoes. If you struggle with allergies, it's a practice worth considering.

Stay indoors when the pollen count is high. This means trying to stay inside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and noting days that pollen counts are especially high. Check out pollen.com for the National Allergy Forecast. Arrange outdoor activities around high pollen count hours. For instance, stick to early evening outdoor dining over picnic lunches. Not only does this help minimize your exposure to ragweed pollen, but it helps prevent bringing too much pollen into your home through your clothes and hair.

Time your showers. Since ragweed pollen is so lightweight and ubiquitous, it's going to get on your during allergy season, especially if you live in the Midwest or the Eastern states. So consider taking a shower right when you get home from work rather than the next morning. This is especially important for keeping the allergens out of your bed and your nighttime breathing zone.

Watch those windows. As tempting as it is to let all that cool, fresh fall air into your home, realize that you're opening the window to much more than a breeze. At least make sure to observe high pollen count times of the day (see point above), and shut windows between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Consider long-term, year-round solutions. There are many ways to control the amount of allergens in your home, ragweed season or not. And if you or members of your family suffer from allergies, implementing environmental control of allergens can significantly improve your quality of life. Some long-term ways to reduce at-home allergens include investing in a high quality air purifier, minimizing carpeting, and choosing leather furniture.