54 Small Tips To Make You More Excited About Your Digs

1.

Add magnetic garage handles and faux windows that’ll bring some serious curb appeal to your home for an EXTREMELY small fraction of the price of getting some carriage-style doors. They’re pricey as heck. These magnets are not.

garage without the magnets, then garage with the magnets that looks so much more expensive

2.

Kick the blinds to the curb and get some privacy without the cord (it can be dangerous for kids and pets!) by applying a window film that’ll still let in SO much light. I did this to my bathroom window and congratulate myself for it every day.

reviewer's window with holographic geometric frosted covering

3.

Refinish tired metal furniture with some metallic spray paint for a weekend afternoon project that’ll have substantial payoff. Just look at that zhuzhed bistro set!

reviewer's before pic of old outdoor furniture

reviewer's after pic of refreshed outdoor furniture

4.

Hang up a tapestry (or something more substantial than a poster or print) that’ll skim over any dents, unsightly utility panel doors, scuffs, or other marks that distract from your aesthetic.

natural rope macrame wall hanging with tassels

5.

Use a bottle of leather conditioner to revive your leather goods even as large as a leather couch! Welcome to your next project while you catch up on the latest ep of your fave true-crime podcast!

reviewer's before and after pic of red worn couch that looks drastically better after applying the leather conditioner.

reviewer's ankle boots with one looking worn, then the other looking moisturized and like new with the leather conditioner

6.

Pull together decor for an outdoor room or just cover up an ugly surface with an indoor/outdoor rug built to weather rain and more.

outdoor room with the rug pulling all the decor together

7.

Or cover up with interlocking teak tiles you don’t need tools to install. That concrete patio slab is older than you, but it doesn’t have to look that way.

reviewer pic of the tiles used on an outdoor patio

8.

Swap out one of those weird long pillows (sorry!) for a ~streamlined~ door draft stopper to keep gusts from coming in under the door. It’ll just look like a natural part of your door so other decor design choices (like that cute welcome mat) can shine!

reviewer pic of white door with barely noticeable door draft stopper at the bottom

reviewer's close up of white door draft stopper on the bottom of the door

9.

Hang a set of room-darkening velvet curtains for a super dramatic look on the cheap. Mount the rod ABOVE the window frame and measure the curtains correctly so you can get a glam floor-skimming look that draws the eye upward.

A customer review photo of the velvet curtains in dark slate.

10.

Recover ugly throw pillows with cute shams that’ll cost less than a horde of brand-new cushions would.

11.

Or treat yourself to a seashell pillow for MUCH cheaper than you’ll see in a cool vintage shop.

pink shell pillow on a green velvet couch

the purple version of the seashell pillow

12.

Give yourself some peace of mind if you’re into open windows for the sake of a breeze with this low-key motion sensor you can place on your partially opened window that’ll act like your guard dog while ya’ snooze. And if you upgrade this plan, you can save on homeowner’s insurance!

open window with minimalist white motion sensor for security

13.

Cover up dings and discoloration on door frames and molding with some wood scratch cover so everything will blend in like normal. Also, it requires no sanding or refinishing! Cue to you on the prowl for more wood surfaces you can fix up.

reviewer's before pic of door frame with worn away finish

reviewer's after pic of door frame with a fixed finish that looks normal

14.

And hide smaller scratches on your fave furniture with a set of wood repair markers. We love a repair instead of a replacement product!

before and after pic of scratched furniture leg and made over furniture leg

15.

Or dress up that water stain that won’t quit with a charming burlap table runner because people will just assume that you’re always ready to entertain.

wood dining table with burlap stripe runner on it

16.

Tuck stray cords outta the way with cable clip organizers because you need your phone charger by your bed but you don’t have to trip over it or make it take center stage.

17.

Tidy up a modem-y mess by hiding it behind a bookish disguise as a decorative touch that’s more useful than anyone could expect.

before pic of modems out in the open and then after pic of row of faux books hiding the modem

18.

Distract from an unsightly lighting chain or cord with an electrical cord cover that’ll look like it’s just part of the decor.

chandelier with neutral cover over the light fixture's chain that's hanging from the ceiling

19.

Erase the likes of spills, wine, and even Sharpie marker(!!!) with this powerful stain remover. As you can see, it even works on suede furniture.

reviewer pic of brown suede couch with black sharpie marks on it

reviewer pic of brown suede couch cleaned with the cleaner

20.

Invest in a hanging frame helper so you can finally get all your wall art up and make it feel like home without eyeballing it. (You can only lean so many frames prints against the wall as a “look.”)

reviewer's pic of gallery wall of various sized framed items using the hanger

21.

Artfully corral items on your coffee table with a decorative tray that’ll make it look perfectly styled — even if the other thing on the coffee table is an open pizza box serving as your dinner plate. (We’ve all been there, I vacation there often.)

The decorative tray on a table with decor neatly arranged on top of it.

The decorative tray on a side table with decor neatly arranged on top of it.

22.

Mask an unsightly power strip in a sleek (but ventilated!) box that’ll also keep kids and pets outta there.

before pic of a messy cable strip then after of the box containing the same power strip but looking much neater

23.

Attach a roll of faux ivy to ugly wire fencing or railing with a view you don’t love. Here’s to a bit more privacy!

reviewer pic of deck with the faux ivy wrapped on the railing to obscure the view below

reviewer pic of faux ivy on top part of fence for some privacy in a backyard

24.

Keep your floors in tip-top shape (and prevent some nails-on-chalkboard scrapes) by putting furniture protectors on furniture legs. Any year you can avoid refinishing your floors is a GREAT year.

showing how you can't see the furniture protectors on a chair leg

25.

Park your bar soap on a silicone soap tray with plenty of ~tasteful~ draining space so the bottom half of that fancy soap your aunt gave you for Secret Santa won’t become useless goo.

gray soap dish with slots for draining water into the sink

26.

Make your kitchen sink’s corner work for its dinner with a corner sponge organizer — it’ll fit a surprising amount of dishwashing essentials in such a tiny space instead of them cluttering up your cleaning zone.

kitchen sink with triangle shaped sponge and soap holder on the corner of a sink

27.

Invest in a lil’ over-the-door cabinet organizer so you won’t have to stare at a pile of hairstyling tools every time you go to brush your teeth. You’ll be locating your hair dryer in record time!

Reviewer's before picture of hair tools in one messy pile

Reviewer's after picture of everything now organized

28.

Stop the mess in your laundry room with a laundry-detergent drip catcher to help salvage some of that precious goo, so you can go a tad bit longer in between shopping trips.

laundry detergent containers with the drip catcher on them

29.

Graduate from your mismatched collection to a set of silicone-coated kitchen utensils that are nice-looking but neutral enough to blend in a bit with everything in your kitchen.

the utensils and everything that comes in the set

30.

Revamp your under-things storage with a sock and underwear organizer to help you zero in on your lucky Halloween socks… and figure out which pair-less ones need the boot.

Reviewer's before-and-after of a messy drawer, and the same drawer neatly organized in these bins

31.

Put down a luxe-looking runner in a hall or in front of your closets to help create a sense of fawn-cy space without hurting your budget. I own this very runner and love it every single day that I walk on it!

32.

Brighten an icky floor with a grout pen so you don’t have to stare at the stained grout and imagine what it used to look like. Grout takes up a teeny bit of space but, as you can see from the pics, makes a huge impact!

A tiled bathroom floor with white grout from the pen and brown grout on parts not yet marked

The same bathroom floor with completely white grout between the tiles

33.

Put out a welcome mat that’ll signal to everyone that you made it nice inside. Also, what are you doing here without Dorinda?

front door with brown welcome mat that says "what are you doing here without dorinda" from the real housewives of new york

34.

Stash all your plastic bags (hey, they make great bin liners plus you have to pay for them now in NYC!) with some plastic grocery bag wranglers light enough to hang on a hook on your wall or inside your kitchen cabinet. Just saying, these would look real cute in your pantry.

two hanging bag organizers with a hand pulling a grocery bag out of the bottom of one

35.

Use some stove burner covers to help you catch the mess right away on gas stovetops. Or just cover up some chipped or sorry-looking stovetops. (I live in a rental with a white gas stovetop that def has some unsightly chips on it, so I can relate!)

reviewer pic of burner cover that's barely noticeable

closeup of the crumb catcher on the edge of the stove top and countertop

36.

Remove all sorts of stubborn rings that’ve been staring at you every time you’re in the washroom by using a pumice stone toilet bowl cleaner. Nope, you do NOT need a new toilet. Your OG just requires some zhuzhing.

37.

Show that shower door who’s boss with a commercial-grade cleaner that’ll get at soap scum and grime on notoriously hard-to-clean shower doors. Seriously, shower doors are more or less scum magnets. It isn’t fair but this spray will even the playing field.

