How to Organize Your Home
The time has come to learn How to Organize Your Home. You can't live with the mess anymore, and quite frankly, you shouldn't have to live like this. You will find satisfaction in decluttering your home and you won't believe the difference. We're here to help you make your spring cleaning easier and hopefully you will never be quite so disorganized again. The basement and the garage might look scary and overwhelming right now, but trust me, when you're done with them, they will look like brand new spaces.
Whether you’re doing this for spring cleaning, as your New Year’s resolution, or just because you need to, you’re going to be satisfied with the results. An organized home is calming and easier to live in; so, what are you waiting for? Let’s organize!
Here are some of the best organizing tips and tricks:
You’re going to create four piles: To Donate, To Recycle, To Throw Away, and To Keep.
Hopefully your To Donate pile will be the largest, because someone will benefit from the things you don’t need anymore. And if you follow these tips and tricks right, the To Keep pile won’t be very big and will consist only of the things you need or absolutely have to keep for sentimental value (this does not include all of your elementary school projects that smell like mildew. You put them in the back of the basement for a reason: you don’t actually need them).
Prepare for some serious organization tough love.
Love recycled crafts? Check out our collection of 39 Ways to Craft with Recycled Materials!
Go through your closet.
If you can't remember wearing something in the past year, you can clearly live without it. Put it in the To Donate pile. Ditto for if it doesn't fit anymore. You know you'll never actually wear it again.
- It's always best to donate your clothes, even if they have holes in them or they're falling apart. So many clothes just end up in landfills when they could be in your local thrift store instead. Besides, a thrifty crafter won't mind if something has holes in it, because they're just going to fix it or make it better!
If you live in a small space, store things on your walls.
You will free up the floor space and you will always know where everything is. Your walls are basically empty space that is just waiting to be used for storage. The same goes for both sides of your closet and cabinet doors.
Here are some awesome ways to create wall storage:
No Sew Embroidery Hoop Wall Organizer
Refashioned Cardboard Storage Bins
Junk drawers are always a problem.
If you find yourself avoiding opening on particular drawer unless you absolutely have to, tackle that one first. Organize the things you're keeping in small baskets or trays that will fit in the drawer and keep your myriad of things neat. You can use velcro to adhere them to the bottom of the drawer so they stay in one place.
Untangle your jewelry for the last time.
If your jewelry is all over the place and constantly getting tangled, you can use dollar store ice cube trays to organize them in a drawer. Put your earrings and bracelets in there and you will always know where they are.
- If you have a lot of neckalces, you can hang flatware trays on the wall, and then you can safely hang your necklaces from command hooks. Boom, no more tangled jewelry!
Magnets are your new best friend.
You can quickly organize your spices by attaching them to the fridge with magnets. They will always be in reach and they won't be tumbling out of your cabinets
- You can also glue washers to the bottom of plastic containers and stick them to a magnetic strip.
- Store things like tweezers, bobby pins, hair clips, and anything else small and metal on a magnetic strip in your bathroom.
- You could use a magnetic strip to store your kitchen knives rather than take up precious counter space with a knife block (note: not the best idea if you have small children around who like to grab things).
- You can also hang your cooking pots and pans from the ceiling or from hooks on the wall. They will always be in reach and you won't cause a huge clatter when you pull them out of a cabinet every day.
- Glue magnets to the bottom of your make up supplies. If you use them every day, then you need them to be easily accessible. Attach them to a magnetic board.
- BONUS makeup organizer:
Wooden DIY Makeup Brush Holder
Bedside caddies are magical.
If you don't have a lot of space for a bedside table, then a bedside caddy will work wonders. It looks like big pockets on the side of your bed, but it can store everything you need, including your nighttime reading material. A shower caddy and a command hook will also get the job done.
Luggage tags aren't just for suitcases.
You can label the boxes or baskets in your closet with luggage tags. They are really great tools for labeling and color coding. As an added bonus, they're usually cheap!
Or, you could make your own luggage tags:
Bonus organizers:
Big Bright and Beautiful Organizer
Stunningly Simple DIY Notice Board
Radical Repurposed Door Organizer
Painted Laundry Room Apple Baskets
Fresh and Formal Stacking Boxes
Bright and Bold DIY Organizing Tray
Wood crafts are surprisingly simple to make. Check out our collection 31 Cool Wood Projects!
What's your favorite organizing tip?
