Neat and Clean: How to Organize Your Home — Korean Style
The United States is currently experiencing a “Korean invasion,” with the popularity of Korean culture growing by the day. K-culture is sweeping the nation from music and food to fashion and television shows. If you want to be part of the trend, you can adopt the concept of Korean simplicity, organization, and minimalism into your home. By creating an atmosphere that’s full of peace and harmony, you will design a neat, organized space you’ll love. With a few deep cleaning and organizing tips, it’s easy to get your home organized — Korean style.
Introducing K-culture Elements into Your Home
Here are some of the basics for introducing the concept of K-culture into your home.
- Simplicity/Minimalist: Keep décor and furniture as simple and minimalist as possible. Avoid gaudy patterns or colors that are too bold and dramatic. You want your home to be beautiful and functional at once without excess “stuff” that can make it feel cluttered.
- Less is more: Avoid overdoing it when you decorate your home. Instead, adopt the “less is more” policy to ensure that every room is clean, neat, and tidy.
- Keep an organized home and spaces: Every room in your home should have a purpose and be well-organized. Use storage containers (jars, bins, boxes, etc.) and labels to keep items neatly sorted and easy to find.
- Clean home: A clean home is a happy home, so do your best to ensure that your floors, windows, and furniture are clean and free of dust and debris as often as possible.
- Keep it organized and cute: Use cute organizational items to store your stuff. Whether it’s fabric bins in a fun pattern or colorful jars in your pantry, the key is to make sure that your home isn’t just organized but that it’s also visually appealing.
- Versatile and multifunctional furniture: Choose furniture that serves more than one purpose. For example, a storage bench or ottoman can also double as storage for throw blankets or shoes. Look for organizational tools like decorative boxes you can use to keep things hidden from view while adding a touch of style to your space.
How to Declutter Your Home and Simplify Your Life in Korean Style
You can use some basic principles to organize and declutter your home and simplify your life in Korean style, so keep these tips in mind.
- Think about the purpose of every room: The concept that every room serves a purpose should apply to every space in your home. Whether it’s the living room, a home office, or the bedroom, use this as a guide to help you organize and decorate.
- Identify messy spaces at home: If you notice that there are things strewn all over your home, then you have a chaotic space. Whether it’s piles of clothing or medicine bottles on your vanity, identify cluttered areas so that you can organize them. If you or your family members don’t know where things go, or you can’t find where items are located, then it’s time to get organized.
- Take time to organize your space: You can organize your home by incorporating it into your routine, even with a busy schedule. Take 15 minutes each day to put things away and keep your home organized. Don’t try to do everything at once. Instead, pick one room, one area, or even just a corner of your home, focus on that task and then move on to the next one tomorrow.
- Having too much stuff: If you have too many things and you don’t even know their purpose, then it’s time to declutter and get rid of the stuff you no longer need.
- Use tools to help you stay organized: Try using colored post-it notes to organize tasks. Organize the notes in order of priority and use them to label things you’re decluttering. Color code and categorize the items you plan to store, donate, or give away, so it’s easier to declutter. You can also keep a journal or use a notepad to track what you organize. Make a note of where essential items are stored, such as medication and important papers. Use a timer to track how much time you spend organizing any particular space or on any specific day. Once each area is complete, you can label it as a “neat spot,” and as you progress, your home will eventually be an ultimately “clean spot.”
- Things to keep in mind: Remember that there’s no such thing as a perfectly organized home, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. You should organize and declutter part of your life and remember that your lifestyle will evolve, so your cleaning methods should also evolve to suit you. Consistency is the key to good organization, so stay on-task and make it part of your routine. You can also keep updated on new organizational tools, styles, and skills to make the process more manageable over time.
Room by Room Tips to Reorganize Your Home in Korean Style
Here are some ideas and tips on how to organize your home in Korean Style, room by room.
Kitchen, Pantry, and Cabinets
- Have your cabinet doors open on the sides for easier access. You can also use clear or opaque glass on the doors, so it’s easy to see everything you have at a glance.
- Add rails along your backsplash to hold onto cooking utensils and cutlery. You can use magnets, rails, S-hooks, and flexible shelving to make good use of wall space.
- Install a power outlet under your cabinets so you can use small appliances on the counters, then put them away when you’re done.
