Home Organization Checklist

Purge Unneeded Items Regularly

Logically, the ideal way to make home organization the easiest is to have fewer objects to store in the first place. There is one way to accomplish this. Before organizing, you need to begin by decluttering your home. As you sort through your things, you are going to be making three piles: trash, donate, and keep.

Be generous with what you give away. When you examine an item, really think about its value to your life. Have you even used the item in the past year? If not, it is time to get rid of it. Does it have holes or is it dirty? Throw it away. If you have duplicate items such as three sets of pans, consider paring it down to one. There is a lot to be said about living a minimalist lifestyle.

Clean as You Go

As you go through each nook and cranny of your home, sorting through your things, you are sure to discover some hidden dust bunnies. This is the perfect time to take care of some spring cleaning in your closets, drawers, and hidden spaces. Use a spray solution of vinegar and water to disinfect each surface and wipe it down with a soft, clean cloth. This will prepare each area for you to neatly organize and return your items back to where they belong.

Affordable Custom Closets & Garages provides some additional steps for getting rid of closet clutter in Four Steps for Organizing Your Custom Closets. 

Buy Stackable Bins and Label Them

Now that you have purged and cleaned, it is time to utilize your storage spaces by neatly organizing your items inside of stackable bins. There are a myriad of different bins and baskets on the market that you can choose from. Select those that are not only aesthetically-pleasing but make sure that you are going to be able to label them clearly so that it is never going to be a mystery about what they contain. 

Utilize Drawer Organizers

There are drawer organizers that work for organizing everything from underwear to socks, to cosmetics, to silverware. Because of this, there is no reason that you should have to have loose items rolling around in drawers, and you shouldn’t have to rifle through them hoping to find what you are looking for. In a nutshell, drawer organizers just make life easier.

Find Hidden Spaces for Storage

Take a look around your home, and I’ll bet you can find some sneaky storage spaces if you try! Perhaps the most obvious hidden space exists on the back of doors and cabinetry. Use these spaces to affix hanging racks, hooks, and other clever catch-alls. Look for hidden space underneath your staircase, or try placing a shelf above a door frame. The Spruce.com solves the need for a dresser by placing rolling drawers underneath a bed frame, for example.

Use Clear Canisters in Your Pantry

An essential part of home organization is properly storing and categorizing your pantry items. Left unchecked, a pantry can become a wasteland of expired and forgotten food. There is one thing that organization pros agree on. Bulk ingredients belong in clear glass or plastic containers. Doing this not only makes your pantry more visually appealing but also enables you to see when it is time to restock. Making a note of expiration dates is wise so that you never have to play the guessing game.

Follow the “One In, One Out” Rule

One of the best ways that you can keep clutter under control in your house is to agree to stop collecting “stuff.” The “one in, one out” rule means that every time you purchase an item of any kind, you commit to giving one item away. For example, let’s say you buy a new toy for your child. This means they need to give you one of their old toys to give away to someone else.

For a moment, think about the implications of this decision. Not only does this stop your house from becoming loaded with clutter, giving to others on a regular basis is simply good for the soul. 

Keep Papers Under Control

Don’t let junk mail collect in an unruly pile on your kitchen countertop! Instead, throw it away immediately. As far as those incessant credit card offers go, shredding them is in your best interests. Magazines and catalogs that you wish to peruse should be collected in a designated location, but not kept forever. Your children’s paperwork should be sorted through daily, throwing away what is not needed and keeping what needs to be kept in a designated area of your choice. 

Make Essential Items Easy to Locate

Don’t spend time out of your busy day having to look for your car keys. Designate a specific home for them every time you are finished using them. The same goes for essential items such as cell phones, chargers, wallets, and purses.

To ensure that you have a more peaceful morning, it is a good idea to have your children’s backpacks ready to go and sitting next to the front door. Picking out their clothes the night before will also make your life easier.

Final Thoughts

Getting your house in order need not be stressful. Dedicating a small amount of time each day can really make a difference. Learning to let go of what you don’t need and embracing a more organized lifestyle will help you to reclaim your sense of peace and mental clarity.

Sources

• https://www.ctclosetsandgarages.com/custom-closets-raise-home-market-value
• https://www.nccustomclosets.com/four-steps-for-organizing-custom-closets
• https://www.thespruce.com/hidden-storage-ideas-4774284