Read NextLacy Crochet Doily Tablemat
Your Recently Viewed Projects
Thanks for your comment. Don't forget to share!
dkisamore 6587996
Oct 10, 2016
I used a half panel from an old set of curtains and hot glued some jean pockets onto it and hung it on the wall and used the pockets for storage of hot glue guns, glue sticks etc. But I like the idea of using empty aluminum foil boxes or saran wrap boxes to store tape and ribbon in.
nataliegrace
Jun 07, 2016
I don't have too much storage space in my apartment, especially in the kitchen, so I like the idea of using the inside of cabinet doors.
ckelley54 2345524
Nov 04, 2015
I like the idea of using a utensil tray on the wall for hanging necklaces. But my favorite organizational tool was to recycle an old dresser drawer with a divider into a wall shelf for all the paints I use in my craft room.
cmerlan63 4591669
Nov 02, 2015
The most important piece of organizing anything is mindset. You have to be ready....to toss, clean up and get your life intoa better place. If you are there, it will truly be a life enhancing experience!
myboylito2008 2731 149
Nov 02, 2015
I have several makeup brushes and I would've never guessed to use just a simple block of wood and drill the size I need. With a little sanding and some paint I'm gonna free up a lot of space up in my caboodle)
HarleyRDK07
Oct 31, 2015
my wife uses an upside down bar stool to hold all my wrapping paper and felt rolls. This keeps them organized and handy.
CFicker86 6722941
Oct 31, 2015
I have tons of yarn since I am a crocheting yarnoholic! I used to store my yarn in plastic bins, tote bags, and whatever else I could use, but it was so unorganized. I had gotten a tall stand up dresser from a friend for free when I moved and it sat empty for a while until I realized that I could use it to store and organize all my yarn and crocheting stuff. It works perfectly, and all my yarn organized and i can find exactly what i need. I was also able to use the top drawer for my hooks, crochet pattern folder, books/magazines, and some other miscellaneous things.
beadscapes 6145641
Oct 31, 2015
I use a long tube ice cube tray to store my jewelry tools (pliers, scissors, etc.) and another one for markers.
dizzystitchinknits 5842112
Oct 28, 2015
Getting things up off the floor and storing them on the walls is great. It's artsy and useful, all at the same time!
lamecow 0322806
Oct 27, 2015
I have LOTS of necklaces, and hanging was not very healthy for those strung on cord. There was also the hassle of hunting through bunches to find one. I got a really big basket, and a box of zip-type snack bags, and put one in each bag, taking care to poke a tiny hole in the bag so I don't store a bunch of air. Now I just go through the basket, and my necklaces are easier to find, don't tangle, and don't get scratched up or broken. Tarnishable silver? Use a silver flatware chest with the utensil dividers removed - no tarnishing!
Melissa Ryan
Oct 26, 2015
Use functional and decorative storage. Not only will it keep clutter out of your sight, but it also doubles as decoration in any room in your home. I love using decorative boxes and bins to store everything from remotes to blankets. They have a cover so I don't have to see the clutter and they also work as decoration for my living room.
Dana N
Oct 23, 2015
I like to allow myself one junk drawer. The junk drawer of my car is the glove box, the junk drawer of my bedroom is the bottom drawer of the nightstand, etc. That way, I keep everything else tidy, but have one space for those things I just do not want to deal with yet. )
Princess Carolyn
Oct 23, 2015
For mail and office clutter - avoid keeping paper if AT ALL possible (honestly, almost everything can be done online/digitally!), and only touch a piece of paper/mail once. Decide immediately needs to be done with it, and do it. Don't put it in a pile for "later."
Zimm102090
Oct 23, 2015
Bedside caddies are the BEST. I used to use one all the time. And then I stopped and everything started going into disarray. I should probably bust out my bedside caddy again...
caitlinmm
Oct 23, 2015
"Go through your closet" is always a good one. It's easier to find clothes to wear in the morning when you don't have to look through things that you haven't worn in years. Just set aside some time and make yourself sort through it.
Lizz C
Oct 23, 2015
My best tip is to look at your space in segments and take care of one segment at a time (this goes for cleaning too). Categorizing (and thinking things out in your head first) is a great way to stay on track and stay focused when organizing.
ESC
Oct 23, 2015
If you can, have a friend help. That way you'll have a second opinion on what you should keep and what you shouldn't.
emenems
Oct 23, 2015
I love the idea to store kitchen knives on a magnetic strip! We have a magnetic knife block that hangs on the wall at home, and not only does it save the space that a big knife block would normally take up, but it also looks great!
shelizabeth99
Oct 23, 2015
I switch out the clothes in my closet twice a year - once at the beginning of summer, and once when it starts getting cold again. This is a good time to get rid of all the clothes I realize I haven't worn in a while. I also bought cute boxes to keep my perfumes and hair products in (I have a lot). The boxes look a lot nicer than everything cluttering up my dresser.
Emily Michelle
Oct 23, 2015
I organize my closet by type of clothing. Short sleeves, long sleeves, dresses, sweaters, scarves, pants. I'll put my most popular types of clothes in the middle, depending on the season, where they are easiest to view and access. It makes getting dressed in the morning quick and easy )
EditorLP
Oct 23, 2015
I'm storing everything on my walls from now on, great ideas! onebedroomapartmentlife
Report Inappropriate Comment
Are you sure you would like to report this comment? It will be flagged for our moderators to take action.
Thank you for taking the time to improve the content on our site.
