An organized home is definitely an easy place to be in, with a place for everything and everything in its place. However, getting the home organized is not as easy as it looks. I have frequently found that it often becomes difficult to sustain my initial enthusiasm to organize the house. So I have a few basic organizing tips and strategies that I use each time I need to declutter and organize any area of the house.
Photo courtesy of Rubbermaid Products
Getting Organized One Step at a Time
I find that it is easiest to start small while sorting out the house. Pick an area which isn’t terribly cluttered but could do with some organizing – the dresser, the magazine rack, the top of the fridge or that catch-all table in the foyer. Once you’ve finished organizing a single area, that thrill of achieving something and seeing the results of organization will act as a motivator to organize and sort other, more cluttered areas.
Organizing the Home by Decluttering
Decluttering is nothing more than getting rid of the non-essential things that many of us hold on to yet never use. So, whenever the home needs some sprucing up, simply go through each room with an empty carton and fill it up with everything that either does not belong to that room or has never been used and will never be needed. Then put the things that belong to other rooms in their rightful places, and give the rest away to charity. Read Dealing with Paper Clutter for tips and ideas on how to get rid of all the unnecessary paper that fills up our lives.
Invest in Organizing Tools
An organized home often needs the help of some organizing tools and equipment. Drawer dividers, closet organizers and an assortment of containers will come in handy for organizing clutter-prone areas with ease and efficiency. Homeowners who wish to spend only a limited amount on organizing can easily use cheaper yet effective alternatives such as shallow trays instead of drawer organizers or fabric-covered bins to organize the closet. At the end of the day, it is important to have things in their place and to keep like items together. Read Five Basic Organizing Supplies for more on choosing the right organizing aids for your home.
Using Lists and Labels to Keep the Home Organized
Lists and labels are a great way to get organized and stay that way. Labeling will ensure that everyone knows where something is kept and consequently, where to put it back. Lists, too, will serve the same purpose and allow you to keep track of things that are often misplaced. For instance, my crafts closet has a list with everything that is in the closet. Individual containers are labeled for ease of identification. So, each time I need to organize the crafts closet or declutter, I simply check items off the list. Anything extra goes out and anything missing is replaced. Simple.
These simple organization tips will help any homeowner keep a house organized without losing sleep over it. The initial effort that organizing the home may take will pay off in having to spend very little time and effort in keeping it organized. Once you’re on your way to an organized home, you may want to read Create a Home Filing System to sort out all your important documents.
