15 Tips for Organizing Your Home
15 Tips for Organizing Your Home
Not sure where to start? Use this list to get inspired. Whether you have five minutes or five hours, there are organizing ideas here that can help you.
1. No matter what you’re organizing – closets, drawers, cupboards, or anything else – start by going through the space and removing what doesn’t belong there. It might be trash, or it might just belong in a different room, but it will be easier to organize what you do need in the space when you get rid of what you don’t need.
2. No matter what organizing project you approach, start by sorting into three piles: keep, throw away, or donate. Because there is such an overabundance of stuff in the world, some charities aren’t taking donations or are much more particular about what they will take. Don’t use a charity to get rid of your damaged items, but don’t be too quick to toss them in the landfill either. Check out our recycling resources to see if some of your discarded items can be recycled.
3. If you use containers, choose clear ones and label them. Whether you’re working on a pantry, a closet, or even a bathroom, containers can help contain the chaos and keep what you do need to have organized in a logical way.
4. Don’t let overwhelm get in the way of organizing your home. Instead of looking at your entire home as one project, break it down into manageable pieces.
Do you have 10 minutes before you leave for work in the morning that you’re not doing anything? Sort through all the mail on your dining room table and throw away the junk.
Spend 15 minutes after you put the kids to bed wiping down kitchen counters and putting things back in the cupboards that were left out after dinner.
Take 20 minutes to fold and put away laundry when you’re waiting for a Zoom call to start.
5. Get rid of the what ifs. What if I might need that someday? What if I lose enough weight to wear that again? What if the kids need these for next year? Storing what ifs clutters your space, adds stress, and keeps you from seeing what you have that you really do want to use.
6. Stop expecting perfection from yourself. Homes are to be lived in. Clutter is part of life (especially when you have kids at home). Time spent cuddling with your grandkids or holding hands with your husband is way more important than time spent cleaning out the pantry. Choose your moments. Do what you can. And then let it go.
7. When the clutter feels overwhelming, focus on things you can control. Do a walk-through of your home while carrying a basket. As you go through each room, add things to the basket that don’t belong in that room. When you get to the room they belong in, put them away. If you make a full circuit, in less than 30 minutes, you can accomplish a quick declutter.
8. A quick way to declutter the kitchen: go through the fridge, pantry, and spice cabinet with the trash can nearby and throw away anything that has expired.
9. Need to quickly declutter your bathroom? Round up all of the unopened bottles of lotion, shampoo, decorative soaps, and samples you have lying around that you’ll never use and donate them to a local women’s shelter.
10. Over-the-door hanging organizers with pockets aren’t just for shoes. Try using one in your kitchen to hold water bottles, in the kids’ rooms for holding toys or organizing underclothes, or in the bathroom for everything from the blow dryer to cotton balls.
11. Don’t wait to start. You might think you can’t accomplish anything unless you dedicate a day, but there is so much you can do to be more organized even with only five minutes. Things you can do in five minutes that make a big difference:
Make your bed.
Wipe down kitchen counters and the stove top.
Gather up loose change – from your purse, the table, the seat cushions, the car – and put it in a cup or jug to save for another day.
Walk through the house and gather up all the dirty laundry. If you have time, start a load.
Dust.
12. When organizing a closet, pantry, or any space, it can be helpful to take everything out of the space. Seeing the empty space helps you envision how to organize the space. It also forces you to evaluate whether or not you want to put each item back in the space. If you don’t have time to do the whole area at once, don’t get overwhelmed. Just focus on a single shelf or the floor of the closet, for example.
13. “If you don’t need it, get rid of it.” – Courtney Cox
14. Winter coats, hats, and gloves, and blankets are always welcome at homeless shelters. If you have older, torn blankets not suitable for donation to a shelter, contact your local SPCA or animal shelter. They often are in need of blankets.
15. Don’t forget digital organizing and decluttering. Some quick ideas when you have an extra 5-10 minutes:
Clean out your inbox. Delete all of the marketing emails and spam. Commit to replying to at least five people.
Empty your trash in your email and on your desktop to free space and clear out clutter.
Update your antivirus protection.
Create a filing structure. Find more about organizing digital files here.
Using distilled water and a soft cloth, clean your screen. Use compressed air to clean out your keyboard.
These 15 tips for organizing your home can help you get started on mor organization and less clutter right away. If you need more help, the Organizing Maniacs are always ready to help you!