Better Homes & Gardens Home Handbook: The Cleaning & Organizing Issue
A Fresh Perspective
Masthead
Spring Clean • The all-the-little-things handbook to deep cleaning your home.
One-Stop Storage • The front closet often becomes a catchall for, well, everything. We outfitted a standard space with smart organizing solutions so each item has a home.
Store With Care • Un-decorating for any holiday will be a cinch when you follow our tips for stashing your stuff.
Goal: Prep for Drop-In Guests • The living room is usually the first area in your home guests see. Staying on top of clutter, visible dust, and smudges will keep this high-traffic/high-visibility space ready for prime time.
Drop-Zone Makeover • Three homeowners share how they tamed front-door chaos by rethinking the space they already have.
The Do-It-All Room • Laundry. Utility sink. Cabinets galore. A multipurpose mudroom gives one family tons of spots to stash their gear—and space to grow.
Home Work • No office? No problem. A fold-down desk takes up little space and fits all the essentials you need to pay bills, finish a project, or work remotely.
Goal: Greenify Your Kitchen • Cutting back on water, electricity, gas, and disposable items makes your cooking space more eco-friendly and saves on bills too. Use our tips to assess your food prep and cleanup habits.
Expanded Menu • A full home renovation turned a once-cramped galley kitchen into a storage-savvy chef’s paradise that doesn’t compromise on design.
The Great Kitchen Cleanup • Your top-to-bottom, inside-out, behind-the-refrigerator checklist to get your kitchen ready for whatever you throw at it.
Power to the (Puny) Pantry • No walk-in closet is needed to construct a highly organized, efficient, and—bonus!—aesthetically pleasing food storage system. Let us show you how.
Goal: Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes • A simple truth: Taking a quarter of an hour once a week to perform basic maintenance will save you from some really gross deep cleaning down the line. Remember 3-2-1: three tools, two cleaning products, one time a week.
Vintage Revamp • Stripped down to just the pink tub, a designer used the blank slate in her home’s only bathroom to get all the design and storage elements she desired.
Worked-Out Closet • A small closet flexes its muscles with ample storage to fit both everyday clothes and at-home workout accessories.
Rest Easy • A well-designed, organized bedroom provides the ultimate formula for comfort and relaxation. Sleep soundly by implementing these simple yet effective elements.
Goal: Keep Your Home Humming • Deep cleaning the hardworking—often hidden—parts of your house can be a yucky, often thankless task, but your grit will pay off in long-lasting, efficient appliances.
Family ‘Fun’ction • A determined homeowner had visions of a space that better fit her young family’s needs. With some elbow grease and know-how, she created a home that’s pretty, practical, and tailor-made.
Sorting the Laundry • Thrifted cabinets, fresh paint, and plywood panels provide the finishing touches for this laundry area in an unfinished basement.
Get in Gear • A slat storage system with hooks, shelves, and bins gives sporting equipment a spot to rest between game days.
Kay Patterson • A BOSTON NATIVE AND CLASSICAL MUSICIAN TURNED PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER HELPS CLIENTS BRING NEW RHYTHM TO CLEANING AND ORGANIZING PROJECTS.