- Create a small coffee station that you can move around as needed. This will allow you to enjoy tea and coffee outside your kitchen, perfect for entertaining.
- Store your dishes away in drawers so that they’re not cluttering your kitchen countertops. Use pot lid organizers and slide-out shelves in cabinets so you can organize cookware and find what you need.
Organizing the Fridge in Korean Style
- Clear out your refrigerator and discard any old or expired foods. Wipe down shelving and clean out bins before putting them back inside.
- Organize your food in clear containers with a tight-sealing lid. Not only will this keep your food fresh, but it also makes it easier to see, so you don’t waste it.
- Clean, cut, and prep meat and vegetables before putting them in the fridge.
- Stack all bottles and cans and keep them together in one section of the fridge, separated by type.
- Use fridge organizer boxes with a handle so you can find and pull out what you need quickly.
- A rotating condiment tray makes it easy to access spices, sauces, and more.
Bedroom
- Your bedroom is for resting and sleeping, so avoid having a TV in the room. Don’t work in the bedroom, making sleep more difficult.
- Keep plenty of clean sheets and pillowcases on hand and change them frequently (once per week is best).
- Keep your windows clean and open them on warm days to let fresh air in.
- Dust your windowpanes, window frames, and furniture often.
- If you have pets, give them a specially designated sleeping space and keep it clean.
- Declutter and clean your closet every season change. If you didn’t wear something during that season, it’s time to declutter and give it away.
- Use an armoire or storage bench for extra clothing and shoes if you don’t have much room in your closet.
- Install a pair of wall sconces for more lighting. This will free up space on your nightstands instead of having table lamps.
- Look for a headboard with a built-in bookcase to give you more storage.
Bathroom
- Use an adjustable shower caddy to keep shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and other toiletries organized.
- Use an organization caddy on your vanity to keep cosmetics and toiletries neat.
- Make sure you track the expiration date of medications and check your medicine cabinet often to keep it clean. Be sure to safely store all drugs out of the reach of children and use kid-proof caps.
- If you have room, add a vanity stand to your bathroom to store items off the counters and keep them in a separate area.
- Use an appliance holder under your cabinets to store hair tools like hairdryers, straighteners, and curling irons.
- Keep towels in a linen closet and only have towels out that you plan to use.
- Wash bath rugs and math mats weekly, and ensure your shower curtain is clean. Use a shower curtain liner to protect your floors.
- Dust light fixtures every week to keep them clean and dust-free.
Laundry Room
- Hide your washer and dryer behind a set of bifold doors. If you have a small space, this will help to make your home look clean and tidy.
- Use shelving units above your appliances to give you storage for detergent and other household items.
- Add hooks onto the side of cabinets, so you have extra storage. This will also save space in the room as a whole.
- Put detergent and dryer sheets in containers and label them so they look more attractive and they’re easy to find.
Social Spaces (Dining Room, Living Room, Home Office)
- Organize bookshelves and arrange your books by the most important topics to you so you can easily access them. Limit the space you use for certain books and prioritize your favorites. Sign your initials and date each book once you finish it. This will help you find the books you’ve already read and identify the authors and subjects you like most.
- Use a large basket or a storage ottoman to put extra throw blankets and pillows away.
- Place a hall tree in your entryway, so you have a place to hang coats, hats, and bags.
- Place side tables next to sofas and chairs, so there’s a place to put the remote control, beverages, and magazines. You can also use a magazine rack to keep reading material organized.
- After visitors, clean your space immediately to prevent bugs and messes. Doing this also makes it easier to keep your home clean, as it can be more challenging to do it the next day.
- Add a locking file cabinet to your home office to keep paperwork secure and in order. A printer stand is also helpful and can keep reams of paper in one location.
Outdoor Spaces
- Mow your lawn, trim trees, and weed your garden regularly to keep it clean and tidy.
- Make sure that your patio space is organized by putting toys and accessories away. Rinse your patio or deck with a garden hose every so often to keep it clean.
- Install shelving and use storage bins to organize your shed, garage, or storage unit — separate tools, gardening items, and sporting goods so you can find what you need.
- Always keep pet areas clean to prevent accidental injury and diseases. Put dog food in airtight containers to prevent bugs.
