Author: Jeff Wakahara

Let’s face it. Vancouver is not the most spacious of cities, especially for apartment dwellers. And chances are, if you’re reading this article, you’re lacking space specifically in the bedroom area.

But fear not. A small space should be no cause for alarm with a few smart storage hacks up your sleeve. And these ones use materials available to anyone with a wi-fi signal and a few moments to spare for browsing ikea.com.

Turn your bookcase into a shoe rack

If you’re anything like us, you’re a lover of both shoes and books. And your current storage strategy is composed of various “organized piles” of both items, which your spouse accuses you of “planting” exactly where they “planned to step” that day.

While it’s cool to be accused of mind-reading (and stealth entrapment), it’s also sometimes cool to have a clear path to the door in case of, you know, fire or other emergencies.

Enter the Ikea BILLY bookcase, so ubiquitous in the living spaces of millennials that you might even already own one. Full-sized ones are only $55 brand new, but they are often sold for $20 or less on Craigslist or Marketplace and come in a variety of adaptable shapes and sizes.

But while the BILLY is primarily known as a holder of books, what most people don’t know is that it’s also the perfect size for holding shoes. Plop it in your closet and fill it up with shoes. That’s it! If you have any space left over, fill it with books.

Source: minimalistdesks.com

Don’t have a closet or live in a studio apartment? Take out the backing to use your new shoe rack as a room divider, creating some privacy.

PS: This “hack” barely belongs on this list as it requires no actual “hacking,” but it’s such an easy way to get rid of clutter we couldn’t not mention it.

Make a hybrid plant stand/end table

Plants! They add oxygen and beauty to any space—and bedrooms are no exception. But…they take up space, especially those trendy fiddle leaf fig trees.

Enter a popular Reddit hack for a side table that doubles as a plant stand. As pictured below, simply carve a keyhole shape from the center of your table towards one edge to ensure easy access.

Source: Reddit

The end table in the photos above is actually a BENJAMIN stool, which no longer appears to be in stock. But this hack would work equally as well on any simple side table, such as the LACK.

Declutter your narrow entryway

This narrow hallway hack from Redditor Riri_Maruchan involves two Hemnes shoe cabinets and has nothing to do with shoes. (Remember when we told you to create a shoe rack out of something that wasn’t a shoe rack earlier? Apparently we hate using shoe racks for their natural purpose.)

For our narrow entryway, we combined two Ikea Hemnes Shoe Cabinets and replaced the original tops with a stained wood top. I am so happy with how this hack turned out! from ikeahacks

The whole process is outlined here, but essentially you’re removing a leg and drilling some holes to mirror each other. All you need is an electric drill, different sized drill heads, some screws, and a ruler and pencil.

Consider painting it or using washi tape to create geometric patterns on it for an even more stylish effect.

Source: Apartment Therapy

Because people with narrow entryways deserve a place to drop their keys/wallets/receipts/hand sanitizers too!

Thinking about getting a pet? You wouldn’t be the only one. The BC SPCA is literally running out of dogs as thousands of people turn to pet adoption for comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while pets can be a source of great comfort and love (not to mention a great reason to get outside every day), sharing your home with them is a whole other story. Your new roommate is basically a confident toddler, ready to swallow, lick, or poop on any available surface.

Here are our best tips to get started making your home safe for your pet and maintaining your own sanity.

6 tips for pet proofing your apartment

1. Raise your plants

Did you know a lot of houseplants (even the low-maintenance ones) are actually poisonous to pets? Plus, many varieties of succulents are encased in thin needles and spiky bits that could injure your pet.

But, while you may want to get rid of any toxic plants included on this list, having a pet doesn’t mean you can’t have any plants at all. You just have to keep them out of your pet’s reach—typically, the higher up the better. Perhaps even hanging from the ceiling, away from shelving that could serve as a climbing apparatus for particularly acrobatic cats. 

Also, consider keeping your plants in a space in the house that is off limits to your pets.

2. Gate off-limits areas

Speaking of “off limits,” you may wish to keep your pet out of some areas of your apartment all together, like your bathroom (medication, toilet bowl water, cleaning products) or your home office (electrical equipment, knick knacks, tools), or your kitchen while you’re cooking (knives, hot oil, general chaos). While you can use anything to erect a barrier to entry to these rooms, baby gates work particularly well, as your pet can still keep an eye on you from a distance. As in all relationships, it’s good to set boundaries.

On the flip side, you could also create an area that’s just for your pet, kind of like a play pen, that they could stay in while you are distracted with other tasks.

3. Use child-proof latches on cupboards

They say that pets are not the same as children, but when it comes to locking up your medicine…they really are. Child-proof latches are going to come in handy for all the cupboards in your apartment because basically anything you’d put in a cupboard is something you would not want your pet to eat: batteries, medication, alcohol, chocolate, cleaning products, detergent, sharp tools, etc. 

And yes, you could train them to simply not open cupboards, but better to be safe than sorry.

PS: If you can’t get a hold of child proof latches, it also helps to have cupboards with no handles. How are you going to figure that one out Princess?

4. Tie up cords and wires

Dogs love to chew on cords. Unfortunately they are quite uneducated on the topic of how electricity works, so they are likely to chew a cord that is plugged in. Just thinking about a dog entering my home office right now, which is basically a single desk and a giant pile of loose cords under said desk, is giving me an anxiety attack. 

Luckily it’s relatively easy to get your loose cords out of site and out of mind. Tie them up and store them out of your pet’s reach, and/or encase them in a plastic cord protector. Bonus: doing this will probably lengthen the life of your cords as well. 

5. Use a trash can with a lid

Pets love trash. And while having a doggo dig through and spread your trash all over your apartment is not ideal, it can also be dangerous. Think about what you throw in your garbage on a daily basis…it’s probably nothing that’s going to make your pet feel better if they ingest it. Better to keep a lid on all your garbage receptacles. And that goes for recycling and compost bins too. 

Bonus: lids also keep stinky garbage from smelling up your apartment.

6. Keep clutter minimal 

Your apartment will probably never be 100% pet proof (How are cats so smart, honestly? It’s creepy and they need to stop.), but opting for a minimalist aesthetic is one easy way to reduce the risk of your pet injuring themselves and/or damaging things you love. With less clutter around, your pet will have less temptation to chew, swallow, or bump into dangerous things. 

If there are any hazards in your apartment, like a fallen wire or puddle of bleach, they’ll stand out immediately in a clear, open space, and you’ll be able to clean them up before your pet finds them. It’ll also be easier to see when it’s time to vacuum.

Ah, spring…the season of renewal, rebirth, and (usually) resuming social interaction after a long hibernation. Maybe, like us, you’ve left your spring cleaning to the last minute and have just realized that spring is over, but you still need to get the job done. Or maybe you’re reading this in the fall, and just want to sneak in a deep clean of your apartment before your mother-in-law comes over for dinner.

Whenever you’re reading this—spring, summer, fall, or winter—these 5 tips can help speed up the process of deep cleaning your home so you can get back to planning social-distanced picnics with your friends in the park.

5 spring cleaning hacks for procrastinators

Steam-clean your microwave

Did someone microwave your delicious homemade chili without a lid (not naming any names Rob) three months ago? Are there now bits of beans and tomato sauce plastered to the walls of your microwave like cement? Have no fear.

Rumour has it that microwaving a cup of water with ⅓ of a cup of vinegar in it for about 4 minutes will loosen the grime, leaving you the simple job of wiping everything clean in one swipe.

Refresh your dishwasher

A dishwasher is for washing dishes, right? Yes. But who washes the dishwasher itself?

Maybe this question blew your mind (as it did ours). If you think about it though, not washing your dishwasher is akin to hand washing your dishes with a dirty sponge—inefficient and full of bacteria.

If you notice that your dishes aren’t getting as clean as usual or have a funky “dishwasher” smell, you may need to clean your dishwasher. Try placing a cup of vinegar on the top shelf and running your dishwasher on the hottest cycle. Then, run a shorter hot cycle with a sprinkle of baking soda around the bottom.

Clean your shower head

Speaking of cleaning devices that need to be cleaned themselves, did you know your shower head can get clogged with mineral deposits?

If you notice your shower head isn’t as powerful as it used to be, or is spraying unevenly, try running it through your dishwasher. If your shower head isn’t removable, soak it in a bag of vinegar overnight (secure it with a hair tie).

