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You may rarely enter your spare room—except to hide something away that you don’t have a spot for.
Some people live by the motto, “A place for everything, and nothing in its place.” Others keep 90 percent of their home clean and tidy 24/7. The latter group knows where to tuck the clutter so very few people will see it—if anyone.
Here are five ways people use their spare room that doesn’t make the most of the space and five better options:
A Guest Room
When you say spare room, many people immediately envision a guest room.
If you often have family and friends come to stay, maintaining a room exclusively for them to sleep in may be a practical idea. (And if you have a room with an ensuite bathroom, your guests will feel as if they’re truly on holiday.) You won’t have to rush around at the last minute, clear a spot—or an entire room, and ensure you have freshly laundered bedding and towels for your guests.
However … if you rarely have company and need the space for something else most of the time, you may want to consider purchasing a pullout couch that only serves as a bed when you have guests. You could set the spare room up as a TV room, a library, or the perfect spot to retreat when you just have to “get away from it all” but can’t leave the house. If you set it up in any way, it’s easy to convert to a guest room with minimal effort.
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A Catchall Room
“Hon, where do you want me to put this?”
“Toss it in the spare room. We’ll deal with it later?”
“Mom, I’ve got five boxes of stuff I’m not taking to college, and you said you want to use my room as a studio while I’m away. What should I do with the boxes?”
“I wish we had a garage, but since we don’t, the spare room it is. If you can find the space.”
Sound familiar?
Instead of moving your clutter from one area of the house to another, seriously consider tossing or rehoming items you 1) don’t love, 2) don’t use, or 3) wouldn’t buy again if something happened to them. (This is sage advice from clutter-free expert Kathi Lipp, author of The Clutter-Free Home, Clutter Free, The Get Yourself Organized Project, and numerous other books.)
As you and your family become increasingly clutter-free, you may still have to store items in your spare room, but it will be far easier to keep it organized—and find things when needed.
A Storage Room
Unless you want to use your spare room exclusively for storage, it may be time to get serious about what to keep and how to organize best those items you are not willing or able to get rid of.
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Let us help you. Call or Text Kenna Real Estate Group at 303-955-4220 to get personalized assistance from our expert real estate agents.
Kathi Lipp does say that you can’t organize clutter, and that makes a lot of sense. If you’re ready to go through the boxes, bags, and piles in your spare room/storage space, gather the family and devise a plan that works for everyone who has items stored in this room.
Lipp also discusses the importance of negotiating space. It’s not our job to decide what items someone else should get rid of. Just because they’re unimportant to you doesn’t mean your partner or child is ready to let them go. They may never be prepared.
After you have the first round of items out of your house, determine how much of the spare room you’ll use for storage. Assign space for each family member to store things in the room. Then, decide how best to do so—clearly labeled totes? Shelves? Totes on shelves?
Once you’ve gotten things organized, you may still have room for a pullout couch that you could use when you do have company.
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Let us help you. Call or Text Kenna Real Estate Group at 303-955-4220 to get personalized assistance from our expert real estate agents.
A Home Office
It makes sense to convert your spare room into an office if you or another family member needs a quiet workplace. However, trying to wedge a workspace into the corner of an already overcrowded room is far from ideal.
If you can’t use your spare room exclusively as office space, follow the above recommendations to eliminate the clutter and organize those items you choose to keep.
If you’re trying to finish your work, piles of clothes, books, toys, etc., will only distract you. If, however, these items are neatly stored in totes or on shelves, and you have an area you can use exclusively to accomplish your office work, it’s doable.
If you need the space for your kids to accomplish their schoolwork, it’s likely best to have as many items tucked away in the closet as possible. Those not in the closet should be stored in opaque totes to minimize distractions.
A When-the-Kids Come to Visit Room
Are your kids away at school? Have they moved out on their own but are facing financial challenges? Do you just miss them too much to repurpose their old room?
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While you may want a room they feel comfortable in when they come home, consider moving their bed and some of their belongings into the spare room. They’ll still feel welcome, but you can repurpose their bedroom, which, in all likelihood, is larger than the extra room.
Your spare room may have to serve multiple functions. Just be sure you’ve devised a plan to maximize the space. Ideally, this plan won’t include you barring the door should someone pop by.
So, whether you’re looking to move to the city or you already live there, you can rest easy knowing that city life has some significant advantages for your health and wellness. From round-the-clock healthcare and healthier food to better job availability resulting in less stress, it’s easy to see why so many people live their best lives in the city!
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