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40 Mistakes You Don't Realize Make Your Home Look Sh*tty But Are Actually Easy To Fix
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I used to be one of those people who thought a cluttered desk was the sign of a productive mind. Maybe I’m getting old, but now I find that a cluttered desk just makes my mind feel busy — in the snarled-up, squirrels-in-my-head way. Well, it turns out that when you fix the issues that make your home look like crap, it sometimes clears your head right out, too.
For example, although I got onto the Marie Kondo bandwagon late in the game, I can now fully say that folding shirts is one of my favorite activities. It’s so calming, it’s almost like meditation. That meditative feeling only gets better when I place them in a drawer, neatly stacked and separated by these extendable dividers that create shirt-sized compartments. See? Cleaning and organizing may sound like a real yawn, but if it can make your home look better and your head feel better at the same time, I’m all in.
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Mistake: Leaving Small Holes In Your Walls From Hanging Pictures
Solution: Patching Them With This Drywall PuttySo you’ve hung a bunch of art, and now you’re redecorating, and there are small holes all over your walls — don’t fret; with this drywall repair putty, you can make those walls look like new. Just apply in a circular motion, wipe with a damp cloth, then repaint — easy as that. For foolproof use, the formula won’t crack or shrink.
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Mistake: Neglecting Baked-On Stains On Your Stove & Scuffs On Your Wall
Solution: These Eraser Sponges That Tackle Almost EverythingI can find a lot of reasons to put off cooking, and having a stove that is not shiny and clean is top among them. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to get stains right off — even those that have been baked on by the heat of the burners — with these eraser cleaning pads. And they’re not just good for your stove — they gently remove scuffs and scratches from the wall, and can even be used to remove coffee stains from your favorite mugs.
3
Mistake: Using A Bulky Power Strip
Solution: Plugging In This Compact Outlet ExtenderPower strips can be bulky and utilitarian-looking — use this compact multi-plug outlet extender instead. It plugs discreetly into the wall and features six outlets that let you plug in from multiple directions. The surge-protected extender also has two USB charging ports, and the built-in LED serves as a night light, too.
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Mistake: Letting Dust Cake Your Blinds
Solution: Using This Purpose-Made Tool For The JobOne especially annoying thing to dust is the blinds — not only does it take forever, but it’s easy to bend them out of shape. This blinds duster is purpose-made for the task, though, with three layers that clean multiple slats at once. You get five sets of microfiber sleeves that grab dust like magnets, and they’re machine-washable for reuse.
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Mistake: Cluttering Your Nightstand With Cords
Solution: Getting This Lamp With 2 USB Ports Built Right InIf your nightstand looks like a nest of snakes because of the cables slinking around on top of it, declutter that mess with this bedside lamp. With two USB ports built into the base, you can charge your electronics without having to crowd your nightstand with cords. And as far as lighting goes, this sleek lamp features three brightness levels that operate via touch control.
- Available colors: 10
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Mistake: Making The Bed With Wrinkled Sheets
Solution: Swapping Them For These Wrinkle-Resistant Bamboo SheetsIt’s such a great feeling when your bed has fresh sheets on it, but it certainly is dispiriting when they’re ridden with wrinkles before you even put them on. Sure, you could iron them, but really, who has the time? Instead, get these super soft luxury bed sheets that are made from wrinkle-resistant and hypoallergenic bamboo. These sheets feel better than hotel sheets (and look better, too).
- Available sizes: 5
- Available colors: 12
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Mistake: Leaving Your Walls Undecorated
Solution: Hanging A Floating Shelf That Makes It Easy To Curate A DisplayDecorating can be both difficult and expensive, but leaving the walls bare in your home makes it look like you either just moved in or are preparing to flee at any moment. Made from real wood and durable metal wire, this three-tier floating shelf is inexpensive and easy to assemble, and provides a great way to display your tchotchkes or add storage space in any room.
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Mistake: Keeping A Bulky Knife Block On Your Counter
Solution: Storing Your Knives On This Wall-Mounted Magnetic BarKnife blocks can be good-looking, but man, do they eat up the space on your countertop. Boot that block in favor of this mounted magnetic knife bar that keeps your knives handy for use right on your wall. Made from stainless steel, this bar is easy to install with the included mounting hardware, and can also be used to hold other metal utensil, like kitchen shears and whisks.
