Do you have the desire to have an organized home, but you’re not really sure where to start? Keeping an organized home is much easier when you have a process in place that allows you to stay on top of the clutter. This post will help you organize your house quickly in 5 simple steps and get that process in place.
Prior to jumping into any organizing projects, you will need to determine what you have, how you want your space to look in the end and what areas of your house are used the most.
This is important because those are the areas that will build up with piles of random items and look messy.
Get rid of your visual clutter by following the 5 simple steps to an organized home below.
Step 1: Decide What to Throw Away or Donate
Take a quick scan through your house and see if you can find items that you are comfortable either throwing away or donating, without giving it much thought. Have several boxes handy that you can immediately fill up with the items that you want to donate and a garbage bag for all of the garbage.
Once you have done a quick walk through, tie up that garbage bag so it is ready for garbage day and take the donation boxes right out to your car.
Don’t even think for a moment about what is in there. If it was easy to put something in a “to donate” box, that means it’s not really that important to you anymore and you won’t miss it when it’s gone.
Step 2: Find Where Items Are Piling Up Around Your Home
Next, take a look at the areas that are used the most often. For many people this is their kitchen, family room or bedroom.
See if you notice where things are piling up.
In the kitchen, it may be dirty dishes or mail that you still need to look at. In the family room, it might be multiple remote controls, toys, or blankets. And in the bedroom, it may be dirty or clean clothes piling up or loose change.
As you are walking through your house, write down some notes about the areas that you feel need the most help. Seeing everything written down in one place will assist in determining what you will need to tackle those areas later.
Related content on organizing your home:
- Organizing a Kids Bedroom
- Decluttering and Organizing Your Clothing
- Decluttering and Organizing Your Laundry Room
- Organizing Kitchen Cabinets & Drawers
Step 3: Create a New Process That Will Last Long-Term
Now that you have an idea what type of items are causing the build up in certain rooms, you can then begin to think about what you would need to make those areas more tidy and livable.
If you notice that dishes are piling up in the sink, it might mean that somebody hasn’t emptied the dishwasher in order to put the dirty dishes into.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, you may need to create a schedule for yourself or somebody else in your home to wash the dishes at a couple of different times in the day. This will prevent the dishes from getting to an overwhelming amount.
For dirty clothes, I had hampers in each bedroom, but at bath time the kids would throw their dirty clothes into the corner of the bathroom. So I bought a nice basket and put it in the spot where they threw their clothes. It was an easy solution to an annoying problem.
Step 4: Create Spaces for Everything
You now have an idea of what needs to happen to get the peaceful space you have been wanting.
Changing your space may just be scheduling a bit of your day to clean certain items or spaces. Other options may be coming up with ideas to contain things that pile up, such as the mail.
The location that the mail piles up is likely the best place to put a pretty bin. The mail can just be tossed into the bin for the time being. However, consider creating a spot in another room specifically for incoming mail. It will take time to adjust to this new location, but will keep your kitchen counter clean! Win, win!!
Each area that you notice items piling up is likely the best place to store those items. So take some time to collect all like items and make that space work.
If you want to be able to see the items, clear bins would work well. This will contain everything so it’s not spilling out everywhere, but it will also allow you to see the items so that they aren’t just gone forever (in your mind).
Step 5: How to Contain Everything That Remains
Set aside some time to determine if you want bins, drawer organizers, shelving units, wire organizers, etc…. Once you have decided what will work in your home, purchase what you can (without going overboard at this point).
Just focus on the areas with the most clutter and begin using these containers in those spaces immediately.
As mentioned, if the thought of storing everything away in closed up boxes scares you because you worry that you will forget what you have. Then buy some clear containers, open shelving, or easy to access storage solutions.
If you like everything hidden yet still organized, fabric bins, containers with lids, or creating a storage solution in cabinets or drawers would work well. Just make sure to label the outside of all bins so that you can easily locate what you are looking for.
In Summary
Your home should be a place that you can relax and feel at peace, so my hope is that these quick and simple changes will motivate you to move onto bigger organizing tasks. Each small step is building up to big and lasting changes for a more peaceful home.
I hope that this guide helped you to organize your house quickly and make some positive steps to a permanently organized home. Sometimes just seeing some progress can make organizing more enjoyable and keep you moving onto the next organizing project.
