Denver, CO
Organizing your home can feel daunting, especially if you feel like you lack the skillset. But the truth is—anyone can become organized with a few pointers and some practice. Here are my seven home organizing secrets!
1) Eliminate Excess: Be ruthless in letting go of items you no longer need or use. This is a critical first step, as the more stuff we have, the harder it is to manage and stay organized. Make it a habit to regularly assess your key storage areas (drawers, cabinets, and closets) and eliminate excess. This helps prevent the accumulation of unnecessary items and keeps your spaces tidy. If you’re just starting out, make a list of the spaces in your home that are causing you the most stress, prioritize them, and then tackle them one at a time. Go through your belongings and decide what to keep, donate, or discard. Drop off your donation bags right away to avoid them becoming clutter!
2) Categorize & Assign: The key to staying organized is having a specific spot in your home for every type of item you own. So, for example, having one closet where all the winter coats live, one drawer where the batteries live, one cabinet where the games live, etc.
This will help you maintain order and prevent clutter from accumulating because it is easy to find things and put things away when everything has a place. Once you’ve determined where a category is going to live, use storage containers, bins, baskets, hooks, and shelves to keep similar items together, contained, and easily accessible. When your designated spot for a category overflows with stuff, it’s time to go through it and declutter.
3) Put it away, not down: Once you have a designated space for everything, make it a habit to always put items away versus down on a surface. Make it a game with your kids - pretend your kitchen counters are hot lava and anything touching them will burn (hey, whatever works, lol). This keeps clutter at bay, keeping your home tidy and your mind peaceful. It also saves you time in the long run because you don’t have to spend large amounts of time cleaning up if you're regularly putting things away.
4) Utilize Vertical Space: This can truly transform your storage capacity, especially if you’re limited in space. Maximize vertical areas such as walls, the backs of doors, the insides of doors, or even shelves that are far apart. For example, you can install wall-mounted laundry drying racks if you don't have space for floor racks.
Or, try installing hooks on walls or the back of doors for things like hats, cooking aprons, or cleaning tools like mops and brooms. I used clear Command Hooks for this hat wall.
Elfa Door Racks are great for the inside of your doors. I use them a lot in pantries for food items, office closets for wrapping paper, and mudrooms for dog leashes and other daily essentials. Door racks expand your storage capacity and can be used in lots of creative ways.
Also, don’t forget about stackable bins and drawers for shelves with a lot of vertical space between them. It’s a great way to maximize all that dead space.
5) Rotate Seasonal Items: This is a big one with my clients and even in my own home. Store away seasonal items in labeled bins, containers, or racks, such as winter/summer clothing, holiday decorations, and outdoor sports equipment (skis/kayaks).
Rotate these items in and out of storage as needed, keeping only the current season's items accessible. So, in the Spring, put away those heavy winter clothes and swap them out with your light summer clothing. In the fall, do the same thing; it will take very little of your time twice a year. This will free up space and reduce clutter in your everyday living areas for the items you use regularly. I used Sterilite totes for this basement storage room. I like them because they come in several sizes, providing variety while maintaining a consistent look.
6) Be Mindful: Now that you’ve decluttered your home and created an effective organizing system, pause before you go shopping and think through where these new items will live in your closet or home. Do you have space to incorporate them into your storage system? If it’s something you really need or want, use the "one in, one out" rule to make space for the new item. Avoid impulse purchases and think critically about whether new items serve a purpose or add value to your life. By limiting incoming clutter, you can maintain a more organized environment with less effort.
7) Go to bed in peace: Every night before bed, tidy up. When everything is organized and you have less stuff, this will only take 5 to 10 minutes. Make this a consistent habit. Don’t skip it, even when you’re tired. Put away toys, wrangle the socks and shoes, put dishes in the dishwasher, clean the kitchen counters, fluff the couch pillows, etc. This gives you peace of mind when your head hits the pillow, AND it makes for a glorious morning to enter a tidy family room!
I hope you find these tips helpful! If you don't want to go at it alone, reach out! We're here to make the process easy and fun.