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Mistake: Using A Mishmash Of Hangers In Your Closet
Solution: Stocking Up On These Matching Velvet HangersWhen you look at your closet, does it give you a sense of calm and peace? No? Maybe that’s because of all those mismatched hangers — it’s aggravating enough to give you a Joan Crawford moment. Remedy that situation with these velvet hangers that will make your closet look neat and orderly. As a bonus, the nonslip material will prevent your silky or strappy clothing from slipping down to your closet floor.
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Mistake: Junking Up A Cabinet With Food Storage Lids
Solution: Straightening Up The Lids With This OrganizerPutting away the leftovers after a meal takes on a whole new dimension when your food storage containers and their lids are a mess — it’s like staring into a whirling tornado and trying to pull out just one twig. This food storage lid organizer will put a serious dent in that mess with its adjustable sections that give you the ability to separate lids by size, so you can always find the lid that matches the container.
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Mistake: Leaving Your Clothes On Your Bedroom Chair
Solution: Hanging Items On This Over-The-Door RackWe all have that one chair in the bedroom that serves as a de facto clothing storage space, so why not upgrade to this over-the-door rack that has nine hooks for your robe, accessories, and more? It’s made from sturdy steel with a corrosion-resistant epoxy coating, making it ideal for use in the bathroom, too.
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Mistake: Storing Beverage Cans In A Haphazard Way
Solution: Organizing The Cans With This DispenserWhether you’re a daily Diet Coke drinker or a devoted LaCroix fan, this can holder is an easy way to organize your favorite beverages — and you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes in your fridge. The BPA-free bin holds up to nine 12-ounce cans, and since you can stack them, you’ll get precious refrigerator shelf space back.
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Mistake: Leaving Clothes, Toys & Blankets Everywhere
Solution: Stashing Things In This Cotton Rope BasketIt can be hard to find a permanent home for miscellaneous items, but this cotton rope basket is the perfect solution for cleaning up the clutter. Available in a range of colors, it’s great for laundry, toys, or organizing your cuddle-up supplies in your living room (think: throw blankets and cozy pillows).
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Mistake: Storing Things Under The Bed Without Hiding Them
Solution: Conceal Items With This Bed SkirtThat under-bed space is perfect for storing extra linens, shoes, and out-of-season clothes — but it can make your bedroom look cluttered. Conceal all that mess with this bed skirt that boasts 23,000 Amazon ratings. Made with durable, double-brushed microfiber, it has a tailored aesthetic that’s sleek and simple.
- Available sizes: Twin, Full, Queen, King, California King
- Available colors: 10
15
Mistake: Leaving A Tangle Of Cables On The Floor
Solution: Wrangling Cord Clutter In This BoxDo you have a wad of cords encircling the lamp on your nightstand or slithering around the computer on your desk? Rather than keeping that eyesore around, wrangle and conceal them with this cable management box. Boasting sleek, simple lines, it has three output slots, so you have room to plug in your charger, lamp, TV, and more from any direction.
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Mistake: Not Lighting Up Dark Hallways
Solution: Installing These Wireless Motion-Activated Stair LightsStairs can be a challenge even in the best of times (as it happens, I’m so clumsy that I’ve even broken a toe going up the stairs). These wireless stick-on lights eliminate that hazard — and they also just give your stairway an upgraded feel. These warm white LED lights offer plenty of illumination, and turn on when they detect motion from up to 10 feet away. They install easily with either the included heavy-duty adhesive or hardware.
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Mistake: Leaning Cleaning Tools Against The Wall
Solution: Hanging Items On This Wall-Mounted RackHave you ever opened the closet where you keep your cleaning supplies only to have your broom, mop, and everything else jump out at you? This broom holder provides an easy way to get all that clutter in check, with five tension hangers for handled tools and six hooks for items like your work gloves, rags, a baseball cap, and more. It installs easily with the included hardware and holds up to 35 pounds of stuff.
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Mistake: Letting The Corners Of Your Area Rug Curl Up
Solution: Tacking Your Rug Down With This TapeArea rugs can look totally gnarly when their corners roll up — and they can even become trip-and-fall hazards. This double-sided rug tape quickly and easily affixes to the underside of a throw rug, tacking it securely to the floor, so it stays flat. It can be used on any hard surface, and won’t leave any residue behind.
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Mistake: Letting Dust Pile Up On Ceiling Fans & Bookshelves
Solution: Using This Extendable Microfiber DusterGetting the higher areas of your home dust-free and clear of cobwebs can be super hard, but this extendable duster has a telescoping handle that stretches out from 27 inches to 47 inches, so you can reach ceiling fans, the tops of bookshelves, and more. The fan is topped with a fluffy microfiber head that traps all the dust until you shake it out.