Use salad tongs to clean your blinds

Honestly, salad tongs are useful for many things that don’t involve salad. For one, they can help you clean your blinds—maybe in the home office you’ve recently set up for yourself?

Covering each tong with a reusable dry rag and securing them with elastics can help you clean both the top and underside of each blind simultaneously—and help you access those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Clean your oven racks in the bathtub

Oven racks attract grime and grease like no other surface in your home. After years of baked casseroles and frozen pizza (no judgement), it’s easy to forget what they looked like when you first bought them (the answer: shiny and sparkling!). Plus, they’re a fire hazard.

So how do you revert them to their original glory? Soak them overnight in baking soda and water and then wipe them clean. Use your bathtub instead of your sink to fit all your racks in at once. Rinse and dry them before replacing them in the oven.

When it comes to working from home (something a lot more of us are doing lately), having a home office in which you enjoy spending can make all the difference. Let’s face it: Zooming your co-workers from bed seems like a dream, but in reality it’s a boundary dissolving nightmare. Eventually your brain will forget that your bed is a safe, stress-free zone, and you’ll start composing passive aggressive emails in your sleep.

Better to keep your work life in its own space. Preferably that space is an enclosed, private spot with nice lighting, comfortable seating, and generally calm vibes. But not everyone can afford the luxury of a dedicated work space in their home.

The following tips will help you turn any space into a productive, functional work space—whether it’s enclosed or not.

5 tips for creating a home office you actually want to work in

Choose a distinct space

It can be challenging to keep clear boundaries between work and your personal life when you’re working from home.

In order to keep those boundaries strong, it’s ideal to dedicate one room of your home to work only. That way your brain will learn that—like your real life office—it’s time to work when you enter this space.

If you don’t have an extra room in your house, that’s ok. Try setting up the same piece of art or plant or trinket wherever you’re working at the start of each day to signify to your brain that you’re working.

Same goes for the end of the day. Remove the trinket in order to tell your brain that the workday is over.

Adjust the lighting

One of the benefits of working from home is that you’re no longer beholden to your office’s energy-sapping fluorescent lights.

Try to take advantage of as much natural daylight as possible. Your days will feel less like a vortex of meetings and emails if you can look outside and note the weather or angle of the sun. Plus, vitamin D is a great mood booster.

Install some blinds or curtains to reduce glare from your computer screen on sunny days.

And if you’re not close to a window, find a fun lamp with at least 60W (but no more than 100W) that gives you a soft glow-up for Zoom calls.

Splurge on ergonomics

This one explains itself. Working in front of a computer all day is bad for your body. And a body that’s free of back pain for as long as possible is priceless. Here are three quick things you can do to ergonomically-optimize your workspace:

• Screen height: keep your posture neutral by keeping your monitor at eye level, whether you’re sitting or standing. Position it at least 20 inches from your eyes (about an arm’s length).
• Chair: Get an adjustable chair that supports your back and arms, allows your feet to touch the ground, and helps you maintain a neutral posture. It doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as it does these three things.
• Support your wrists: Get a wrist rest, which can help you avoid carpal tunnel syndrome from typing all day.

Surround yourself with inspiration

Now here’s the fun part.

How long has it been since you created a vision board? 25 years? Us too.

Use the walls of your office as a space to remind yourself of the things that make you happy in life—and the things you aspire to achieve. That means decorating it with the same abandon you decorated your teenage bedroom with, but with paint-safe tape and less pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio.

Whether it’s beautiful art, framed records of your achievements, photographs of vacations, family members, or people you admire, make sure there’s something nice to catch your eye and remind you why you do what you do when you look up from your 99th email of the day.

Don’t forget about scent

Smell has a powerful impact on our moods. Liven up your home office with a few fresh houseplants that double as air filters and natural humidifiers.

For extra effect, try an essential oil diffuser and let a little aromatherapy into your life. Now that you don’t have to worry about Cheryl from HR getting a headache, you can make your room smell like whatever you want.

Here are a few guidelines for the relationship between scents and mood:

• Lemon is thought to promote concentration
• Lavender has calming and stress-relieving properties
• Rosemary is stimulating and can help fight mental fatigue
• Peppermint is an energy-booster and is believed to promote clear thinking (besides clearing the nasal passages).

Now that you’re armed with these essential home office design tips, go forth a build yourself a space you enjoy spending time in — even if you’re stressed about work.