These clever home organization hacks will make your life easier and help you stay organized effortlessly. Get the clutter under control and get the whole household on the same page!
Getting organized brings can really simplify your life, especially if you can train your kids or roommates or other household members to put things back where they belong. Get ready to say goodbye to chaos and hello to a beautifully organized living environment.
Reasons to Declutter and Organize
Living in a cluttered space can be overwhelming and stressful. It’s time to take control of your home and make sure everything has its place.
Do you often find yourself wasting valuable time searching for things that aren’t where they should be? Or do you trip over piles of clutter?
These organizing tips will help you reclaim your space and bring some peace and tranquility back to your home.
A well-organized home saves you time by making it easier to find things when you need them. No more hunting through drawers or rummaging through closets!
And that means less stress and fewer arguments from household members accusing each other of misplacing or taking things.
Many of these tips will apply to every room in your home.
1. Countertops: Use Bins, Baskets and Storage Containers
Start by decluttering your countertops. In the kitchen, keep only the essentials like a coffee maker or toaster, and store other appliances neatly in cabinets or designated storage areas.
When you’re organizing bathrooms, get everything into drawers and cabinets as much as possible. Items you want to leave on the counter should have a designated spot just for them.
One of the best hacks, however, is to use baskets or bins to hold these items. Why?
Because when it comes time to clean, you only need to pick up a bin or two instead of each little bottle of toiletries. Clean under it, and boom – you’re done.
It also helps you keep things where they belong. Something about bins makes it easier to remember exactly where things belong.
2. Drawer Dividers
Use drawer dividers to efficiently organize bathroom and kitchen drawers. Sort items by function, such as cooking utensils, serving spoons, and cutlery, for easy access.
Drawer organizers make it easier to stack small items and get more use out of the drawer. It also may catch spills and protect the drawer from getting damaged or dirty.
3. Organize Your Bathroom or Linen Closet
You’ll get way more use out of this space if you get some baskets or bins to hold things. We actually have a whole post on how to organize a bathroom closet.
4. Over the Door Hanger Organizers
One genius trick I learned when living in small apartments was to hang over-the-door storage shelves everywhere I could. This makes use of the door area which would otherwise not hold anything!
You can get so many different styles of these. I’ve used them to hold books, toiletries, spices, and even as drying racks in a small laundry room.
These get items off of shelves and out of drawers, leaving more room in shelves and drawers for other things. It’s brilliant.
5. Front Door Inbox
Set up an area inside your home to collect random stuff like the mail that people tend to bring in and just drop somewhere randomly.
This is also a great place to put keys. And receipts for things you’ve bought and might need to return. Just remember to clear out the receipts once the return window expires.
If doesn’t have to be at the front door, but it’s best to put it close to whatever entryway your family uses most.
This is a great organizing hack because it keeps important items from getting lost in the shuffle.
6. Shower Caddies
A tension rod shower caddy really maximizes your space for personal care items and keeps them in easy reach when you’re showering or bathing.
Most will hold some bottles of hair product, soap and a few other items – probably all you need!
7. Under Sink Organizers
Anywhere you have a cabinet at a sink, an under sink organizer can make much better use of that space. They can be in the form of stacking drawers or shelves.
You can put labeled bins on them, too.
8. Organize Your Pantry
If you have a pantry, maximize your storage by arranging items into zones for different food categories. Group items like canned goods, spices, baking supplies, and snacks together for easy retrieval.
Again, bins can help by allowing you to stack some items – or just by keeping them from falling over.
9. Under Bed Storage
Get some slide-out under the bed storage boxes or bins and make use of that space. Store out-of-season clothing, extra bedding, or shoes in these discreet compartments.
You can also store books, kids’ school papers – anything you don’t need to access regularly.
10. Organize Closets
Again, we’ve got a whole post on this. Whatever size closet you have, you’ll get more out of it if you organize your closet space well.
Create an efficient closet organizing system with designated sections for different types of clothing (shirts, pants, dresses). Use hanging organizers for accessories like belts and scarves.
11. Laundry Hampers
Make sure there are laundry hampers in places where people will use them, especially kids. Clothes on the floor not only mean ending up with nothing to wear, but also can lead to clothes getting moldy or torn.
12. Storage Ottomans and Furniture
Ottomans with hidden storage are great for stashing blankets or magazines, while coffee tables with drawers can hold remote controls and other small items.
I don’t recommend seating with storage because in my experience they’re never very comfortable for seating.
13. Floating Shelves
Install floating shelves on blank walls to create additional storage space for books, plants, or decorative items. Even just a few of these can add significant storage.
14. Toy Storage
If you have kids, maintaining toy organization can be a challenge. It’s so important to have labeled bins or baskets to store toys and encourage kids to clean up their rooms after playtime.
This is a valuable life skills lesson for them as well as making your life easier.
15. Pegboards
Pegboards are great for organizing in garages, craft rooms and home offices. Install pegboards on the walls and use them to hang items you reach for all the time.
In the garage, they’re great for holding tools, and it’s so nice to be able to just look at everything on a wall. In a home office, they can hold scissors, papers, and anything that goes in a binder clip.
I don’t recommend them so much for kitchens, because they can be hard to clean.
16. Establish a Filing System
Every household has some important documents you need to keep track of. File them in labeled folders or binders. Organize them by category (bills, receipts, contracts) for easy retrieval.
It doesn’t matter if you use a file cabinet or a simple accordion file, so long as you do it.
17. Ceiling Racks and Hooks
In garages and kitchens, sometimes the ceiling can be a great space to hang some items.
In kitchens, you can hang pots and pans above a kitchen island or counter. In the garage, you can install ceiling hooks or racks to hang bicycles, ladders, or fishing rods. This frees up floor space for other storage needs.
18. Organize Your Workbench
Keep your workbench clutter-free by using magnetic strips to hold metal tools and small jars or containers to corral nuts, bolts, and screws.
Maintaining Your Organized Home
Now that you’ve got things organized, it’s important to start habits that will help you maintain it.
- Daily Cleaning and Organizing: Dedicate a few minutes each day to tidying up common areas like the kitchen counters or living room surfaces. This prevents clutter from accumulating and becoming overwhelming.
- Monthly Decluttering Sessions: Set aside time each month to reassess belongings and declutter any unnecessary items. Donate or discard things that no longer serve a purpose in your life.
- Storage Evaluation: Regularly review the effectiveness of your storage solutions. Adjustments may be necessary as your needs change over time.
- Establish Habits: Don’t let other household members sabotage your best home organization efforts. Encourage them to put things back in their designated places after use. This helps maintain order and prevents items from being misplaced.
- Celebrate Progress: Be proud of your efforts! You’re making your home the most organized it can be, so reward yourself for your efforts.