Organizing Ideas for Your Home

I think that there are two types of people in the world – those who are “born to organize” and the rest of the world.

Organizing ideas would help in every area of the house, to de-clutter, to make things easier to store, and to keep things together so that we can find them when we need them.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get more organized, but you can get as creative as you’d like. The choice is up to you how far up or down the scale that you want to play it.

Have fun organizing your home. You can use one of these organizing tips or all of them. Some are fun and others are functional – and we need both in our busy homes today, so try some of both.

Organizing Basics

Keep all like items together however large or small.

You can use 1 foot x 1 foot crates, decorative boxes, shadow boxes, wire or wicker baskets whatever you like.

There are 5 basic decisions/actions to take when de-cluttering.

1. Trash it.
2. If you haven’t touched it, used it or worn it in the last 2 years, get rid of it. (2 year rule).
3. Fix it.
4. Keep it but put it elsewhere, where it makes sense.
5. Donate it.

When starting your organizing, start at the top of an area and work your way down, taking everything out.

You’ll want to clean, add contact paper or paint, add shelving, hooks, or rods and then you can return what needs to go back in.

Then you can deal with the five stacks.- The 2 year rule – If you have not used or worn something in 2 years, then it goes. (unless it’s a traditional item like pictures, etc.)

I have known people who have Good Housekeeping magazines from the 80’s right next to their sofa. Like if I come to visit and I’m waiting for them, I want to look at a 20-year-old magazine.

Organizing Ideas

In the Kitchen

• If you cook a lot and have spices, a spice rack saves time and cupboard space. They can also prevent spills it hangs easily on a door or wall.
• Use decorative hooks in the kitchen to hang pots and pans and free up pantry space. You can even use old silverware, shape them like a hook, and hang dish towels from them.
• If you have a bunch recipes loose in a drawer, buy a three-ring binder and some sheet protectors (they come in full sizse, photo size, etc.) to organize and hold your recipes together.

Bathrooms

• This idea is great for a young girls bathroom. Get an old fashioned looking candy jar for hair accessories, nail polish, makeup, etc.
• Use a silverware organizer to put in a drawer for toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.
• Use a decorative wine rack to hold bathroom towels.

Ideas for the Bedrooms

• A tie rack will keep all of your ties nice and neat and all together.
• Are you a country girl at heart? Like the look? Here’s an idea. Find an old rake and use the head for a place to hang your jewelry. Just hang it on the wall.
• Use hooks, especially for children’s rooms. This keeps everything off the floor. Hooks can also be used by entryway doors.

Garage Organization

• Keep the path to the car clear by putting bicycles up on hooks on the wall or ceiling.
• If you or the kids play sports and need a place to put things nice and organized, visit a sporting goods store. There are racks for just about every piece of sporting equipment.
• Rain gutters make great catchalls for any length of piping, tubing or other like items that you have. These also make great herb gardens if you don’t have a lot of space outside.
• Are you or someone in the house a part-time handyman with not a lot of places to put things? Check out all the assortments of containers and compartments the hardware store has. No more nails, screws, and miscellaneous tools laying around.

Ideas that can Work Anywhere in the Home

• The 1 foot x 1 foot crates we mentioned above are great for everything. Kid’s toys, shoes, games, dishes, cleaning supplies.
• Wire and wicker baskets are decorative, you can hang them on the wall, place them on a shelf, and they hold like items together nicely.
• Clear plastic containers are wonderful to put seasonal clothes in and hide under beds until you need them.
• Take a walk through a lighting store. Much clutter is accumulated because the area appears “in the shadows” and we think we can put it there. A simple floor lamp placed in the corner, using halogen bulbs which costs a little more, but are brighter and last 3 to 5 times longer than incandescent or electric bulbs.
• Add plants. If you have a plant sitting there – you can’t stack coats there.

Keeping it Up

Pick a time every week. Maybe a Monday night, Saturday afternoon, whatever works best for you to keep things organized and clean. 

These are some organizing ideas that will get you started on the road to a low-stress lifestyle. Believe it or not, clutter wastes time and money and by simply investing a a little time each week, you will have a more relaxed lifestyle.