For those not blessed with a walk-in closet, it can be tough to maximize your storage space — here’s a guide for how to organize and clean out your closet.

Closet space is a valuable commodity — one that many people don’t have, especially when the average person doesn’t have a walk-in closet. If yours is bursting at the seams, it might be time to reorganize, so that you can find things more easily and let go of what you don’t need anymore. With some inexpensive organizers or tools in hand, it’s easy to maximize your closet storage. Here are some tips to help you on your organization journey.

Take Everything Out and Edit Your Wardrobe

Step number one: pull everything out of your closet, so that you can take stock of what you have and what you’d like to keep. As you’re pulling, try to organize like items with like items, so that you’ll have, say, a sweater pile, and a jeans pile, and so on, which will better help you decide what to keep. Give your closet a nice cleaning and dusting while everything is out, too.

Once cleaned, go through your piles once again and sort your clothes and other items into the following categories:

• Keep: Everything that still makes you happy, fits properly, and is worn often, should be kept in your wardrobe. Unless the item is very sentimental, it’s best to keep the item out if it isn’t fitting this description and you’re trying to downsize.
• Donate (or recycle): Anything that’s gently worn and could still be loved by someone else should be donated, so that it makes someone else happy instead of ending up in a landfill. Some types of clothes can be recycled, too, so if you have some ripped denim, for example, find somewhere local to recycle it.
• Sell: Particularly if you have designer items, or trendy clothes in great shape, you could sell them either online or at a consignment store. You might even be able to trade with someone, if there’s a way to swap in your city.
• Garbage: Anything that can’t be sold, donated, or recycled should unfortunately go in the trash, or compost depending on the material.

Create Storage Zones

When it’s time to put your keep pile back into the closet, be mindful about where you’re placing things — it can help to draw up a little blueprint beforehand to help you keep track. One idea is to dedicate a section to shirts, one for shoes, one for jeans etc., so you’ll always know where to reach. You could also organize based on frequency of use. Not only will it look much cleaner, but it’ll be easier for you to find things when you’re in a rush. Don’t forget about your floor space, either — put in some baskets for shoes, or a small dresser if you’ve got one, to maximize storage.

There’s More to Vertical Storage Than Hangers

There are lots of ways to take advantage of your vertical space in your closet. You can attach shower curtain rings, for example, onto a hanger, so you have some additional room for hanging jewelry or scarves. You can also use a vertical hanging organizer, which will give you plenty of extra storage for things like shoes and folded clothing, maximizing your closet space.

When In Doubt, Vacuum Seal

If you’ve went through all the advice above and still have a stuffed closet, it might be time to invest in some vacuum storage bags. You can remove the air from most bags using a regular vacuum cleaner, and it can significantly reduce the amount of space your clothes take up. It can be a lengthy process to remove and re-store clothes this way, though, so it’s best used to store out of season clothing or stuff that you don’t wear often.

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Coffee tables are a key piece of furniture in your living room, and why not craft your own that’s totally unique? Here are some ideas for building your own DIY coffee table.

Coffee tables, being both beautiful and functional, are an important piece of your living room setup, but some of the best ones are often overpriced, or just aren’t unique enough. Building your own can be a fun and relatively straightforward task that’s completely doable over a weekend. We’ve put together this guide to walk you through the process, and help you gather ideas, for making your very own DIY coffee table.

Remember to keep your construction abilities in mind, as you’ll need to use various heavy-duty tools. If you don’t have a ton of experience, or if this will be your first time building something, it might be a good idea to find a specific blueprint to work from so that you have detailed instructions.

Get Inspired

As with all good design, start by brainstorming and finding references for the table you want to build. Pinterest is a great place for design ideas, or you can peruse home décor magazines — even furniture stores online — for an idea to recreate. DIY coffee tables don’t necessarily need to be from scratch, either: repurposing older coffee tables, or vintage items, can be a great starting point. Below are some cool items you can repurpose into a coffee table:

• Wine crates
• Old wooden doors
• Vintage suitcases or trunks
• Tree stumps
• Wood palettes
• Marble slabs
• Old fence pieces

Prep Your Tools and Materials

Once you’ve figured out your vision, it’s time to plan. Take stock of all the materials you’ll need for your table, including the proper tools, like screws, drill, or a saw, and write out a list to stay organized. Your list may look different depending on your idea, but assuming you’re constructing a basic wooden table, start with this guideline:

• Wood pieces for the tabletop (size and length for these pieces dependent on your project!)
• Wood pieces for the posts
• Wood pieces to connect the top to the posts
• Stain to color the wood
• Wipe-on polyurethane, or varnish
• Glue
• Sandpaper
• Drill
• Screws
• Tape measure
• Saw
• Safety Glasses

Once you have all your materials ready to go, cut the wood to your desired length, and make any holes (or pocket holes, which can help you drill at the proper angle) into the wood pieces that you’ll need when constructing.

