17 Smart IDEAS for your HOME 

If you're looking for sources, I've tried to collect as many as I can here: www.benitalarsson.com/sources

We are moving to a small apartment very soon. I was overwhelmed with the thought of getting rid of some things. Then I remembered how peaceful your videos are for me and that I need to be a minimalists to be happy! My husband and I have decided the only things that go with us are items we use at least once monthly with a very few exceptions( Christmas decorations, some tools, winter wear… etc) Thank you. You have been a God send!

If there is only one person in a household, a tip is to not have a rubbish bin and instead to use empty food packets, eg from cereal, pasta, frozen vegetables. They are heading to the outside bin anyway so they may as well be used to store rubbish.

Great tips! My current favorite trick at home is my bathroom linens. I change them once a week and keep them in sets. So a color coordinated rug, shower curtain, hand towels, and washcloths. Each set is in a bin ready to go, and on laundry day, it takes me less than 5 minutes to take down the old set down and put the new set up. When they come out of the wash, they go right back into the same bin.

Also wanted to say that I started watching your channel in April. You inspired me to completely review my whole apartment and go on a declutter marathon. I only moved here 7 years ago and it was brand new. I had been careful about what I brought with me then. Even though I am extremely well organised and fastidiously clean, I was surprised by what I ended up decluttering. I lost count of the boxes and bags of stuff I decluttered. I took it drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard, day by day. I just did a little everyday. And sometimes I went for hours but it was actually addictive and fun. I even ended up nearly emptying my storage room. I had stuff from my parents that I held on to and it's all gone with only the precious things left now. I also made sure everything that belonged together was reorganised. I was surprised by how many easy solutions and ideas kept popping into my head to streamline my home. Once I started, I just kept on rolling until I finished a few days ago. I am by no means a minimalist, but I also think this depends on your point of view. I have only kept things that have meaning and add something to my home. I have moved things around and looked at everything with a fresh eye. I found things I had forgotten about and displayed these in a fresh new way. I feel like I have picked up a moved to a whole new home because I have refreshed everything. I have also looked at a few other channels but I feel yours is probably the best! So well done and thank you for the inspiration and ideas!

I'm a label remover too! Here's a tip, instead of pouring hot water into a container to soften the label, place the container with the label on it into a pot with warm water and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. It softens the label and also dampens it, so it's easy to scrape off any remaining residue. This works great on containers that still have something in them. As always, thanks for sharing your tips!

Great tips and ideas. I always learn something from your videos. A couple of ideas to consider. I use eucalyptus oil (readily available here in Australia) to remove sticky labels, etc. It always works like a treat and on anything and everything. Also leaves a great fragrance. It's also a good oil to use with your tip for the felt pads in stinky areas. My mum always added a few drops to a paper towel and popped into the garbage liner for bins. I also suggest using a hair dryer to get fluff and dust and pet hair from underneath difficult to reach cabinets, beds or shelves, when the vacuum doesn't fit under or reach all the way.. Just blow out the dust, etc. and vacuum. up.

These are such great tips! I love the idea of using a felt pad with essential oil to stick anywhere convenient! I similarly use essential oil on an extra washcloth in my suitcase where i store off season clothes. Lavender or peppermint keeps away bugs and makes it so they don't smell musty when it's time to bring them out again.

Hi Benita and friends, want to share with all of you that when studying to be a dental hygienist we used a frayed toothpick to remove plaque and stains:) This is a good technique for people to do between visits to the dentist!

Your apartment is looking so good and stylish

Hi Benita, love your channel and implemented many of your wonderful ideas. Today I wanted to share that I use brown paper lunch bags ( they very inexpensive) to scoop the kitty litter to minimize the plastic waste. It works great.

I never want your videos to end Benita, they always are inspiring. I hope you have a happy week x

My favourite product to remove glue residue is hand sanitizer gel. I learnt this when I started art journaling and mixed media which is a hobby that uses all kinds of glues. It’s a tip from Tim Holtz and it works wonders.

Great ideas Benita! I will try your tips for dealing with sticky labels as they get on my nerves and I have short neat nails that are not strong enough to scrape labels off. The cute solution for fruit flies is another good one for us. I put essential oil on a cotton wool ball and put it in my vacuum cleaner to freshen the house as I vacuum. This is easier for me because as an asthmatic I don't buy or use air freshener sprays. Keep making these lovely videos Benita. Love Vera in ireland

The fly trap is a great idea the apple didn't fall far from the tree! 🥰

We are 9 days away from Spring here and the spice jar hack is great timing. I use tiny sauce bowls but last Spring I tipped one over. Willie's tip is much better & can be hidden. I'm so glad to hear someone else say "Sellotape". 😊 Bonus is such a treat when getting his brush on. 😻

I have struggled with my plastic wrap and aluminum foil for months! I bought a big wooden box designed to hold and dispense them. A giant headache as the wrap and foil fell back into the box after being cut and I couldn't find the edge when I needed another piece. Your idea to install the cutting edge directly on the drawer is genius! Now, the wooden box is gone, the plastic wrap and aluminum foil rolls take up much less space, the cutter is attached to the drawer, I can always find the edge and life is good!! Thank you so much.

Your tips and minimalist living space are inspiring, Benita - and it just makes me happy watching Bonus get brushed. My cat loves being brushed, too. Thank you!

I'm always so happy to see one of your videos pop up ! I'm a label remover too . Lovely to see Bonas is looking well . Thanks Benita , have a great day . 💕🇨🇦

Yay! ❤ I think I get as much enjoyment watching Bonus get brushed as he does receiving the brushing ❤

You always come up with the greatest ideas Benita! Thank you ❤

As usual, you come up with the best ideas for keeping a home organised and clean, Benita. Thank you for sharing these tricks with us.

Storing candles in the baking tin, brilliant! So many good ideas! ❤

I love your organizing ideas! I’m also a label remover. It makes my day better to not be met with garish labels and colors meeting me first thing in the morning as I get ready for the day. My preference of laundry detergent comes in a blue bottle and the detergent is blue. Blue is not my color. I thought of decanting it into a jar, but it is still blue. I never thought about buying a bottle of something else once that has a nice bottle and saving it to decant into! At this point I have just been sitting the detergent between the washer and the wall so I only have to see it when I am using it. 😂 Ironically, I just cleaned my waffle iron with a toothpick yesterday. I say we must be kindred spirits. 😁

Wonderful tips & tricks! Nothing beats having a clean orderly fresh smelling home like yours. So relaxing to watch. Have a lovely evening 🥰 nice seeing Bonus too 😻

My little tip is that I keep my food compost container in the fridge, so it doesn’t smell at all! 😅 I used to have a problem of having too little compost to throw it away every couple of days and also small flies would always start flying around if I wait any longer to collect some compost worth taking out. So I decided to buy a small bin for the fridge, it worked so well! No smell in the apartment anymore, no smell in the fridge either! Edit: oh and I forgot to say that because I don’t use those sliding bins for veggies (I forget about anything that goes there), that’s the place I have my compost bin at so I don’t feel weird about the trash being next to food.

What a great video, Benita! You never disappoint. I love creating small tools for cleaning, but I get the most mileage out of small sticks! You made my day, Benita, now I can sleep like an angel. 💖

Thanks, Benita! One of my favorite tips has to do with plastic garbage cans. I drill two half inch holes in the sides about two inches up from the bottom. It helps relieve the suction of the bag and is high enough up that you can still wash out the bottom when needed.

So timely for me! We are facing an almost complete move-out to facilitate replacement of our 50-year-old heating system with geothermal heat and cooling. I'm excited but daunted by the process. It's great motivation to channel my inner Benita, and I'm trying to focus on the joy of creating a space that makes me calm and happy when it's all over, rather than the upheaval of the actual project!

Thank you

Try soaking the stickers in WD-40. That removes the glue pretty good

Always something to learn from you ! Thank you Benita❣

Thank you for the toothpick tip. I will definitely be using it. I use a lot of coconut oil and when the glass jars are empty I place them in an aluminum bowl of warm water and let it sit. That usually removes the entire label. I then use the jars for seasonings that I purchase in bulk. I also use command strip hooks to hang oven mitts inside of the cabinet drawer where the cookware is. This is a great space saver.

I love problem solving, too. Your ideas are brilliant!! Great channel.

Great tips! What a cozy video! Thank you, Benita 🥰

Thank you for making such great videos with the best tips! 🙂

Thanks for the great tips. Love your channel ❤️

Love this video. A lot of great tips. Thank you Benita 😊

Yessss I have two of those baking pans that i only use in winter and I know exactly what I’m going to store in them!! ✌🏼💚

everything looks so nice. Thanks for sharing,

Thank you Benita! 🤩

Hello Benita! 😄 I love using different containers (that are not meant for the purpose that they were made for) to store candles. Great ideas for fruit flies - they can be very annoying. I have a few of those square or round planters from Ikea and I use them to store a lot of different things. I never used to like to cook, but when COVID came about - I learned how to cook great meals from RU-vid - quick, easy and healthy meals - now I enjoy it! One of my biggest pet peeves are sticky labels - I do not enjoy removing labels, but it bothers me not to remove them. I don't really have any smart ideas that come to mind right now, but I loved seeing your smart ideas. Thank you, Benita - enjoy your week! 🌸💮🌸

I luv vino, too! The corks make great fillers for the bottom of plant pots; filling a space that dirt can settle in and making the pot weight lighter and easier to move about.

I love all your videos. I find them so relaxing after a busy day but also inspiring. ❤

Thank you for this useful Ideas . ❤👍🏼🙏🏼

I smiled when you mentioned adding extra gravy to Bonus's dinner, that's just what happens with our kitty! Really liked all your tips especially adding essential oils to a felt pad for masking trash odors. We're moving into spring down here (NZ), the days are a little longer and the birds singing more.

I never thought of removing labels for a cleaner look but I love it!

Thank you for sharing these tips ❤

Love your toothpick tip and your little holder! So cute! I put essential oil (like lemon or orange) in my baking soda in the refrigerator.

Love your cozy vlogs thank you 😊

Adhesive hooks on the inside of the cupboard door under the sink in the kitchen to hold a dish towel and the dish scrub brush. And a hook in the bathroom sink cupboard for a cloth so I can wipe the counter of water splashes. Game changer.

Thank you so much for inspiring us to live cleaner, simpler lives! xo

I come from a long line of practical Swedish women. I think problem-solving is in our DNA.

The felt pad and essential oil trick is great! I also liked your trick with the napkin on the wine glass! Great ideas in this video! Relaxing, as always! Thanks, Benita! ❤😊

Great tips! Thank you! 😊

I love Bonus ❤ He's such a lovely kitty!

Great tips, Benita! Thanks 💐

I do so enjoy your videos! Not only for the content but, I take the time to sit and watch with a cup of tea in hand for a lovely start to my day! Thank you so much for sharing! 😀

I LOVED this Benita! I also consider problem solving to be a favorite past time, and also take the labels off things. I love the essential oil tip for the trash can!

Another inspiring video- thanks, Benita😍 Love the square planters for storage, nerd to look for some of those!

Ótimas ideias!

In summer I reuse plastic and paper bags as mini bin bags, and keep food scraps in the fridge, so the bin doesn’t attract flies, and it’s less likely to get smelly. Banana peel can get smelly fast. I also let teabags dry out before adding them to the bag in the fridge. You can the carton bit of toilet or kitchen roll to the bag as well to help with moisture absorption. If it’s a good plastic bag, you can even use them for the leftover oil from things like tinned fish. P.S. I also use oil to get stickers off from things. I wet the sticky area with some washing up liquid and some water first. Most of the time with ceramics and glassware that works straight away, for heavy duty stuff the oil will be my go to method.

Such great ideas Benita! I made a note of many of them and will go round the house to see which ones I can use. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for all the hard work you do to make these great videos. Hello from hot and sunny Florida, USA!

I did find your ideas useful, thank you so much! Such a nice video, you did a great job.

Great ideas, all of them. I’m particularly going to try the cat food one as I have that same issue. Lovely to see Mr Bonus being so affectionate and looking so happy 😻

What a joy you are Benita. I love your videos so much and i love Bonus! I love the idea for using the spice jars for the fruit flys and I am going to try that for our Australian summer! Thanks for the tips!

The fruit fly trap is genius! So much neater than the cling-film version! Thanks!

I love your idea with the stick on felt pads and oils.

Such great tips, as always! 🌻 Hugs to Bonus, a sweet gentleman indeed. ❤

I love the idea to use the spice jars for fruit fly traps. I have empty two spice jars on hand and will have to give this a try.😊

Great suggestions. Thank you. It is hard to believe you have been in your new place that long. Time flies. You have done it up so well.

Thank you for sharing these hacks! I can definitely identify with you when it comes to removing labels off products, so I really appreciate the solutions for removing those not-so-easy-to-peel-off ones!!

Another great video. Off to clean my remote, have never done it before. Thanks Benita. Hope you are still keeping well.

Gracias.

Great ideas, thanks for sharing.

Thank you 🌷🌷🌹🌹

In North America we have product for removing stubborn labels that is called ‘ Goo be Gone’.

I spent 19 cozy minutes 😊 thank you

Thanks for your useful tips. Apart from oil I also use a cotton wool ball soaked in nail polish remover for removing the glue residue of labels

So many great ideas ❤

Merci beaucoup pour toutes tes petites idées tres utiles. Belle journée

Very helpful, thank you

Thanks Benita. Will definitely use the felt sticker in my bin. Re label removal - I use eucalyptus oil to remove sticky residues. Another favourite is a 'magic eraser'.

Thank you for all the great tips! Especially the spice bottle one! I'm going to get a few bottles not only for fruit flies, but also for my wardrobes( put a cotton ball+ a few drops of essential oil) and in the fridge (for bicarbonate)!

Your apartment is beautiful. I so enjoy all of your videos. I am slowly moving into minimalism and I am enjoying the journey. I am also a q-tip, toothbrush, toothpick cleaner as well. They certainly get the job done. I will definitely try the essential oil and felt pad trick. Thank you so much!

Love the trick for odor reducer with the scented oil. I have small glass crystals made for placing in closets,etc where you want a nice clean scent. You just drop essential oil onto them and it smells great! Great tips Benita!

Re oil for removing labels: the oil trick works super well if you use oil that has menthol or eucalyptus in it! a furniture mover showed me this trick because he often has to unpack clumsily packed and taped items.

Nice video! I regularly watch your videos and Nidones (Japanese) for home related ideas. I have learnt a lot from you two. So thank you!

Love your videos! I find hand sanitizer works great to remove sticky labels!

Tea tree oil works on everything every time for sticky things and smells great 😊

Your relationship with your cat is precious 🥰

I love that idea for using the felt with essential oils, going to try that in our bathrooms

Genius ideas thanks Benita.

We also have a picky, spoiled older kitty. He'll only eat one particular wet food and only eats it when it's wet, similar to what you're saying with Bonus. We've experimented a bunch but have found that blending up the food with water is the right consistency for our senior kitty -- it's very liquid-y but this has been the best way to keep our senior at a healthy weight.

Every little tip....makes a useful idea....I too have a used a few of them in the past...I have an small handkerchief of my mum's....and I've used fabric softener on it many times ....just clipped up in my airing cupboard my towels and bedding smile just like being at home ...many years ago..she used to put a cloth with some furniture polish on it and tucked behind a radiator in the hallway for if we knew were having visitors...😊

Thanks for the tip with the spice jar! I use so far the fruit fly trap from Trapango. However, the glass version is much nicer. For label residue, orange essential oil is the most effective. Cheap orange oil from the drugstore will do. A few drops and the adhesive residue is gone and it smells pleasantly of orange.

I love your countertops!

Great tips 👍 thank you

I Ioved and tried your idea of removing the label by pouring hot water! It works wonder!! Thanks