Tips for Bettering Your Apartment Quickly

By Amanda Cohen on August 12, 2018

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

Are you expecting company at your home anytime soon? Are your in-laws visiting and you know that they can be nit-picky about the way you keep your home? Or are you simply in the mood for something new, but you don’t have the time nor patience to do a complete home remodel/reorganization? If you fit into any of these categories, I have some amazing advice for you. I realize I started off this article like an infomercial, so let’s finish it off in that same fashion. No hassle, no frills, just some easy ways to transform your home to make it look better. If you’re interested, call 1-800-FINISH-THIS-ARTICLE.

The first step to transforming your home is decluttering. When I declutter, I often start with my closet, then my drawers, then my kitchen, and then my common area/general living space. I find that breaking it up in chunks makes it easier and more doable. Even though it sounds easy reading it on paper, decluttering is so hard. I like to use a trick when I declutter; if I haven’t worn/used the item I’m thinking about tossing or donating within the last year or so, then it’s time to depart with said item. Usually, it helps to have a fresh pair of eyes when you are in the decluttering phase because he/she will be objective and will put some extra pressure on you to throw stuff out or donate your stuff.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/kitchen-interior-design-room-home-1940174/MC

Once you declutter, you should next deep-clean every surface; inside drawers, on countertops, your shower, your bath, your toilet, your floors, your kitchen appliances, your fans, your lamps, and more. Yes, your house/apartment may spell like the lemon scent of Lysol or Clorox for a while, but you would be amazed about how good you will feel and how clean your apartment will look/feel just by cleaning. When it comes to your bathroom, use a combination of bleach (use gloves while cleaning), toilet cleaner, Windex, and Mr. Clean sponges. My roommate always made me open our windows when I cleaned my bathroom because of the bleach, but trust me it’s so worth it. Last, but certainly not least, do all of your laundry and change the sheets on your bed. Less laundry to look at will already make your living space much better.

Now that everything is clean and decluttered, you should accessorize. Some of my favorite ways to make your apartment look better are coffee table books. Coffee table books can vary from recipe books to history books to books about wine, and more. You can buy some fun ones on Urban Outfitters, Amazon, Etsy, and more! Another great way to add some character, and freshness, to your home is by buying some sort of plant/plants. Succulents are cute, trendy, and inexpensive ways to get some freshness into your current décor. However, if you are able to, I would try and splurge on one nice place for the common area. I’m a sucker for orchids, but you buy whatever plants/flowers you love and ones that will match the color scheme of your home.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/pots-plants-cactus-succulent-shelf-716579/

After adding some more general décor, make sure you turn your house/apartment into a home. Purchase picture frames of all sizes, colors, and materials and display your life and memories in a way that accents your home and in a way that makes you happy. One great thing to do in your common space is to put a photo in the form of a canvas that you really love (I have my family’s 2017 holiday card on a canvas in my living room and I smile every time I see it). You can also collage your photos on a bulletin board, or go for a more traditional and crisper picture-frame look. I buy most of my picture frames off of Amazon, but Etsy has some great options also! I like Amazon because you can find fancy-looking picture frames at affordable prices.

Well, there you have it; no muss, no fuss ways to make your apartment look better quickly. I know that this entire article may sound like an urban myth, but it’s true because I’ve used each of these techniques at one point or another in my life. Even if you don’t have a hard-hitting reason to clean up your apartment, I would consider doing it for yourself; I can’t even explain the satisfaction you will feel when you clean your apartment, do all of your laundry, and then climb into your bed lined with freshly cleaned sheets… it’s one of the most amazing feelings in the world. I won’t drag on because I know you all have some decluttering, cleaning, and accessorizing to do, but happy cleaning and I hope everyone is happy with their new and improved apartments/houses! If you want to start today, it’s easy as cleaning out one drawer in your bedroom!

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format