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Mistake: Keeping Tired Throw Pillows On Your Couch
Solution: Updating Them With These Cheap CoversDo you ever just look around your living room and think, “bleh?” While it can be very expensive to update a whole room, changing out your throw pillow covers is fast and cheap. Ringing up at a budget-friendly price, this two-pack of covers comes in a wide range of colors, so you can update them seasonally, highlight major holidays, or give your sofa a revamp just because.
- Available sizes: 4
- Available colors: 13
21
Mistake: Hanging Your Pictures All Wonky & Crooked
Solution: Using This Laser Level To Hang Your Art PreciselyIt’s so aggravating to create a whole gallery wall, only to stand back and realize everything is crooked and wonky. You know it’ll always bug you when you’re sitting there trying to watch TV, so save yourself the trouble and get this laser level instead. This tool actually combines a tape measure, a three-position bubble level, and a laser level, so whether you’re hanging fine art or seasonal decorations, your game will be on point.
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Mistake: Letting Your Closet Overflow
Solution: Storing Out-Of-Season Clothes In These Vacuum Storage BagsWhen you are short on storage space, it’s easy for your closet to become packed to the gills. You can put an end to that problem in short order with these vacuum storage bags that compress items by up to 80% with the help of your vacuum or the included air pump. This is ideal for switching out your clothing seasonally, storing away extra linens, and much, much more.
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Mistake: Having Jumbled Drawers
Solution: Create Order With These Extendable Drawer DividersFolding your shirts and underwear can be a meditative activity, and putting them away can can be downright zen when you have these bamboo drawer dividers. They extend to fit most standard-size drawers, creating neat little compartments that separate and organize your items. Use them for clothes in your dresser, cooking utensils in the kitchen, or office supplies in your desk. Marie Kondo would approve.
- Available colors: 3
24
Mistake: Ignoring Your Saggy Couch Cushions
Solution: Bolstering Your Cushions With These InsertsYou love your sofa, but the fact of the matter is, the cushions are sagging, which makes it look worse for the wear. Instead of considering a new couch, try this cushion insert kit that props up your sofa, so it looks fresh and new. Made from sturdy, dense foam, it gets rid of droopiness and perks up your living room fast.
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Mistake: Leaving Your Walkway Or Garden Dark
Solution: Installing These Solar Garden LightsIt used to be that outdoor lighting was so expensive, with the wiring, the cost of hiring an electrician, and everything else. Now, you can highlight your landscape or front walk with these easy-to-install solar garden lights that can be simply staked into the ground. They’re super bright and come on automatically at dusk, and turn off at dawn.
- Available colors: 3
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Mistake: Allowing Clutter To Gather Around The Kitchen Sink
Solution: Storing Sponges & Soap In This CaddyOrganize the area around your kitchen sink with this sink caddy crafted from sleek stainless steel. It has storage space for soap, cloths, sponges, and scrub brushes, and the draining tray on the bottom slides out, so you can dump water in the sink. Choose from two colors: silver and matte black.
- Available colors: 2
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Mistake: Neglecting To Remove Pet Hair From Furniture
Solution: Removing Fur With This Highly Rated RollerI love my fur babies, but I don’t love it when my couch and chairs get covered in pet hair. Instead of using eco-unfriendly sticky sheets, this reusable pet hair remover uses velvety rollers to sweep the hair off in just a few swipes — and it’s earned a 4.6-star overall rating after 100,000 reviews. When you’re done using it, pop the chamber open, and dump the hair in the trash.
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Mistake: Keeping Your Toiletries In Their Original Packaging
Solution: Storing Items In These Apothecary-Style JarsWho wants to walk into a bathroom and see it all cluttered up with a bunch of stuff out on the vanity? Things look much neater when they’re taken out of the store packaging and put into jars, and these vanity holders are just the ticket for doing that in the bathroom. Crafted from clear plastic, they’re styled like apothecary jars and even come with pre-printed labels.
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Mistake: Using A Bulky Plastic Laundry Basket
Solution: Getting This Collapsible Laundry Basket That’s Slim & UnderstatedReplace your big, bulky laundry basket with this collapsible laundry hamper that can be tucked discreetly in the corner of your room. At just 8 inches wide, the slim hamper is made from sturdy, reinforced Oxford cloth and has strong handles, so you can tote it to the laundry room easily. When not in use, it collapses down to just 1 inch for easy storage.
