Having products out with labels on them tends to make a home look cluttered. Whether you buy the most expensive product or the frugal store-brand is really no one else’s business. Hiding all products ensures that you and your guests concentrate on your home, not what you have brought into it on your most recent shopping trip.

In the Kitchen: Pantries overflow with items in their original packaging. That is appropriate; the problem is when they overflow onto the countertops and other visible surfaces. Foodstuffs and other supplies should be kept behind closed doors: then the kitchen looks cleaner, brighter, and less cluttered. If your pantry is not large enough, be creative. The top of your refrigerator, above your top cabinets, and the backs of the counters can all be used to store items, but everything will look neater if items are placed in decorative bins or containers. Keep your eye out at rummage sales and discount stores for beautiful containers that will match your kitchen décor.

In the Bathroom: Ideally, we would all have a half-bath that only the guests used, but many homes do not come equipped with this (or if they do, they are immediately annexed by the teen living in the house.) The only items that belong on the countertop in the bath that the guests use are the hand soap and the hand towel. Everything else should be out of sight. The best way to accomplish this is to buy a deep medicine cabinet, or better yet, if you have room, two matching ones. Decorative boxes with lids will also work in the bath: small ones for the back of the toilet, and extra-large ones for the floor. Be sure that any containers you use can withstand high humidity. A cabinet or shelves over the toilet also create more storage: be sure these have doors, or equip the shelves with large bins.

Around the house: Do not leave out cleaning products. Hide them wherever is most convenient. Serve snacks in dishes: you will also limit the serving size if you do not just carry the bag of chips into the den. Hairstyling products and perfumes should be put away in the bedroom or bath. Home fragrances should be stored with the cleaners, or if you insist on wasting electricity with the “plug in” type, tuck them under a piece of furniture or behind a potted plant.

Storing products out of sight in your home makes your life easier. You know where they are, they do not get knocked over, and your house is neater and easier to keep clean. Do not be embarrassed by what you buy: be embarrassed if what you buy is the first thing your guests notice about your house.

Technorati Tags: