Stepping into engineer Khoo Kay Keat's rented HUDC maisonette in Hougang is like venturing into a big storeroom.

While cardboard boxes are stacked against the walls, empty plastic bags, books and electrical appliances are strewn about the living room.

There are also bags of expired food - packets of instant noodles and soya sauce - on the dining room floor.

The storeroom itself is crammed with even more boxes and plastic bags.

The last time the house was given a thorough scrub, he confesses, was in 2004, when he moved in.

It is no wonder Khoo, 33, declines to be photographed for this story.

The bachelor shares the apartment with his older brother and a friend. Asked why no one has taken the initiative to clean the house, he says: 'We're all quite busy. I come home at about 9pm on weekdays and am too tired to do housework.

'On weekends, we give priority to other household chores like doing the laundry and cleaning the toilets.'

And since they are renting the place for only a few years, they say it doesn't make sense to invest in storage furniture.

It's a good thing that Tony Chin, general manager of operations from Howards Storage World, is used to seeing messy homes.

Part of his job entails visiting people's living spaces and advising them on how to optimise storage space.

Tasked with finding order amid the chaos in Khoo's living room, he notes with a chuckle: 'They don't throw anything away.'

Then he gets down to business quickly.

First to go are the empty plastic bags and expired food items.

His advice is simple: 'Throw away anything that you don't need.'

The lack of storage space and inadequate shelving are usually the reasons for messy living rooms, he notes.

'Anything that can be stored in boxes and containers, store them. Install racks and proper shelving systems,' he says.

Even simple aids like umbrella stands and hooks on doors can do wonders to make the room neater, he adds.

After clearing the room of litter, he set about moving some furniture based on a layout principle he refers to as 'length to length' or 'square off'.

In this method, furniture pieces are arranged such that their length and height tally with those of the wall they are put against.

This helps to maximise space, thus making the room look less crowded, he says.

He also cleared another table of plastic bags and moved an old television set from the floor to the tabletop.

He then stacked some containers and cardboard boxes together and placed them against the walls.

Simple though the steps were, the results were dramatic - the room suddenly seemed a lot more spacious.

It was still far from being spick and span. But where the floor was once buried underneath an assortment of containers and plastic bags, there is now room even to do push-ups.

Amazingly, the whole process took only about half an hour.

Pleased with the results, Khoo says: 'A little bit of reorganisation can make a lot of difference.'

A single spring-cleaning session is not enough though. As Chin puts it: 'Cleaning the house should be a regular habit, not an annual affair.'

TOP TIPS TO MAKE YOUR TURF TIP-TOP

We sought the help of Kenny Chia, visual merchandising manager of Courts Singapore, and an interior design spokesman for Ikea for some general tips on how to whip your home into shape.

STEP 1: GET STARTED

- Take a bold step and throw out whatever you don't need. As a general rule, anything you haven't used in the last six months belongs in the trash.

- Categorise things you want to keep according to a system that you can remember. Start by placing items you want in a box for easy sorting. Tackle the bigger items first as they're easier to spot and get out of the way.

- There is a place for everything. So put each item that you want in its place, such as ornaments in display cabinets and books on bookshelves.

- To aid cleaning, ensure there is easy access to your brooms and mops by keeping them together - either behind the door or in a slide-out rack.

STEP 2: AVOID COMMON PITFALLS

- Instead of leaving newspapers and magazines on the coffee table or sofa, use magazine racks or baskets.

- Clusters of loose wires can look really untidy. Bundle them together and place them in an open storage box out of sight, such as under the table or in a corner.

- Ensure that bills are filed away after they have been paid, newspapers are recycled every weekend, cushions are put back on the sofa and books are returned to shelves after use. It's easier to maintain a neat room than to clean up a messy one.

STEP 3: GET ORGANISED

- Storage boxes look good and keep things organised. They are useful for frequently used knick-knacks like photo albums, CDs or even letters. They can either be tucked away from view, such as in the storeroom or under beds, or sit in the living area as part of the display. Those with lids can also double as side tables to free up sitting space for guests.

- Furniture with hidden storage is very useful for getting the mess out of sight quickly, especially when you are expecting guests. Some examples are storage ottomans, coffee tables with compartments and storage beds.

- If you have many decorative items, consider display cabinets with a combination of open shelving and closed cabinets. The latter can be used to tuck away unsightly items, like loose bills, while the open ones can be used to display decor pieces.

- Wall space is just as good as floor space. Move your sofa away from the wall and fix a shelf behind it. Display your books or ornaments on the shelf and use the space behind the couch to store any items that are not often used. You can also use wall cabinets to create more storage room.

- Chests of drawers are practical options when it comes to storage. They are usually free-standing pieces that can be used to store items like bedlinen, towels, clothes and bags while the tops provide display space for ornaments. They also come in different heights and widths so they can be configured according to your needs.

- Buy products that can multi-task. For instance, if you need to segment your living room as well as have more storage space, consider an open shelving unit that can double up as a partition. Get one with adjustable shelves so that you can configure it to suit your needs.

- Clashes in themes and colours will contribute to a messy-looking home. So plan your home decor scheme properly.

Michelle Tay