Home Organization & Storage Ideas

Keeping your home organized can feel like an uphill battle, no matter how much space you have. It probably feels like all hands on deck when you're faced with room after room filled with endless clutter.

Don't worry, home organization is totally possible. Just follow these three basic steps:

• Create an Organizational Checklist
• Gather Your Organization-Inspired Supplies
• Plan to Keep It Clean

Remember, you've got this! Just sit back, relax, and open yourself up to suggestions for getting your home back in tip-top shape!

Before you start moving anything around, sit down and make a plan. Thrive Global recommends visualizing your organizational plan to have a better outcome. One way to do this is to draw out the rooms you’re trying to organize.

Plan out where your furniture will go and where your storage solutions will be. As you plan them out, think about the functionality of the space and what it will be like to actually live in.

By creating zones within your rooms, you can designate areas that are meant for specific purposes, says blogger Abby Lawson. For example, take your main room. It’s not just a living room. It’s where you eat, where your kids do homework, and sometimes where you work from home.

Designate areas of a room into specific zones to keep clutter down and keep things organized. Decide on an area that’s intended for eating, a corner for your work-from-home space, and an area that doubles as a playroom for the kids. You’ll find things staying in their zones, rather than having the mess explode everywhere.

Next, take the time to go through your belongings to purge and declutter. There may be some fear associated with this. It can be challenging to get rid of possessions. Chances are if you haven’t used an item in a year, it's not worth keeping. Look to sell, donate, or trash as much as you can. The less stuff you have in your home, the less you'll have to organize.

One thing that can make this process easier is categorizing your items. You can have a category for things that mean the most to you or that are tied to memories, a category for the belongings you use every day, one for work supplies, another for toys, etc.

From there, make an inventory of your items. As you keep and update your list, you’ll know what is coming into and going out of your home. Rather than shopping for a new item, first shop your inventory and see if you have something already.

One of the key reasons clutter happens is that your belongings don’t have a home. Rather than just storing them wherever they fit at the time, they need to each have a specific place where they go after use. It’s important to be strict as a family or the clutter will inevitably return.

As you’re deciding where everything should go, try to get things off the floor. Use bins, bookcases, pegboards, whatever works to make your home look & feel tidier. Also, never underestimate the power of vertical space!

Yes, you love that single-purpose kitchen gadget the one time you use it every year. But the rest of the time, it’s just sitting there taking up space. Single-purpose items can quickly have you overrun with clutter because they are so niche in their function.

Instead, opt for double-duty or multi-purpose items. These will provide you with the tools necessary to accomplish whatever task is before you without wasting space.

You know the empty space under your stairs? Why not increase its usability with drawers? There are countless ways to incorporate drawers into your home’s basic structure.

Rather than using the space under your bed to shove the unexpected item when you don’t want to deal with it, utilize that space intentionally by investing in under-the-bed storage. It’s a great place to store out-of-season clothes, wrapping paper, or seasonal decorations.

Your items will be kept out of sight and out of mind until they're needed.

• https://justagirlandherblog.com/how-to-get-organized-when-you-live-in-a-small-house/
• https://prettysimpledays.com/2020/02/03/how-to-organize-a-small-space-10-tips-to-maximize-tiny-homes/
• https://thriveglobal.com/stories/8-tips-to-organize-a-small-house/