We all hate a disorganized home. Nobody likes living in a home with clutter almost everywhere and things never being where they’re supposed to be. After all, how is anyone supposed to relax in a living room or a bedroom where there are toys, books, and papers scattered all over the tables and floors?

Thankfully, working to organize your home is as easy as pie as long as you dedicate some time and effort to it. We’ve got just the tips and tricks to ensure you’ll never have to spend a whole hour looking for that TV remote or those golden pair of shoes again. Here are our top tips to achieve and keep an organized home:

 

1. Declutter.

The very first thing you should do when trying to organize a disorganized home is to separate items into things you want to keep and things you want to give away. Chances are, the reason why your home is so cluttered is that it’s filled with things you no longer need, like that pair of shoes you haven’t worn in a year or that novel you got two Christmases ago that you keep telling yourself you’re one day going to read.

If you’re the hoarder type that doesn’t want to let go of their possessions, understand that the money has been spent and if you’re not going to use it, all it’ll do is collect dust and take up space in your house. However, if it’s worth anything, you can choose to sell it — that way, you can gain a bit of money while the item can go on to someone who will actually use it.

Even if you can’t sell it, giving it away is still a better option than just letting it lie around unused. As the popular saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You may be surprised at how much use your cousin or friend can find out of the items you never use at all.

Be ruthless when it comes to decluttering. Don’t keep items simply because you think you might need them again someday. First of all, should that time come, it’s highly unlikely you’ll remember you have the item if you never use it, and second, you’ll still be able to buy another of the item if you ever need it again. And really, what are the chances you’ll need to use it again if you’ve only ever used it once in the years you’ve had it?

 

2. Make sure everything has a place.

Once you’re done decluttering and you’ve got a sure pool of things you want to keep, it’s time to separate them into groups. What you want is to keep similar items next to each other and in the same room — for example, you’re definitely going to want to keep the dry shampoo and comb in the same box and both should be in the bathroom.

When you’re deciding where to put similar items together, the biggest factor to consider is where they’re most likely to be used. That way, you can avoid losing items because they’re meant to be used in one place but kept in another. This also makes it a lot easier to find the items you need to use. For instance, if you need scissors to open up a bag of chips, all you need to do is open the kitchen drawer and there they are!

One pro tip we have is also to designate a “junk drawer” or “junk box.” This is where you keep items that don’t belong in the room, but you’re too tired or busy to place them in their respective places. That way, the room can still look neat and tidy and when you finally have the time and energy, you can sort out what needs to be sorted out faster because they’re all in one place.

 

3. Invest in boxes and bins.

While we say invest, we also encourage you to get creative if you’ve got the means. You can use shoe boxes or package boxes you no longer use in order to store items and keep things in one place. After all, DVDs look much better when they’re organized into boxes rather than stacking on top on your TV.

Boxes, and bins also make it a lot easier to keep things tidy, and it’s even better if you label these boxes and bins. That way, if you ever find yourself nostalgic and wanting to look at old photo albums, you don’t have to rummage through your closet trying to find them. You can simply pull out the box labeled “Photo Albums” and find them there.

Not to mention, they’re much easier to carry around if you ever need to dust your shelves or wipe your cabinets. You don’t need to take out each item one by one, only for you to have to arrange them again one by one when the task is done — you can simply take the box out, do the cleaning task, and put the box back in again.

 

4. Adjust it to your life.

You know your daily routine better than anyone. The best way to make sure your house stays organized is by organizing it with the way you use it in mind. For instance, if you’re the type that hates wearing shoes inside the house, why not organize your shoes on a shoe rack beside your front door instead? That way, you can take your shoes off and place them where they need to be immediately when you get home.

Think about your lifestyle, your routines, and how you can organize the items in your home to best suit them. Maybe you like to drink coffee on the counter instead of the dining table — in that case, coasters would be better suited placed on top of the counter. Maybe you comb your hair in your bedroom and not the bathroom — you’re better off organizing your hair supplies in your bedroom then.

 

 

The important thing here is that you’re able to stay organized without it being a burden for you. After all, organizing your home is supposed to make things easier for you, so be sure to keep that in mind.