38.

Treat your cat (and your eyeballs) to a pretty cat fountain for the feline who prefers running water out of the sink or toilet. Toilet who?

white with splatter paint look sculptural cat fountain

39.

Give your towels some room to breathe and create a neater look in that bath your whole family uses with an over-the-door towel rack built with some hooks too so you can put your robe and clothes somewhere that isn’t the floor or on top of the toilet.

back of bathroom door with a towel rack that has three tiers of racks for towels

40.

Decant your shower products into a set of stainless-steel and glass soap dispensers that’ll make your bathroom look like a spa.

A customer review photo of four soap dispensers in their shower.

41.

Toss a punchy throw blanket with some pom-pom trim over your lackluster couch or chair to draw attention away from the fact that, wow, it’s seen better days.

yellow blanket with pom pom trim on it thrown over a beige couch

42.

Or if you are extremely glamorous, take a similar approach with a faux-sheepskin rug to throw on a chair seriously lacking in comfort, at the foot of your couch, or in a number of spots!

white faux sheepskin rug on a wicker armchair

43.

While we’re talking about faux-fur luxury, swap to an undercover dog bed for your furry lil’ angel who gets to do what you’d like to do, lounge around all day while someone else works for the chow. At least with this, you’ll have a luxe-looking, machine-washable surface they won’t get in trouble for drooling all over.

dog laying on faux sheepskin dog bed that looks like a nice rug

44.

Prevent the nightmare scenario of dirty dishes ending up in your beautiful coffee mug display or on the dinner table with a Christina Aguilera dishwasher magnet. (I prefer Dirrty in every other scenario.)

Christina Aguilera dishwasher magnet with "Clean" and a clean cut makeup/hair look, then her from the "dirrty" music video

45.

Borrow a little air space above your go-to outlet with an outlet shelf just large enough for your electric toothbrush. Here’s to a tidier sink!

reviewer pic of outlet shelf with two electric toothbrushes stored on the shelf

another reviewer pic with contact items and several other things stored on the outlet shelf

46.

Pour your budget booze into an extremely nice-looking decanter and pair of glasses to park on the top tier of your bar cart for a v pricey look without the price to match it.

hexagon-shape decanter and matching glasses

47.

Repair chips, dents, cracks, and other eyesores with a set of 50 wood fillers. Dog scratched up your hardwood floors? NBD.

A reviewer's hardwood floor with many scratches made by their child repeatedly jumping on a bed, causing the legs to constantly scratch the floor

The same reviewer's hardwood floor with no visible scratch marks unless you look extremely close

48.

Mask the horror show underneath your bed with a sharp bed skirt to coordinate with your bedding.

neutral bedroom with neat looking bed with bed skirt that obscures anything underneath the bed

49.

Make your AC (or another yard essential) blend in a bit more with a vinyl privacy screen that won’t be an eyesore.

the fence boxing in a utility box in a reviewer's backyard

50.

Spiff up stainless-steel appliances with a plant-based stainless-steel cleaner and polish spray (that comes with a microfiber cloth) for a low-lift transformation. Appliances are expensive. Their upkeep shouldn’t be!

A dirty stainless steel dishwasher with streaks, buildup, and marks

The same dishwasher sparkling after using the spray

51.

String up some (truly easy) under-cabinet lights to bring a modern touch to any outdated cabinets that you wish you could replace. This’ll instantly make your kitchen look so expensive.

kitchen with plain white stock cabinets with lights underneath them to make it look so much better

52.

Mount a broom and mop organizer on a closet wall for a tidy “after” so you won’t worry about an avalanche when you open that door. You know what I’m talking about.

Reviewer's before-and-after of their broom and appliances on the floor, then held up by this organizer

53.

Corral “drop zone” stuff like mail, keys, and reusable grocery bags onto this tidy wall shelf instead of dumping them on your kitchen counter.

54.

Use a standing weeder (without the chemicals!) to help improve your view of your yard. You’re not the only one who has trouble enjoying weed-filled scenery. And hey, while you’re weeding with this there’s no bending over! Your back will thank you.

amazon.com

Made with a bamboo handle and powder-coated steel, it uses a simple lever system to made weeding easy.

Promising review: “Oh my god, I friggin’ love this tool. I bought this on a whim given we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weed was strangely satisfying! I don’t think anyone can say that weeding is fun but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled.” —JG

Get it on Amazon for $36.95.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Make your life even tidier. Check out the best all-natural cleaning products for your home, the best bathroom cleaning products, organization products perfect for neat freaks, and, of course, our ultimate guide to cleaning every single room in your house.

