It’s time for spring cleaning! Ikea reveals its tips for a clean and tidy home every day.
Having a clean and tidy home is the dream of many households, but it can sometimes seem like an insurmountable challenge in our often busy lives. However, with the right tips and tricks, maintaining a tidy and welcoming space becomes not only achievable, but also enjoyable.
It is with this in mind that we interviewed Enrica Magnalardo, style and design manager at IKEA France. She shares with us her secrets for a consistently impeccable home. The first piece of advice that Enrica gives us “is to always clean and tidy as you go so as not to let the mess accumulate.” She recommends that we spend only a few minutes a day on it. Sticking to this little routine is enough and really makes the difference in avoiding having a cluttered interior too quickly throughout the week. You will also save valuable and valuable time on the weekend.
As spring cleaning arrives, many people want to start a big sorting. Very often, we cannot part with our objects and the end result turns out to be disappointing. Enrica Magnalardo explains how to successfully avoid accumulation and declutter the space. According to her, the 4 R method is very effective:
- “Refuse, know how to make choices and not fall for every crush
- Reduce, sort on a daily basis
- Reuse, creativity to divert an object
- Recycle, ultimately decide to give it a second life with someone else.”
Once the big sorting is done, you have to move on to storage. A house can never be well organized if it is not equipped with the right storage. The essential accessory according to the expert is “a variety of versatile storage boxes”. They “can be used in any room of the house to effectively organize and store different types of objects, from clothes to kitchen supplies to children’s toys” explains Enrica Magnalardo. For each category of object there is the appropriate box.
When you have a big house, storing your clothes is not a problem. But when you live in an apartment, it can be a real headache. Here again Ikea offers many solutions. “Small spaces are our favorite challenge at IKEA,” the expert tells us. When we lack space, she explains to us that “every corner or every wall can be an effective ally, so we dare to use wall-mounted storage, open or closed, and we take advantage of the heights to store and display our objects.” Among the solutions, she mentions:
- The windows to display your most beautiful bags;
- Perforated panels for hanging jewelry;
- A standing mirror, equipped with hooks;
- Storage beds;
- When there is space for a wardrobe, opt for mirrored doors to visually “double” the space.
Finally, she tells us that a mistake often made which can give a disordered appearance to the room “is the overbidding of
patterns, colors and materials. It’s hard to resist falling in love, I know, but for what’s visible it’s better to create harmony with a unique choice. Having a style chart of your house can help you make choices consistent with this bias.”