- Available styles: 8
30
Mistake: Kicking Scratched Wood Furniture To The Curb
Solution: Concealing Imperfections With This Furniture Repair Kit ThatWhen you have wooden furniture, it’s going to get banged up sooner or later — that’s just a rite of passage. You don’t have to just leave it that way, though, and it doesn’t take expensive refinishing to get those dings repaired. This furniture repair kit comes with wax crayons and markers in a variety of wood tones, so you can conceal any nicks or scratches in no time.
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Mistake: Letting Tissues & Wrappers Pile Up
Solution: Placing Small Trash Cans In Various RoomsKeep your home nice and orderly with these small trash cans that fit anywhere — that means wrappers and tissues won’t pile up in your bedroom or home office. With a 6-gallon capacity, these hold more than you’d think, and they’re crafted from sturdy metal mesh that has a corrosion-resistant coating.
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Mistake: Storing Your Stuff In Utilitarian Containers
Solution: Stashing Items In These Attractive Wood BasketsWhen you have stuff piling up on your countertops, things can get frustrating fast. With these acacia wood baskets, you can straighten up whatever’s feeling messy. Use them for produce and napkins in the kitchen, in the bathroom for guest towels and toiletries, or in the pantry for snacks and dry goods.
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Mistake: Keeping Sticky Note Reminders All Over The Place
Solution: Using This Magnetic Whiteboard InsteadWhen you rely on a loosely kept system of sticky notes to remember everything, it’s easy to lose track of things fast — not to mention all those notes flapping around don’t look great. This dry-erase whiteboard sheet magnetizes to your fridge and lets you jot down everything from your shopping list to your weekly schedule to chores, and erases easily for repeated reuse.
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Mistake: Tracking Dirt Into Your House
Solution: PuttingThis Doormat In Your EntrywaySuitable for use inside or outside, this universal doormat traps dust, dirt, mud, and all kinds of grime, so you won’t track it into your entryway. Available in several colors, the surface is anti-slip and weatherproof, so it’ll stand up to lots of use. It cleans easily, too — just spray it off.
- Available colors: 6
35
Mistake: Keeping Stray Items Scattered All Over The Place
Solution: Stashing Items In These Collapsible Storage BinsWhether you’re trying to clean up your kids’ toys or find a place for spare blankets and pillows, these storage cubes are a quick and easy way to clear everything up. They can fit onto a shelf or underneath a table, or be used on a standalone basis throughout the house to tidy up any mess. Crafted from sturdy fabric, they fold down flat for easy storage when not in use.
- Available colors: 10
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Mistake: Failing To Eliminate Pet Odors
Solution: Hunting Down & Eliminating StainsWhen you have dogs or cats, you’re going to run into stray odors now and again, no matter how well-trained they are. Use this odor eliminator to banish that stinky scent from your carpet and furniture. Not sure where the odors are coming from? The accompanying black light helps you hunt them down.
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Mistake: Letting Your Cat Track Litter Everywhere
Solution: Trapping Litter With This Grippy MatStop stepping on crunchy cat litter that’s been tracked all over you home — instead, place this cat litter mat near the box to trap litter on its grippy surface. This mat is also waterproof to protect your floor, and cleans quickly with a vacuum or by shaking it out.
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Mistake: Storing Cooking Utensils In Crowded Cupboards
Solution: Mounting A Pot & Pan Rail To Increase StorageMade from sturdy powder-coated iron, this pot and pan rail is the ideal solution for a crowded, cluttered kitchen. It mounts right to the wall with the included hardware, and comes with 15 hooks for holding everything from whisks to spoons to frying pans. Not to mention — it makes your kitchen look totally gourmet.
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Mistake: Leaving Tea Bags & Empty Packets On Your Counter
Solution: Containing Scraps With This Mini Trash CanWhether you’re a frequent tea drinker of often get takeout, there are inevitably a few scraps left hanging around on the counter: an empty sauce packet, a few empty sugar packets, a straw wrapper, or all of the above. This mini countertop trash can helps contain all of that mess until you can shuffle it over to the main kitchen trash. Crafted from stainless steel with a brushed matte finish, it’s also ideal for single-use coffee pods.
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Mistake: Keeping Your Smart Devices Plugged In All Over The Place
Solution: Having A Designated Spot For ChargingKeeping devices powered up is a necessity, but it can look messy, whether they’re all gathered around a power strip, or scattered throughout the house. This USB charging station creates a designated space for phones and tablets, and holds them in an upright, orderly manner. It even comes with short power cables to keep mess to a minimum.
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