1. Add magnetic garage handles and faux windows that’ll bring some serious curb appeal to your home for an EXTREMELY small fraction of the price of getting some carriage-style doors. They’re pricey as heck. These magnets are not.

2. Kick the blinds to the curb and get some privacy without the cord (it can be dangerous for kids and pets!) by applying a window film that’ll still let in SO much light. I did this to my bathroom window and congratulate myself for it every day.

3. Refinish tired metal furniture with some metallic spray paint for a weekend afternoon project that’ll have substantial payoff. Just look at that zhuzhed bistro set!

4. Hang up a tapestry (or something more substantial than a poster or print) that’ll skim over any dents, unsightly utility panel doors, scuffs, or other marks that distract from your aesthetic.

5. Use a bottle of leather conditioner to revive your leather goods *even* as large as a leather couch! Welcome to your next project while you catch up on the latest ep of your fave true-crime podcast!

6. Pull together decor for an outdoor room or just cover up an ugly surface with an indoor/outdoor rug built to weather rain and more.

7. Or cover up with interlocking teak tiles you don’t need tools to install. That concrete patio slab is older than you, but it doesn’t have to look that way.

8. Swap out one of those weird long pillows (sorry!) for a ~streamlined~ door draft stopper to keep gusts from coming in under the door. It’ll just look like a natural part of your door so other decor design choices (like that cute welcome mat) can shine!

9. Hang a set of room-darkening velvet curtains for a super dramatic look on the cheap. Mount the rod ABOVE the window frame and measure the curtains correctly so you can get a glam floor-skimming look that draws the eye upward.

10. Recover ugly throw pillows with cute shams that’ll cost less than a horde of brand-new cushions would.

11. Or treat yourself to a seashell pillow for MUCH cheaper than you’ll see in a cool vintage shop.

12. Give yourself some peace of mind if you’re into open windows for the sake of a breeze with this low-key motion sensor you can place on your partially opened window that’ll act like your guard dog while ya’ snooze. And if you upgrade this plan, you can save on homeowner’s insurance!

13. Cover up dings and discoloration on door frames and molding with some wood scratch cover so everything will blend in like normal. Also, it requires no sanding or refinishing! Cue to you on the prowl for more wood surfaces you can fix up.

14. And hide smaller scratches on your fave furniture with a set of wood repair markers. We love a repair instead of a replacement product!

15. Or dress up that water stain that won’t quit with a charming burlap table runner because people will just assume that you’re always ready to entertain.

16. Tuck stray cords outta the way with cable clip organizers because you need your phone charger by your bed but you don’t have to trip over it or make it take center stage.

17. Tidy up a modem-y mess by hiding it behind a bookish disguise as a decorative touch that’s more useful than anyone could expect.

18. Distract from an unsightly lighting chain or cord with an electrical cord cover that’ll look like it’s just part of the decor.

19. Erase the likes of spills, wine, and even Sharpie marker(!!!) with this powerful stain remover. As you can see, it even works on suede furniture.

20. Invest in a hanging frame helper so you can finally get all your wall art up and make it feel like home without eyeballing it. (You can only lean so many frames prints against the wall as a “look.”)

21. *Artfully* corral items on your coffee table with a decorative tray that’ll make it look perfectly styled — even if the other thing on the coffee table is an open pizza box serving as your dinner plate. (We’ve all been there, I vacation there often.)

22. Mask an unsightly power strip in a sleek (but ventilated!) box that’ll also keep kids and pets outta there.

23. Attach a roll of faux ivy to ugly wire fencing or railing with a view you don’t love. Here’s to a bit more privacy!

24. Keep your floors in tip-top shape (and prevent some nails-on-chalkboard scrapes) by putting furniture protectors on furniture legs. Any year you can avoid refinishing your floors is a GREAT year.

25. Park your bar soap on a silicone soap tray with plenty of ~tasteful~ draining space so the bottom half of that fancy soap your aunt gave you for Secret Santa won’t become useless goo.

26. Make your kitchen sink’s corner work for its dinner with a corner sponge organizer — it’ll fit a surprising amount of dishwashing essentials in such a tiny space instead of them cluttering up your cleaning zone.

27. Invest in a lil’ over-the-door cabinet organizer so you won’t have to stare at a pile of hairstyling tools every time you go to brush your teeth. You’ll be locating your hair dryer in record time!