Put It Together

Now comes the part that requires some skill — it’s time to assemble. These steps are going to depend on your chosen design, but here’s the basic process: Start by constructing the frame of the coffee table, first gluing the posts to the rail pieces, and then clamp together and attach using pocket screws. Make sure that the top of the frame is flush with the posts for a flat surface, and that the bottoms are even so nothing wobbles. Next, put together the tabletop, line it up properly, and both glue and screw it together with your frame.

Don’t Forget Your Finishing

If you’re building your DIY coffee table out of wood, you’ll want to apply the proper finishing to help achieve the look you want. Start by sanding down the wood to make an even surface free from nicks and scratches, and make sure to sand with the grain of the wood, not against it. Next, put on some protective gloves and apply your wood stain of choice depending on your desired look: there are lots of colors to choose from. Wait about ten minutes, then wipe off any excess stain for an even coat. Lastly, apply your wipe-on poly or varnish, using the instructions provided, and lightly buff it afterwards — you may need to apply a few coats. Finishing the table properly isn’t just for the beautiful appearance, but sealing and staining it will help protect it, too.

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Flies can spread around harmful bacteria, so getting them out of your house is important — set up one of these DIY fly traps or repellants to get them away for good.

While flies might seem more annoying than anything, they can actually harbor and spread harmful bacteria and pathogens that can cause illness, like E. coli, cholera, or shigellosis, so it’s important to get them out of your house pronto. If you’d rather try some at home options before hiring a pest professional, here are three helpful DIY fly trap ideas that use mostly household and budget friendly ingredients, so you’ll probably already have everything you need.

Each method will include a vessel to hold liquid made from ingredients that’ll attract them inside, like sugar and apple cider vinegar, plus a fruity-scented dish soap, which will reduce the surface tension and keep flies trapped inside. Follow these instructions for whatever vessel you have on hand, and then place it wherever the flies are congregating.

A Soda Bottle Trap

1. Clean out a plastic soda bottle, preferably a two-liter size
2. Cut the top third of the bottle off, using a sharp knife like a utility blade (carefully!) and remove it from the bottom
3. Fill the bottom of the bottle with a sweet bait. This could be water with a 50/50 sugar mix, water with honey or maple syrup, or skip the liquid altogether and use overripe fruit.
4. If using a liquid bait, add a few drops of dish soap.
5. Flip the top third of the bottle upside down and place it in the lower half’s opening. It should look like a cone pointing downwards, leading the flies inside.

A Mason Jar Trap

1. Fill your clean mason jar about halfway with a sweet liquid bait, like apple cider diluted with water and mixed with sugar.
2. Add a few drops of liquid dish soap.
3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and secure it on using a rubber band. Poke a few small holes in the wrap, so flies can get inside but can’t escape.

A Shallow Dish Trap

1. In the shallow bowl, add an inch or two of apple cider vinegar, plus a dash of sugar, or another sweet liquid bait of your choice.
2. Add in a few drops of liquid dish soap.
3. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and poke a few holes so that the flies can get inside but won’t be able to get out.

A Natural Repellant

If traps aren’t your thing, there are some more natural ways that you can deter flies from your home, so they don’t stick around and cause a nuisance.

• This spice, made from the flower buds of a clove tree, has a pungent aroma that’ll keep many flies away, so place a small bowl of twenty or so whole cloves in rooms where you’re having fly troubles, and they should make their way out.
• Rosemary, basil, and mint all do a good job of repelling flies, as they hate the smell, so it’s good to keep some of these plants growing around your home, like on the kitchen windowsill. Many herbs will repel mosquitos too, especially plus you can clip leaves and use them in your cooking whenever you need.
• Other Plants. Flies don’t just hate herbs, but there are other kinds of plants that’ll keep them away too, including lavender and marigolds. Plant them around your garden, or on your balcony if you’re in an apartment, to stop flies from coming close in the first place.
• Essential Oils. Oils made from many of these plants will also keep flies away, plus they’ll make your home smell wonderful. Try spraying lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus oils, or add a few drops to a diffuser.

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Is your garage overflowing to the point of no return? A good cleaning and sorting can help — here are a few helpful tips for how to organize your garage.

If your garage is so full that you can’t keep your car in there anymore, you likely already know that it’s time for a good organizing — and now is a great time to do it. For anyone who needs a little advice before tackling on a big project like this, here are a few helpful tips for every step of the process, including cleaning out your garage first and organizing your stuff, to installing the right storage units to maximize your space.

Spring Cleaning for Your Garage

For many, the garage becomes a place where random objects and stuff gets stored without a second thought. The first step in organizing your garage is figuring out what you actually need, and what can go; these tips and ideas should help make the process easier for you.

