5 Steps To An Organized Home
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my terms of use policy for more info.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the clutter in your home or struggled to keep things in order? An unorganized home can cause stress for everyone in the family and lead to wasteful habits. When things don't have a proper place, it's easy to misplace items or buy duplicates.
Creating simple organization systems can save both your home and your sanity. Although we’re often busy with activities and outings, we spend a lot of time at home—managing daily tasks and activities. If the house is messy, it’s hard to focus. Even my three-year-old gets overwhelmed and distracted by clutter. We also host guests frequently and want them to feel at home and be able to find what they need. In this blog post I’m sharing how to organize your home and tips to keep it organized. Here’s the main steps we will cover:
1. Conquer one space at a time
2. Declutter
3. Clean your space
4. Create a designated “home” for everything
5. Establish simple habits/routines
Whether you're struggling to stay organized or simply want to improve, welcome to the journey!
Our first home was the perfect size for a newly married couple. It was small enough to keep clean and still had a guest bedroom to host family and friends. With the size of the home and both of us busy with school, I figured the house would stay organized and we would not acquire too much unnecessary clutter. I was very wrong. When we moved three years later, we had no idea how we had so much stuff to move. We had an entire closet of unopened boxes from originally moving in. A small amount of it was keepsakes being stored, but *spoiler alert*, most of the items in that closet we did not need.
Even moving into our second home, we did not learn that lesson. The home was slightly bigger than our last, so we figured we had plenty of space to store and organize things. Once again, we were wrong. It did not help that the home had little storage spaces, no linen closet and awkward shaped bedroom closets.
Once we began having children, I knew we needed a better organizing system to keep our home welcoming and our sanity intact. This led me into research, alongside a lot of trial and error, how to organize our home and maintain the organization. Read along to see what I learned and has helped us stay organized.
#1: Conquer one space at a time.
Trying to organize your entire home at once can feel overwhelming. Instead, commit to working on one space at a time. Make a priority list of the areas that need the most attention. I suggest starting with spaces where you spend the most time. For me, that was the bedrooms—where we store most of our belongings and get ready. The kitchen came next since I spend a lot of time there preparing meals for our family.
Consider the following questions:
What space do I use most in our home?
Is there a specific space I feel too overwhelmed to be in?
Is there a space so disorganized it makes daily living harder? (i.e., it is difficult to cook in a cluttered kitchen, or the cleaning supply closet is so disorganized I can’t find supplies when they are needed).
Tip: You don’t need to set aside large chunks of time to organize. Instead, work within your daily routine. For example, when you put away laundry, take a moment to organize your dresser. While putting away dishes, tidy up a couple of cabinets. These small tasks add up quickly without taking too much time.
#2: Declutter
Decluttering is a critical step in getting organized. It's impossible to maintain an orderly home when there’s too much unnecessary stuff. You'd be surprised how much unused stuff accumulates over time.
I recently saw a post saying to ask yourself one question to determine if you should keep or get rid of an item and thought it was brilliant. For you fellow pet parents the question to ask is: “if I got dog poop on this, would I attempt to clean and save it or would I throw it away?” Or for any fellow toddler and infant parents out there: “if the item had a blowout accident on it, would I wash and treat it or throw it away?”.
Having four animals and making it through potty training, this question saves me a lot of time. Remember, items you no longer need don’t have to go straight to the trash. Donate them to local charities, sell them online, or pass them along to friends and family.
#3: Clean your space.
Once you’ve decluttered, it’s the perfect time for a deep clean. Cleaning and organizing go hand in hand. A clean space is easier to maintain and feels better to live in, making future touch-up cleanings quicker and easier.
My favorite cleaning influence to follow is Go Clean Co. She’s based out of Canada and shares great tips and tricks! I’ve even used her cleaning calendar for over two years now.
Here’s a list of some cleaning supplies to help you work smarter, not harder:
#4: Create a "Home" for Everything
Now it’s time to make sure everything in your home has a designated place. This is where storage bins, shelves, and other organization tools come in. The goal is to avoid clutter by ensuring that every item has a "home." When things have a place, it’s easy to find them, put them away, and keep the space tidy.
Here are some tips for setting up organization systems:
Think about where each item should belong in your home.
Measure your space before buying storage solutions.
Consider whether the item needs a temporary or permanent home.
Use space-saving storage options like vacuum-seal bags for long-term storage.
Some of the best organization products for the entire home:
#5: Establish simple habits/routines.
Now that your home is organized, it's important to maintain that order. Small, consistent habits can make a big difference. Slowly integrate these habits into your routine to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Here are some simple tasks to include in your daily and weekly routine:
Daily cleanups
I usually do two main clean-ups during the day: one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Sometimes only the evening one happens, but that’s okay! Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and focus on picking up clutter and putting things back in their place. This includes things like putting dirty laundry away, putting dishes in the kitchen, and tidying up the kids' stuff.
Other daily tasks I focus on are making beds (nothing fancy, just put together) counter wipe downs, laundry, quick vacuum of kitchen and main living, and closing down the kitchen. I used to dread doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, now getting it all cleaned up and ready for the next day makes me feel so accomplished and has us set up for the next morning. I do at least one load of laundry daily to keep up, it’s not clothing loads every day, but at least one load.
TIP: Utilize the basket method! Have a single dedicated basket to gather clutter throughout the day and put it away at the end of the day. THESE collapsible laundry baskets are perfect for this so they can store easily when not in use.
OR: Get THESE collapsible bins to have one dedicated to each room or person within the home. Place the clutter in the designated bin, then have the assigned person put it away once it’s full. This helps include the entire family and helps build personal responsibility for young kids.
Weekly cleaning
Focus on cleaning surfaces like countertops, bathrooms, and floors. Keeping up with weekly cleaning tasks makes the house feel fresh and organized. With a little effort each week, you’ll feel good about your home and stay on top of clutter.
Here are some tools to help aid you in building new home habits and routines:
Maintaining an organized home is a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it. A clean, functional space makes it easier to enjoy family time and helps you feel more at peace. I hope these tips will help you on your journey to a more organized and welcoming home!
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY TERMS OF USE POLICY FOR MORE INFO.