How to Simplify Home Organization

Think back to high school. Remember the false sense of organization you got as a child when buying school planners and markers? You were going to get your life together by way of color coding and stickers. This was gonna be your year. But then you realized that pretty organization took more time out of your day than jotting down a few notes and getting the work done.

Home organization can feel like that! Most of it’s pretty pricey to buy all out, and you ask yourself, “is this actually going to help keep my house clean?” I’m here to tell you if you do it right and plan ahead with the right products, it really does stay organized. The cherry on top is that with a little extra effort, you can get that Pinterest-worthy look as well. Opening my closet door and seeing the identical baskets perfectly lined up on the shelves brings legitimate joy. If that’s not being an adult I don’t know what is…

If you’ve never been to a Container store, let me tell you, it’s an experience. If you have even an inkling of OCD the moment you walk in will bring you instant peace. Everything has a place and everything in its place. The possibilities are endless and you tell yourself that if you just get those baskets or drawer dividers you’ll keep your house clean this time for real. Most of my organization tools come from the Container store, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond. I got them during periodic sales, and I got over $100 cash back from Ebates on top of it all! You can sign up and get $10 added to your cash back after your first purchase with this code: https://go.ebat.es/6tlCBpnWYQ

Buckle up, grab a snack or your drink of choice, and let’s get into it!

Stick to the Basics

It’s really easy to get caught up in all the products in the store. Unless you have a huge space and are lucky enough to have the room to put your shoes in individual boxes, stick to the basics! Remember: organized does not always equal space saving. Example: putting each pair of shoes in a clear shoe box that stacks neatly. This is great and all, but those boxes now take up more room than your shoes originally did. You’re going to have to exercise your spatial awareness. These next steps are key to saving you money by keeping you from buying more than you need.

Step 1 – Take Everything Out

In the ways of Marie Kondo, take everything out of the space so you can see what you have. You need to know what you’re organizing, and how it’s going to fit. Group like items together so you can get a feel for how much of an item you have.

In your sorting process be sure to create the dreaded give away pile – no need to take up precious space and store things that could be given to a better home! This means even those sentimental items. If you truly can’t use it, don’t beat yourself up about giving something away when it was given as a gift. And remember, once it goes in the give away pile, nooooo take-backs!

Step 2 – Find Your Inspiration

Utilize all the the resources for design inspiration! Keep scrolling to find a few of my favorite rooms to organize along with the best / most common products used for those rooms. Blogs and Pinterest are fantastic for organization ideas. Click here to follow my organization board!

I also bought the book, “The Home Edit”, and it is filled with gold nuggets of information about how to organize every section of your home so you can adapt to your belongings. Plus when you’re done, they sell the most perfect, multi-use labels for everything!

However I do want to leave this comment… When it comes to home organization, I want you to remember that what you see on Pinterest is picture perfect. Just like so many other things on the internet, they’re staged. Being organized is one thing, but you will never achieve that level of perfect and sustain it 24/7 in real life. Don’t get down on yourself if your outcome doesn’t look like your inspiration. You’ll see what I mean from my personal home photos!

Step 3 – Plan it Out

Measure your space. I opted to buy my containers online because the dimensions are all there, and I can swap them in and out of a spreadsheet. That way you know exactly how many to buy of each type. You couldn’t do that if you just walked in the store with no plan!

Decide what kind of container you want and where, but be honest about your tendencies! If you know you won’t be able to keep up the effort of say, restacking and digging through containers with lids, choose a method better suited to your habits. Set yourself up for success!

One option is baskets. They’re easy to use and great for loose items like socks and scarves, but you can also fold your items like bulky sweaters. Another option is containers with lids so you can stack them. You may only need some drawer dividers for your dresser to help keep things separated.

I don’t recommend picking a deep container to put clothes you access often if you don’t want the hassle. I believe they’re better suited for seasonal items you swap out, but if you need to optimize your space, this may be your best bet. You have to evaluate your situation and adapt.

