When you lead a busy life in Portland, OR, your regular Cleaning routine can become increasingly irregular. Then, before you know it, your cleaning routine has completely gotten away from you and the space that’s meant to act as your sanctuary actually ends up being a source of additional stress. At Osprey Apartments, we completely understand the difficulties of maintaining an immaculate Apartment in the midst of a busy urban life. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you – we want our residents to experience the best possible version of life with their Portland Apartment, both within and without. That includes everything from insights into Portland events, restaurants, and other activities, and it certainly includes tips and tricks that allow you to get the most out of your Portland apartment. Trust us, If you live in an apartment, there are a ton of easy ways to make sure you stay on top of clutter, some that are so obvious they may have not even occurred to you yet.

1. See If There’s Additional Storage Available

As time goes on, you acquire more stuff – it’s an inevitable part of life. Sure, there are plenty of  space-saving strategies that can easily help you save room, like opting for furniture with hidden storage. Unfortunately, at some point, you’re still going to need some more room. The first thing you’ll want to do is check with your apartment manager to see if there is any extra storage available. For some reason, many apartment dwellers often overlook this apartment tip and instead ready their extra clutter for a goodwill donation or a trip to the dump. Before you do that, make sure to check with your apartment community to see if they offer additional storage. This will save you the hassle of finding an additional storage unit in the area and transporting your stuff there.

At Osprey Apartments, not only do we offer additional storage space to our residents, we also provide facilities for storing your bike and outdoor recreation equipment. Remember, we want you to experience the best of Portland with your new apartment, and that means acting as more than just a source for Apartment Cleaning Tips, which is why we give the tenants of our apartments in downtown Portland everything they need to live an optimized Portland lifestyle.

2. Immediately Clean Up After Yourself

Not to sound like a nagging mother, but the earlier you clean up after yourself the happier you’ll be. We get it: when you’re on the go or life is running you ragged, you may find yourself putting aside the little tasks that you think you’ll get to later. The problem is that these little tasks, which mostly involve easy tidying and organization, quickly add up, which often leads to a disorganized, unkempt home which will certainly take you longer to clean. You’re really only making things harder on yourself. To combat this, try and establish a routine in which you conduct a little bit of tidying (just a few minutes) a few times a day. Don’t throw your dirty laundry on the floor and if you use a dish or two, don’t leave them in the sink. If you simply set aside a little time to always clean up, you’ll end up saving a lot of time in the long run.

3. Organize Your Laundry

We mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. At Osprey Apartments, we’ve decided to devote a whole section of our apartment cleaning tips list to organizing laundry. The importance of organizing laundry is often overlooked, until laundry day rolls around and you find yourself spending the day in your bathing suit thanks to the lack of clean clothes. Not only disorganized laundry a total eyesore, it’s also bad for your clothes. The longer they remain on the floor the more likely they are to be damaged and further soiled. Do yourself a favor: avoid the habit of placing laundry on the ground. Get a hamper with a lid and create a designated area that is out of the way of your clean living space where you can place your dirty laundry.

Additionally, you should designate one day every week as laundry day, regardless of how big your laundry pile is at the time. Just as cleaning up after yourself will save you time in long the run, having a regular laundry day will save you time (along with money) in the long run, and you’ll never find yourself lounging in your bathing suit for an entire day like you do when you wait to do all of your laundry on one day.

4. Actively Manage Your Paperwork and Mail

Next up on the list of the items most likely to clutter your apartment: MAIL and PAPERWORK. It doesn’t take much for a mail situation to get out of hand.  Just a couple of days go by and BOOM, you’ve got a serious pile of envelopes. It’s no accident that dealing with junk mail is on our apartment cleaning tips list. It happens to the best of us: you wait an extra day or two to check your mail and you find your mailbox overflowing with credit card offers, coupons, and advertisements, and other items that amount to nothing more than trash. If you can, try to cut down on the influx of mail by steering clear of mailed catalogs and other mail-in offers. If you currently get them, contact the senders to opt out. Also, if there is important paperwork, make to file it in a designated spot so that you always know where to access it if it’s needed.

5. Get Rid of and Avoid Knickknacks and Tchotchkes

Here’s another item that often gets overlooked when it comes to keeping your apartment fresh and clean. Knickknacks and Tchotchkes are easily overlooked simply because they’re so small. With a little trinket on your desk or end table, you barely notice it. The problem is, like your mail and your dirty laundry, your knickknacks can quickly add up and soon you’re left with a bunch of random little things that you have no place for and that you don’t know what to do with. At Osprey Apartments, we know that some of your trinkets have sentimental value, which is why you’ve hung onto them for so long. We understand this might be one of the more difficult apartment cleaning tips for you to stick to. But, let’s be real – how badly do you need that Lava Lamp or that Monopoly themed Snow Globe? Our guess is not very much. Yes, althought it may pain your to hear, there are some items that are taking up space and not serving any real purpose. If you’re finding yourself with an unreasonable amount of clutter, take inventory of all your knickknacks and purge as many as possible. Make room for things that you actually use.

6. Do 5 Minutes of Cleaning Every Day

It’s likely that you’re considering life in downtown Portland because you enjoy living the metropolitan lifestyle. We get it – you’re an active person and time is especially precious to you.  For this reason, you probably put off all your cleaning until a particular day of the week when you’re less busy, like laundry day. This method, also known as binge-cleaning, may seem like it’s saving you time, but it’s really not. Doing just a few minutes of cleaning per day can save you a ton of time in the long run. A small mess can turn into a full-on disaster over time, causing you to have to dedicate an entire day or weekend to getting your home back in order, which is actually a lot of time out of the week to spend cleaning. Plus, if you save your cleaning for saturday or sunday, the majority of your week in your apartment is spent navigating the clutter, and that’s no way to spend time at home.

7. Make Your Bed Every Morning

Here’s another apartment cleaning tip that’s often overlooked. Your Mom had a point when she used to nag you to make your bed in the morning. Believe it or not, making your bed every morning after you get up can have a majorly positive effect on the rest of your day. In fact, one Navy SEAL chose daily bed-making as his primary piece of advice for young people. Your bed is be a place of solace, a sanctuary from the pressures of daily life. A messy, unmade bed can make a room look cluttered and less welcoming, which will certainly affect your ability to relax. In addition, when sheets are exposed and in disarray, dust can start to settle, which can negatively affect allergies. Plus, it’s often mentally invigorating to accomplish a task first thing in the morning. It can start you off on the right foot, and get you in the headspace to tackle other tasks. You just feel better when you’re productive.

Don’t worry, these are just guidelines. These tips are by no means the definitive ways to get the most out of your apartment. But, they will certainly help! Even if you utilize just one of these apartment cleaning tips, you’ll certainly start to feel a bit more balance in your home.

At Osprey Apartments, we do everything we can to provide a harmonious lifestyle for our residents. It’s called Thoughtful Living, and this philosophy starts by providing residents with apartments that they’ll be proud to call home.

With spacious floor plans, designer finishes, plank flooring, ceramic tile backsplashes and quartz countertops, we create clean and crisp environments that don’t compromise comfort. We also encourage a connection to the community with social spaces that are optimal for relaxing, working, or getting to know your neighbors.

Come see what it’s like to lead the perfectly balanced lifestyle!

Get in touch with the Osprey Apartments today!

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