• Make sure that you set aside a huge chunk of time to get everything done, at least a day and maybe even a whole weekend, so you can finish in one sitting.
• Plan to sort everything into three areas, one for items you’ll keep, one for things you want to donate or sell, and one for the trash. In the keep pile, keep everything separated by category, like tools with other tools, which will help you put them back in later.
• Go through every single thing in there, leaving no stone unturned. You may think you already know what you want to keep in a box, but something else could be hiding in there.
• The job can be a lot to take on for just one person, so getting the help of your family or friends can be super helpful — be sure to buy or make them lunch, snacks, and drinks as a thank you!

Set Up Your Garage Properly

When you’re ready to put all your treasures back in the garage, setting up and installing the right storage units beforehand can help you maximize your space. Draft a plan for how you want to organize everything, and you should be taking advantage of as much vertical or overhead room as you possibly can, so that you have more floor space for cabinets, workbenches, and your car. Below, you’ll find a few easy-to-install ideas for making the most of your walls and ceiling.

• Pegboards are a great way to utilize vertical space affordably. They look like thin cork boards with lots of little holes which you can use for various storage purposes, like popping a nail into the holes and hanging your wrench set off them or hanging tubes from them to store pencils and pens. They’re a reasonably priced solution, but keep in mind they’re prone to wear and tear, and they aren’t as good for holding heavy tools.
• Track-based systems are a similar concept, except instead of little holes they have lined tracks, which you can attach different sized hooks onto and use them store heavy tools and accessories. They’ll be a bit more expensive than your average pegboard but make up for it in durability, strength, and a sleek appearance.
• Large plastic bins are your friend when organizing a garage but keeping them all on the floor can add up and take up your precious space. Instead, try installing a simple system that can store them overhead, using 2x2s and 1x4s screwed together and onto the ceiling to create an upside-down T-shape, that will hold the lip of the storage bins secure.

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You don’t necessarily need a professional to install your new ceiling fan for you — these tips will help you accomplish the task on your own.

Ceiling fans are a wonderful way to keep cool in the summer months, and they can keep your electricity bill lower, too. If you’re looking to complete the installation project on your own, here’s our tips to help you along.

Safety First

You’ll want to protect yourself against any injuries or accidental damage to your home, so before starting the project, take the following precautions:

• Read through the manufacturer’s instructions for installation because it may have product-specific installation or safety information you need to know, plus you’ll have a good sense of the steps needed.
• Make sure that the outlet box can support the weight of the fan, and that all the electrical connections comply with local standards.
• Before doing any electrical work, ensure that the power is shut off at your circuit breaker box.

Take Out the Old Fixture

• With the electricity shut off, remove any glass shades from your old fixture first.
• Unscrew any fasteners holding the fixture to the ceiling, and carefully lower it.
• Disconnect the electrical wires, by removing the plastic connectors from the ends.
• Remove the old electrical box by unscrewing the fasteners, then pull it out through the opening.

Mount the New Electrical Box

• Start by inserting a fan brace though the open hole, in a centered position, and rotate the support brace until perfectly locked into place. If the brace doesn’t fit, you may need to carefully saw a larger hole in your ceiling. Have a vacuum nearby to pick up any fallen debris.
• Attach the provided U-bolt over the brace, using screws, then thread the electrical wire into the box. Move the box upwards, so that the bolts above attach to it, and secure it in place by tightening the nuts.

Attach the Bracket

• The bracket is what connects your new fan to the box above. You’ll want to pay special attention to manufacturer instructions here, making sure to pull the electrical wires through the center before setting it in place. Some models may simply have a ceiling medallion to be glued, while some may need to be screwed in more elaborately.

Assemble the Rest

• Grab your new canopy, motor, and downrod. While on a flat surface, feed the motor’s wires through the canopy, so that it rests loosely on top of the motor, then string it through the downrod pipe.
• Attach the downrod to the motor, using the manufacturer’s instructions.

Connect the Wires

• Find a way to rest the ceiling fan near the electrical box while you work — a friend could help you hold it, or you might be able to use a hook on the mounting bracket.
• Connect each wire on your fan to the electrical box above, matching color to color (black wires should only connect to black wires, etc.) You may need to trim some of the insulation to link them and then finish with a wire nut, and make sure you connect the grounding wire appropriately.
• Once everything’s connected, secure the fan into place, and attach it to the mounting bracket.

Attach the Bulb and Fan Blades

• The last step is to assemble your fan blades, according to the manufacturer’s guide, and then fasten them to the motor. Some fans are designated as easy assembly, so keep an eye out for that if you want a simpler installation.
• Twist in the lightbulb, then flip the power switch back on from the breaker and test your handiwork. The lights should be on, and the fan should be spinning smoothly.

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