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Too many things and not enough space? That’s basically the entire problem with modern apartments, lol! One drawer turns into three drawers and suddenly nothing closes right.
Most decluttering advice online is either way too extreme or way too vague. So this list sticks to the things that actually works in a real apartment with a real budget!
These 21 ideas come from scrolling through hundreds of organizing pins and keeping only the ones that felt doable on a random Tuesday. No fancy bins required, though a few cheap ones definitely help!
Each step follows the basic KonMari order, but broken down room by room so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. You don’t need a whole free weekend either. Thirty minutes here and there adds up fast!
Some of these focus on folding and storage tricks. Others are more about mindset, like actually deciding what you want your space to feel like before you touch a single drawer.
Work through them in order or just jump to the room that’s bothering you most right now. Either way, your apartment is about to feel a lot more like yours!
MARIE KONDO YOUR APARTMENT
Start With Clothes First
Clothes are the easiest category to start with. Honestly the least emotional one. There’s no grandma’s china guilt attached to an old college hoodie, lol!
Pull every piece of clothing out of every closet and drawer in the apartment. Seeing the whole pile at once is oddly the part that actually makes people faster. It’s a little dramatic, but it works!
Pile Every Item Category
This is the step people skip and then wonder why decluttering never sticks. Everything from one category has to be in one pile before you decide anything!
That means every sock from every drawer, not just the ones in your top dresser. It sounds excessive until you find seven single socks with no match, haha!
Hold Each Item Closely
Hold each item and pay attention to how it actually feels in your hands. This part sounds a little woo-woo, but it works better than staring at a sweater from across the room.
Does it feel heavy in a bad way or does it feel like something you’d actually reach for? Trust that gut reaction more than the price tag you remember paying.
Thank Items Before Discarding
Before something goes in the donate pile, take two seconds to acknowledge what it did for you. A coat that got you through three winters earned a quick thank you before it leaves.
It feels silly the first time, not gonna lie! But it makes letting go noticeably easier. It stops the guilt spiral that usually keeps clutter around for years.
Tackle Books Next Step
Books come right after clothes. This is where people slow way down. Pull every book off every shelf and stack them on the floor.
The stack alone is usually a wake-up call, isn’t it? Keep the ones you’ll actually reread. Let the rest go find a new home at a used bookstore or little free library.
Fold Clothes Vertically Method
Folding clothes flat and stacking them is how drawers turn into landfills. Vertical folding stands each item up on its edge instead.
This way you see every single piece at a glance instead of digging through a pile. Nothing gets lost at the bottom for six months again! A small tray inside the drawer keeps everything from tipping over too.
- The drawer trick that actually works
- Every shirt visible at once
- No more digging to the bottom
Organize Papers Last Category
Papers are last on purpose. There’s a good reason for that. By the time you get here you’ve had practice deciding what actually matters.
Sort into three simple piles: needs action, needs saving. Can be shredded today. Most mail falls into that third pile way more often than anyone wants to admit, lol!
Visualize Your Ideal Lifestyle
Before you touch a single object, picture what you actually want your apartment to feel like. Calm? Bright? Ready for people to drop by without a panic clean?
This mental picture becomes the filter for every decision after it. It turns a random cleaning day into something with an actual point. Who doesn’t love a little direction before diving in?
Sort Kitchen Tools Category
Pull every spatula, gadget and mystery tool out of every kitchen drawer. It’s wild how many things end up in there that never get used past one recipe, right?
Group them by what they actually do instead of where you happen to store them now. Baking tools together, everyday tools together. So on.
Purge Duplicate Kitchen Gadgets
Most kitchens have at least three can openers hiding somewhere, don’t they? Same with garlic presses and those weird avocado tools nobody asked for, haha!
Keep the one that actually works well and let the backups go. Someone at a thrift store will be thrilled to find a barely used waffle iron for two dollars!
Declutter Bathroom Vanity Drawers
Bathroom vanity drawers collect expired everything. Nobody notices until they’re jammed shut. Empty the whole drawer onto the counter and check dates while you’re at it.
That travel size lotion from three trips ago can go. So can the sample perfume that never smelled quite right anyway. Same!
Organize Shoe Storage Area
Shoes pile up fast in an entryway. It’s usually the first thing guests see. Line every pair up and be honest about which ones actually get worn.
Anything that hasn’t touched pavement in over a year probably isn’t coming back into rotation. A clear shoe rack near the door makes the whole entryway look ten times calmer, am I right?
Konmari Fold For Tshirts
T-shirts are where the KonMari fold really shines. Fold each shirt into a small rectangle that can stand up on its own edge.
Once one drawer is done this way, going back to flat stacking feels impossible. It genuinely doubles how many shirts fit without anything getting crushed! How cute is a perfectly organized drawer?
- Standing shirts, not stacked ones
- Fits nearly double the shirts
- Wrinkle free without an iron
Store Bags Inside Bags
Handbags and totes take up way more closet space than they need to. The fix is embarrassingly simple: nest smaller bags inside bigger ones, lol!
Group them by size like little Russian dolls on a shelf. Suddenly one shelf holds what used to spill across three!
Organize Under Bed Storage
Under the bed is basically a black hole in most apartments. Clear bins with lids keep that space from turning into a dust-covered mystery zone again.
Store off-season clothes or extra bedding down there, labeled so you actually remember what’s inside. It’s free storage most people completely waste!
Simplify Your Jewelry Collection
Jewelry tangles itself into knots the moment you look away, haha! A drawer tray with little compartments solves that instantly. No more untangling a necklace at seven in the morning.
Keep only the pieces you actually reach for. That mystery earring with no match can finally leave the building.
Minimize Kids Toy Clutter
Toy clutter builds up fast, especially with nieces and nephews visiting on weekends. A simple rule helps: one bin per category. If it doesn’t fit, something leaves.
Rotate a few toys out of sight and bring them back later. They feel brand new all over again! The living room floor stays walkable too.
Purge Old Makeup Products
Makeup expires way sooner than most people think. Mascara is the worst offender. Check every tube and palette for that little expiration symbol on the back.
Anything past its date or barely used in a year should go. Your skin will thank you, no shame in that!
Fold Socks The Right Way
Balled-up socks stretch out the elastic and shorten their whole lifespan. Fold each pair flat and tuck one into the other instead of twisting them into a ball.
It sounds tiny, but it makes drawer space and sock life both stretch further. Who knew socks needed this much thought?
- Save the elastic, save the sock
- No more stretched out pairs
- Every sock visible in seconds
Organize Pantry By Category
Pantries get chaotic fast when everything just gets shoved wherever it fits. Group items by type: grains together, snacks together, baking supplies on their own shelf.
Clear bins or labeled baskets keep loose bags of pasta from sliding everywhere. Suddenly you can actually see what needs restocking before running out mid-recipe!
Declutter Before A Move
Last but definitely not least, this whole process becomes essential before a move. Every box you don’t pack is money and time you don’t spend hauling things you never use!
Go category by category one more time, even the ones you already touched. Moving day always feels lighter, literally and otherwise. Not in my book will clutter ever come back this time!
Just a little note - some of the links on here may be affiliate links, which means I might earn a small commission if you decide to shop through them (at no extra cost to you!). I only post content which I'm truly enthusiastic about and would suggest to others.
And as you know, I seriously love seeing your takes on the looks and ideas on here - that means the world to me! If you recreate something, please share it here in the comments or feel free to send me a pic. I'm always excited to meet y'all! ✨🤍
Xoxo Giulia
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