Closet

The closet is going to be your Mount Everest when it comes to the 3 steps. This is where you’ll find the landmines of sentimental items. My recommendation here is to schedule the organization of this area in the morning, before your willpower is used up. It’s a proven fact that you have a limited amount of willpower per day, and by the end of the day or even the afternoon, you’re exhausted! (That’s why we tend to make bad food choices as the day goes on, but that’s for another blog post.) You want your brain to be in tip top decision-making shape when you tackle the closet.

If you haven’t been blessed with a huge bedroom and can’t or don’t want a dresser, shelving and baskets will be your best friend. Think of them like drawers! Look for shallow baskets that you can file-fold your clothes by standing them on their sides. (If you don’t know what file-folding is then you NEED to read this book.) That way you can see everything from the top and not have to dig around. Just a little tip – keep a small stool nearby so you can quickly get to that top shelf where your favorite shirt is hiding.

I chose these baskets for my closet. They’re perfect for my bulky sweaters, scarves, extra shirts, socks, etc. Originally I planned to keep my workout clothes here, but since these baskets are deep, I would have had to dig through the top to get to something on the bottom. I love these slimline hangers from Bed Bath and Beyond. It really helps to have the same hangers throughout the closet to keep it cohesive.

I love walking into my closet when my hanging clothes are organized by color, material type, and length. That means when you look at your clothes, they range from light to dark, and light to heavy. Pick your favorite method and stick to it! I had an extra bookcase for my shoes that fit perfectly in that little nook. Unfortunately I don’t have enough space for all my shoes, so I swap them out seasonally. I then have a rubbermaid bin that holds my boots until it’s time to swap them with the sandals.

Kitchen + Pantry

Like your closet, the kitchen should be sectioned into zones. Tackle the drawers, then the cabinets. Take everything out and put it in piles. That means finding the lids to all your Tupperware…In the case that something doesn’t have it’s match, throw it out! Now since it’s just me living in my apartment I don’t have too many dishes to worry about. That being said, I still want to share with you my favorites and some great multipurpose items.

I bought these basic drawer dividers for my drawers. I wanted this bamboo piece because its all attached, which means no sliding. Unfortunately this didn’t fit in my drawers so I had to buy piece by piece and they do slide around. For meal prep and other prepped food storage I bought these rubbermaid containers. You can get them from Amazon, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond (hello 20% off coupons.) These are amazing, dishwasher safe, and stackable. That’s all I ever ask for in a container!

As for spices, I like having them right by the oven so when I’m cooking I can grab and go. I bought this tiered rack and opted for super cheap and simple small scale mason jars. They match my drinking cups, which are the 16 oz mason jars. I really recommend using mason jars like this because they’re multifunctional and cheap. Plus if you break one you can easily replace them! Now if I need to pack a salad or store some leftovers, I pull out the lids from the drawer and store it in my drinkware.

I keep my sponges, trash bags, and other miscellaneous cleaning supplies under the sink. The best organization container I’ve seen for under the sink in the kitchen (and the bathroom!) are actually these shoe containers! Everything stacks upwards so you can utilize as much space as possible around that awkward sink drain.

The pantry is another area that makes me really happy when I open the door. Seeing everything easily accessible and labeled brings so much joy! I splurged and bought the OXO Pop containers to store my dry goods in and labeled them with this oil based Sharpie. It doesn’t rub off by touch but will come off with a little cleaner and a rag.

I need to pick up another basket for my plastic ziploc bags and things of that nature. I love the look of the slim white tosca baskets (they also come in black). These are actually made of metal so they’re really sturdy. I like storing things like popcorn and snack bags here. Lastly I have a big basket at the bottom for extras like broths and paper towels.

Bathroom Organization

I like using small cylinder containers for cotton balls and q-tips because they can be placed on the counter or a shelf as decoration and storage. Again these shoe box containers are great under the sink because the drawers make it easy to access the items inside. No stacking and un-stacking! Be sure to check out my previous post for some ideas on organizing makeup brushes.

That’s it! If you made it this far, let me give you a big THANK YOU! I’m hoping to do even more in depth of each room as I find my way living on my own. Sign up to my newsletter so you never miss a post.