26 REAL Ideas to Get Organized at Home. Make this your year.
26 Ideas to Get Organized at Home
With all of the hats that we wear everyday, it’s no wonder that we’re all searching for the best ideas to get organized at home. Below are my favorite tips. Ones that help keep me stay sane and ‘with it’. I hope you’re sitting down, as there are 26 of them. 😉
1. Keys – Making a central place for keys to relax keeps them off tabletops and countertops and out of the way. It also makes them easier to find, saving you time in the end, too.
2. Use drawers – But this tip comes with the same amount of warning as it does usefulness. Be careful that your drawers are not becoming overly cluttered. Too much in one drawer, and you might as well lose it all. Organizing dividers like these or these can help.
3. Desktop – Keep only the items on your desktop that you use frequently. Otherwise, file, file, file to stay on top of those to-do lists.
4. Cords – Using zip ties or velcro ties like these ones here are a great way to keep cords organized, giving an immediate clean look.
5. Mail – Use the one touch rule. Only one touch to put it in it’s final destination, whatever “it” is. And, if that’s the garbage, well . . . that’s quite alright. Avoid piles of useless mail.
6. Phone station – Have a place for your phones and other electronic devices. Give them a home just in case you need them quickly, or want to know where they are when you need them.
7. The couch – Although I am a HUGE fan of throw pillows. . . they’re not always great for keeping things picked up. Speaking from experience in a “pre-children” life where we purchased a couch that would “have all sorts of fun accent pillows” to dress it up. Grrr . . . now, the floors are always decorated with said throw pillows. Not exactly the look I was going for. Less is more in this case.
8. Nightstands – Keep your nightstands clear with an alarm clock, and maybe a lamp or picture. Waking up to a cluttered nightstand is no fun at all.
9. Under beds – The storage under your bed is well . . . priceless. Whether it be for sheet storage, out of season clothing, shoes, whatever . . . make it work for you. Lots of retailers have covered storage bins that fit quite nicely. Although it’s probably not the best place for bigger items like bulky comforters, it will work for many other things.
10. Toys – Having babies means having lots of toys. And, there are usually toys everywhere. To keep all these fun toys organized and clean, create a favorites bag that can travel and be cleaned up easily after each time the baby is done playing in that area.
11. Toy box, no lid – It goes without saying that a toy box with a lid is going to become the keeper of all things non-toys. When you have a toy box without a lid, you’re forced to keep it tidy, and not overflowing. This also makes it easier for the kiddos to find what they want to play with.
12. Kids’ Closets – Use hanging organizers like these to organize the kids closets in a flash. And, don’t worry about what you can use them for. Instead, worry that you can’t fit enough of them in the closet. They’re seriously awesome. From a place to organize outfits for the upcoming week, to shoes, to underwear, sports gear and more, you’ll have no problems using that otherwise wasted space.
13. Cooking – Keep items that you use often near where you cook to avoid a hassle when you’re ready to use them. These would be items that you use atleast twice a week. Otherwise, keep all other items in a cupboard near your cooking station.
14. Dishes – Fun fact: It takes an average of 4 minutes to unload the dishwasher. But, like myself, you may have spent hours dreading the task of unloading it, clogging up precious brainpower – have you? Do it now. You’ll thank yourself later.
15. The refrigerator – Clear storage cases are your friend, for sure. Cheese, butter, cream cheese, anything that you don’t use all of it and then throw it in a drawer only to get moldy. All of these things should go in clear containers. Amazon has some really great deals on nice clear food storage sets.
16. Leftovers – Give leftovers a special spot in your pantry or fridge. This way people know where to go to find them, or where to eat from first.
17. Canned Goods – Keep canned goods easily visible with the labels pointed towards you is a great idea. Using a lazy susan or tiered shelving unit may also be nice to be sure you don’t buy more than you need.
18. Spices – There’s nothing worse than trying to find a spice that you thought you had, only to find out it’s not there. Organize spices so they’re in clear containers with easy-to-read labels. Something like this or this will help.
19. Dishes – Put all of your dishes and glasses together, organized by size and nearest to where you actually use them. That way you aren’t likely to break any or cause a mess when it’s time to use them.
20. Pots & Pans – Whenever and wherever possible, nest your pots and pans inside eachother for easy storage and to maximize space. Store the lids in a larger bin or spare box or in a device like this. That way they’re together and organized, but out of the way.
21. Wall mounted shelves – Things like hanging pot racks, or hanging wall shelves make a big difference when you need that extra storage and they’re not too pricey, either.
22. Kitchen table – Store everything you need for meals like salt, pepper, ketchup and more an a tray or lazy susan so you can keep it out, cutting down on cleanup, yet keeping it centralized.
23. Dining table – Keep it clear, always, always, always make sure your table is clean at the end of the day and throughout the day as much as possible. Once one thing is laid down, it makes it that much easier for another, and another and another to be laid down.
24. Shower – Use a wire rack that hangs from the shower head to store items and keep them organized. There’s nothing worse than kicking over every bottle of shampoo, conditioner and body wash on your way into the shower.
25. Bath toys – Oh, the ‘ol bath toys. Can’t live with ’em and can’t live without ’em. Get a larger plastic bin and keep it in a closet on a rubber mat – or under the sink. It’ll need to drain properly so buy one with holes in the bottom or use a drill to make holes.
26. Laundry – This will be the least helpful, most well-known, yet hardest tip to execute on this post. Fold your laundry out of the dryer the first time. No “fluffing” for an extra round in the dryer, just simply remove from the dryer and fold it. Like the dishwasher nonsense above . . . you’ll thank yourself later.
There you are, my tips. Do you have any to add? See gadgets to make your hearth and home a happier and more organized place here.
See articles that I’ve written on home organization: