Five tips to help our home stay organized
When you have a small home, ever square inch is valuable real estate. I've learned this lesson living in a smaller sized home these past twenty or so years. I have to be creative in the way I store things in our home, since we do not have a whole lot of storage space. Years ago, when we were remodeling/building our home, I eliminated at least four closets, now looking back, I wish I had kept them! Little did twenty something year old me know, was how much stuff (ahem...décor) I would accumulate throughout the years. I am no expert on organization but, I've compiled my top five tips that I use to help our home stay organized. I am a firm believer that an organized home, is a happy home. There is nothing worse in my opinion, than living in clutter. A cluttered home can be stressful physically and mentally. How can you unwind at the end of the day with clutter all around you?! Home should be your safe haven, the place where you can relax and unwind, without the stress of clutter and disarray. There is enough of that in the world around us, we don't need that in our homes too!
1.Everything Has a Home
I have used this tip since I was a little girl. When my room was messy as a child, I remember as I was putting stuff away that each item had a home, and I needed to place that item in the right spot. I still use this tip today. When I have a bunch of stuff to put away or organize and I start to feel overwhelmed, I try to focus on one item at a time and think, where does this belong? When you ask yourself this question, you will find the answer!
2. Starting One Space & Start Small
Starting in one space will help you to reach your goals. If you think about an entire house that needs to be organized, that can be extremely daunting. But, if you start with one room, then one area within that room, the task at hand doesn't seem so scary. For instance, let's say your bedroom is in need of some organization. Then, break that down even smaller. Dresser, under the bed, closet, drawer, etc. If you start small, it's more likely you will accomplish your goals. Tell yourself, I'm just going to organize this dresser today. Or if that is too overwhelming, I'm going to organize this drawer. Set realistic goals for yourself.
3.Throw Away What You Don't Need or Use
Once you have chosen an area of your home to organize, throw away what you don't need or haven't used within the last year. I like to use the one year mark, because if I haven't used something in that amount of time, it's likely I will never use it again. Essentially it is taking up valuable real estate and most likely you won't miss it. Don't store your items that you are throwing away in a garage or basement. Get rid of it! Hold a garage sale or donate your items to goodwill.
4.Accessibility
Make sure the items you use the most are easiest to access. Alternatively, the items you use the least should be stored away on the highest shelf or the furthest back in the closet. Use clear or labeled storage containers so that items can easily found and you are not wasting your valuable time searching for something. The three rules of organization are visibility, accessibility, and flexibility.
5.Use Storage Baskets
Storage baskets are a great way to organize your home and can be placed on display. Baskets are great for holding clothes, shoes, accessories, blankets, pillows, and many other things. Do not use baskets as catch-all's. This can be a dangerous trap that many people fall into. Remember everything has a home so your baskets should not be something you toss everything into, but to hold like items together. Woven rope baskets are some of my favorite baskets to store items in. Not only are they sturdy & flexible, perfect for storage, but they also provide a coziness to any home. We have an abundance of blankets in our home, so I recently purchased two large woven rope baskets (one a large oval and the other a large round) for our living room to store them. The soft jute material is so cozy, the sizes I ordered are huge and ideal for storing larger items, and the two tone color of these are beautiful.
The links:
Laundry baskets with handles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HKQ8PMV
Brown laundry baskets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GX5ZYFT