Home organization shows, books and stores are trending right now.  The shows can be both entertaining and give you great ideas for organizing, but why are home organization strategies so popular right now? Amy Tokos founder of Freshly organized says it best, “when you are organized, there is less chaos which can bring about a sense of calm and control. It is one of those things that we can influence and control despite what’s happening in other areas of our lives or communities.”  Our family has embraced  home organizing and we will share some of our favorite methods for decluttering and organizing.

The first step is to decide what area of your home is the most unorganized, it could be your bedroom closet, pantry, kitchen cabinets or even basement storage. 

Once you pick the first project to tackle, start by going through all your stuff and PURGE! I promise you it might seem daunting and maybe even a little painful, but you will feel great when you are done. 

We organize/declutter our bedroom closet 2-3 times a  year so we don’t have to do a full re-organization, but if you haven’t done it in awhile, the best advice is to pull everything out of your closet and go through each item and decide what you want to keep, what you want to donate and what items should go in the garbage. 

A good rule of thumb, if it doesn’t fit or you haven’t worn it in 6 months to a year then it needs to go.   

Once you have your piles, decide what is the most efficient way you can use your closet.  Where is the best place to access shows, different types of clothes and accessories?  Some people organize their clothes by type: pants, shirts, sweaters, etc and others like to do it by color and still others by season.  If you have a lot of accessories such as scarfs, purses, jewelry, shoes, make sure you have a place for them and can access them easily.  There are all types of bins, boxes and containers that are made for accessories.  Ones that are clear or have windows are great for helping you remember what is inside, otherwise make sure you label your boxes.  You won’t use your accessories if you can’t find them and you most likely will forget about them.  If you go through your closet periodically and purge things you aren’t using, you won’t have to go through this big process again.

A big area to tackle is the kitchen. This is another great place to purge, do you really need those 20 plastic cups?  Donate the items you never use and then reorganize your drawers and cabinets for maximum efficiency.  You can find some inexpensive organizers from discount stores, consider getting something to organize your pots/pans lids and another for your plastic/glass containers and lids.  There are many options for your drawers, cabinets, refrigerator and pantry, find the items that work best for you.

The pantry is a good place to makeover.  Go through all of your food and decide what to do with expired items and then decide on a way to organize your canned and glass goods that makes the most sense for you and your family.  Typically people put the items used the most in an easy to reach spot.  Some professional organizers encourage people to utilize clear glass or plastic containers for all the items that are normally found in boxes from pasta to crackers to cereal.  It looks aesthetically pleasing but also helps you know when you are almost out of an item. It’s also a good idea to designate a spot for overstock items that you can pull out and replenish when needed.  If the cabinet or pantry that you use everyday is organized, you will always know what you have or what you need, and will make meal prep quicker.

These are just a few of the ways that we have organized and decluttered our house and have made our lives a little less chaotic.  Share your ideas with us, we are always interested in new ways to streamline our lives, we might even share some of your organizing hacks in another blog!

It’s also important to note that all of these tips are great for people getting ready to sell their home.  An organized and decluttered home shows well and means less stuff to move!