Organizing Your Home Guide

Let’s Get Organized

Organizing your home can be a challenge. Consequently, your home may need a simple declutter or a thorough purging. Either way, Kat’s Cleaning Service is here to offer a few helpful hints.

The old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t hold much truth once we are adults. Sure we can always hire a house removal company, however, we can’t trick our minds in the same way as during our younger years. Throwing clutter and junk under the bed or putting more and more boxes in the corner of the garage just doesn’t work. With this in mind, you must start organizing your home. It takes some patience but is worth it in the end. 

You could be moving into a new home or trying to downsize into a tiny apartment. Whichever is the case, you might be finding that you have “too much stuff.” Is your bathroom a disaster? Is your closet stuffed with years of clothes and shoes? Is your office desk completely unmanageable? Never fear, we have some solutions. Let’s begin decluttering and organizing your home right now.

The key here is “one step at a time.” Break your organizing down into smaller projects. That will result in less frustration. With this in mind, let’s learn how to organize your home room by room. 

Organizing your home room by room 

Kitchen:

If your home is like most others, the kitchen is everyone’s favorite place to gather. It’s the place for good times, great meals and memorable conversations. It should not be ground zero for clutter. Is it time for your kitchen to be refreshed? Maybe you can’t remember where you put the corkscrew and your silverware drawer is filled with years of twist ties from loaves of bread. If this is you, then it might be a signal that you need to get your kitchen organized. You should begin by throwing out or donating old dishes, utensils and most everything in that junk drawer (after all, there’s a reason it’s called junk).

Now let’s start with that refrigerator. Begin by preventing cross contamination. Devote the upper shelf for last night’s leftovers, and pour batch beverages into glass containers. Clean the shelves and discard anything in the back – especially if you had forgotten about it. Moving on to the pantry – get a few transparent containers to keep your snacks and go-to items. As for the spice rack, alphabetize. You’ll find it’s a real time saver. 

Bathroom:

Everyone knows organizing your home can be a hassle especially keeping the bathroom peaceful. Keep curling irons in actual drawer containers and toss out medicine or other unused products. No need for these things to be expiring and gathering dust.

A user-friendly bathroom is about maximizing space – especially around the toilet, shower and sink areas. Use baskets under the sink and attractive trays in drawers. Consider see-through containers for the madness in the medicine cabinet. If there is no medicine chest, put a caddy on the bathtub or to the side on a counter. Arrange everything in an orderly fashion. 

Closet:

Efficiently arranging a closet can be a difficult task. Let’s be honest, the bedroom closet can be the most difficult when organizing your home. Organized and clean closets start with tossing out what isn’t used any longer. The best way to begin is by removing everything first. Get an assessment of what you have, what you need, and what can be pitched. Throw away what is damaged, out of style, or no longer fits.

Just because you’re getting rid of some things doesn’t mean someone else, less fortunate, couldn’t use them. Please donate and make someone else’s day. Now you can begin putting things back into the closet. Coordinate hangars, sort by season, and color-code your wardrobe.

On to the linen closet. How many of us have used this for a dumping spot? Just throw it in, close the door, and forget it, right? Wrong! Sort sheets and bath towels in order of the rooms they belong in. This is also a good place to use labels on the shelves.

It doesn’t matter if you have a huge walk-in, a very small closet or no closet whatsoever. There are countless storage items and containers that can help you sort and arrange your closets.

Bedroom:

We understand that is tempting to just leave your bedroom in a mess. After all, you’re just going to crawl back in that bed tonight. Shut the door and walk away, right. Wrong again. If a bedroom looks nice and feels right, you are actually going to get better rest. Sort and organize your dresser. Use dividers to keep items from getting jumbled. Remember there is usable space under your bed. Use shallow containers to organize, label and store away – especially if you have no dresser at all. 

Office:

Piled papers, file folders, and strewn office supplies can make it very hard to work or study. If you’re wanting a tidy office, start by hiding the cords by getting them out of sight. Neatly display your ideas and other memos on pegboards. Start the habit of straightening your desk and office area at the end of each use. You’ll thank yourself when you return the next time to an organized space.

Laundry Room:

The laundry room is the one place that shouldn’t be left in disarray. Unless you are lucky enough to have a spacious laundry room, it’s probably pretty tight quarters. The actual washer and dryer take up all of the real estate and doesn’t leave much room for folding and other storage.

You may want to raise the washer and dryer on a platform, which can create nice shelves or drawers below. If money and space aren’t available, there are a few other organizing tricks. Using clear glass jars for detergents, a stool for folding, and an easily installed rod for hanging items are a few ideas. 

Entryway:

An entryway or entry hall might not be a big deal for some. However, others are very tempted to use this space as a spot for dropping daily gear, umbrellas, shoes, mail, and backpacks. Organizing your home should not exclude the first part of the home you see. A lovely, well-kept entryway starts with some tough decisions. Is that old hall tree really being used correctly? Has that bulky wooden bench been relegated for piles of scarves, homework, or items for the planned trip upstairs later on? 

Furnishings should be used for double and triple duty. Consider a compact console and a small mirror (with a shelf) to be an efficient use of space.  Make a decision on where keys and coats will be left – and stick to it. Return these things to the same place each day.

Clutter accumulates because our houses are filled with items we just don’t need. Save on valuable space by tossing dysfunctional furniture. A large and bulky coffee table typically turns into a junk pile. Replace it with small side tables and be less tempted to use the sprawling surface for junk.

Where to start decluttering

Miscellaneous:

Beware of various miscellaneous items. This is an exercise in decluttering, after all, and not an opportunity to let sentimental urges get the best of your emotional self. Master letting go of the little things. Stray pens, loose photos, old mail, and forgotten knick-knacks can get out of hand in no time. 

Paper:

We can all agree on one thing. Loose paper seems to multiply overnight. It doesn’t take long for paper to become unruly. Now is the time to begin digitizing your papers, receipts, and documents. There are several great apps that make going paperless a snap. Once everything has been stored to a hard drive, fire up the shredder. It takes time, but it is so worthwhile. 

Jewelry and Shoes:

Is your shoe collection causing you storage headaches? If so, it’s time to begin thinking out-of-the-box and displaying your shoes in creative ways. Try mounting shoes on hooks or floating shelves. In the same way, easily mounted cabinets and small trinket dishes make for nice jewelry holders.

Makeup:

Is there a definitive key to organizing makeup? There is. Transparency! Acrylic drawer organization sets are a wonderful solution for seeing everything displayed at once and for keeping things in categories. Keep the countertops clear. Store combs and brushes in cups or other small containers. Display lotions and creams on a nearby mirror tray.

Bookshelf:

Bookshelves don’t have to be crammed with books. Shocker, right? Some larger books make great coffee table conversation pieces. How about creating colorful book jackets for a crisp uniform look? Dress up your bookshelves with pieces of art or sculpture.

Wine:

This is what we call “saving the best for last.” A conventional wine rack is very functional, of course, but peg boards, grab drawers, and storage under stairs are other fun ways of keeping and displaying your wine collection whilst organizing your home. 

A happy, organized home leads to a happy, organized life! Keep your organized home clean with the help of Kat’s Cleaning Service. Our friendly and efficient team is ready to take on the job of caring for your home. We’re one call away! (816) 258-9371