28. Stop the mess in your laundry room with a laundry-detergent drip catcher to help salvage some of that precious goo, so you can go a tad bit longer in between shopping trips.

29. Graduate from your mismatched collection to a set of silicone-coated kitchen utensils that are nice-looking but neutral enough to blend in a bit with everything in your kitchen.

30. Revamp your under-things storage with a sock and underwear organizer to help you zero in on your lucky Halloween socks… and figure out which pair-less ones need the boot.

31. Put down a luxe-looking runner in a hall or in front of your closets to help create a sense of *fawn-cy* space without hurting your budget. I own this very runner and love it every single day that I walk on it!

32. Brighten an icky floor with a grout pen so you don’t have to stare at the stained grout and imagine what it used to look like. Grout takes up a teeny bit of space but, as you can see from the pics, makes a huge impact!

33. Put out a welcome mat that’ll signal to everyone that you made it nice inside. Also, what are you doing here without Dorinda?

34. Stash all your plastic bags (hey, they make great bin liners plus you have to pay for them now in NYC!) with some plastic grocery bag wranglers light enough to hang on a hook on your wall *or* inside your kitchen cabinet. Just saying, these would look real cute in your pantry.

35. Use some stove burner covers to help you catch the mess right away on gas stovetops. Or just cover up some chipped or sorry-looking stovetops. (I live in a rental with a white gas stovetop that def has some unsightly chips on it, so I can relate!)

36. Remove all sorts of stubborn rings that’ve been staring at you every time you’re in the washroom by using a pumice stone toilet bowl cleaner. Nope, you do NOT need a new toilet. Your OG just requires some zhuzhing.

37. Show that shower door who’s boss with a commercial-grade cleaner that’ll get at soap scum and grime on notoriously hard-to-clean shower doors. Seriously, shower doors are more or less scum magnets. It isn’t fair but this spray will even the playing field.

38. Treat your cat (and your eyeballs) to a pretty cat fountain for the feline who prefers running water out of the sink or toilet. Toilet who?

39. Give your towels some room to breathe and create a neater look in that bath your whole family uses with an over-the-door towel rack built with some hooks too so you can put your robe and clothes somewhere that isn’t the floor or on top of the toilet.

40. Decant your shower products into a set of stainless-steel and glass soap dispensers that’ll make your bathroom look like a spa.

41. Toss a punchy throw blanket with some pom-pom trim over your lackluster couch or chair to draw attention away from the fact that, wow, it’s seen better days.

42. Or if you are extremely glamorous, take a similar approach with a faux-sheepskin rug to throw on a chair seriously lacking in comfort, at the foot of your couch, or in a number of spots!

44. Prevent the nightmare scenario of dirty dishes ending up in your beautiful coffee mug display or on the dinner table with a Christina Aguilera dishwasher magnet. (I prefer Dirrty in every other scenario.)

45. Borrow a little air space above your go-to outlet with an outlet shelf *just* large enough for your electric toothbrush. Here’s to a tidier sink!

46. Pour your budget booze into an extremely nice-looking decanter and pair of glasses to park on the top tier of your bar cart for a v pricey look without the price to match it.

47. Repair chips, dents, cracks, and other eyesores with a set of 50 wood fillers. Dog scratched up your hardwood floors? NBD.

48. Mask the horror show underneath your bed with a sharp bed skirt to coordinate with your bedding.

49. Make your AC (or another yard essential) blend in a bit more with a vinyl privacy screen that won’t be an eyesore.

50. Spiff up stainless-steel appliances with a plant-based stainless-steel cleaner and polish spray (that comes with a microfiber cloth) for a low-lift transformation. Appliances are expensive. Their upkeep shouldn’t be!

51. String up some (truly easy) under-cabinet lights to bring a modern touch to any outdated cabinets that you wish you could replace. This’ll instantly make your kitchen look *so* expensive.

52. Mount a broom and mop organizer on a closet wall for a tidy “after” so you won’t worry about an avalanche when you open that door. You know what I’m talking about.

53. Corral “drop zone” stuff like mail, keys, and reusable grocery bags onto this tidy wall shelf instead of dumping them on your kitchen counter.

54. Use a standing weeder (without the chemicals!) to help improve your view of your yard. You’re not the only one who has trouble enjoying weed-filled scenery. And hey, while you’re weeding with this there’s no bending over! Your back will thank you.