Today’s the day I’m spilling nine different secrets of routines and habits I use to keep my home organized.
This doesn’t mean that there aren’t times where my house is out of order, but when I practice what I preach, my home stays neater and more orderly.
I Unpack Right Away
As soon as I get home from shopping, I unpack everything and put it away.
Even the reusable bag gets hung on the back door to be taken out to me car the next time I go.
I never have bags of items waiting for me to deal with later.
I’ve trained myself to know that when I see a bag, it means I need to do something with it.
It needs to be taken somewhere or given to someone.
And similarly when I travel, I also immediately unpack everything upon returning home.
Dirty clothes go right into the washing machine and I run a load of laundry.
The suitcase and all of the smaller non-luggage pieces are emptied right away and put away in the attic.
If I’m lacking motivation because it’s been a long day, I challenge myself to play the Timer Game to make it into a game where I’ll be the sure winner!
I Think Before Buying
Before I buy anything, big our small, whether it be something for me or my kids, I always think about what I’m buying.
Do I need this?
Do I like this?
Where will this live?
How will I use this?
Will this just be one more thing that I have to dust?
Is it well made?
Do the colors match the style and color scheme of the room I’ll use it in?
Do I have something that’s similar enough?
Answering all of these questions, honestly, helps me limit impulse purchases.
I appreciate all the cute items in Target’s Dollar Spot, but that doesn’t mean that I need yet another notepad with a sassy saying printed at the top.
I remember that I already have a decent sized collection of notepads that I can use up first.
Sometimes window shopping and appreciating the beauty of new things is enough for me because I also appreciate not having a cluttered home.
I Shop My Own House
Building on the last point, I try to think about what I already own before heading out to shop.
Especially when it comes to organizing bins and boxes, I take a look at what I already have before making the trek to the store to buy what I think I need.
Because shiny new organizing bins are pretty and fantastic in the store, but once they come home, I’ll need to find a place for them to live.
And I’m buying them in the first place to make my space more functional and practical.
This holds true for groceries, clothing or home decor items too!
Doing this has saved me a bunch of times because I’ve forgotten what I have a few times and would’ve wasted money buying something I already had.
You won’t find many duplicates in my house.
And if I do for some reason forget this rule and come home with, say, yet another bulk box of kidney beans from Costco, I note to make more meals involving kidney beans in the next few weeks to whittle down the back stock.
Zones for Everything
My entire home and each room has multiple zones and clear purpose(s).
And this doesn’t mean that the purpose is one that the home builder intended.
Take for example my first floor powder room.
I’m lucky enough to have a beautiful bathroom vanity with 6 drawers and ample under sink storage.
But only three of the drawers are used for bathroom item storage.
I also store the fish tank cleaning supplies in the vanity as well as my tea candle collection.
It’s a non-traditional space to store fish tank supplies and candles, but since the sink is right there and the fish tank lives 10 feet away in the family room, it’s the most logical place to store it all.
And there’s no other space that makes sense to store the items.
My home works for me and my family, as it should since we’re the ones living here.
Like items live together, in a zone, with few exceptions.
Board games, puzzles and car games live in the Living Room closet, but the few that don’t fit (and that we rarely play) live in the attic.
But utility items like felt pads for furniture legs all live together so that they’re accessible when needed and I don’t accidentally buy duplicates because they’re scattered throughout different space in my home.
I Donate Regularly
I also have a designated donation spot in my home for items I not long want, but are in useable shape, to donate.
My husband and kids know that they can put items in the spot and then they’ll get donated soon, whether I drop the items off at a neighborhood charity shop or schedule the donation truck for a pick up.
As soon as I have a bag of items to donate, I load it into my car and drop it off.
My clutter doesn’t get a free ride around town!
I Do the To Do List
I’m pretty good at not letting projects and tasks pile up.
If I see that something needs to be fixed, I fix it right then.
Once when I was working with a client decluttering her home office, we came to a door stopper with a very cute frog prince on top.
The client explained that it needed to be fixed, but she wasn’t too sure what needed to be done.
She loved it, but hadn’t even tried to figure out how to fix it.
I took a peek and noticed that it probably just needed to be tightened.
I grabbed a screwdriver right then and straightened the frog prince out and we ran upstairs to use it to keep the guest room door open.
The same goes for things around my house. When I notice that something needs to be done or fixed, I tend to do it, sooner, rather than later.
Instead of squirreling projects away, I keep them out in my way to be dealt with.
If I don’t know how to fix something, I head to YouTube.
Someone has always figured out how to do it and had kindly posted a video with the details.
Flat Surfaces Stay Clear
I don’t use flat surfaces for storage.
Ever.
Items might temporarily hang out on a counter or dresser top, but they ultimately move into a designated home that’s not in that spot.
Nothing lives on the floor but furniture and dog toys in my house.
This way, surfaces stay clear and there aren’t obstacles on the floor to walk around or on counters to clean around.
Did you know that cluttered spaces take 40% longer to clean than uncluttered areas?
I prioritize finding a home for everything but the essentials or decorative items on counters, table and dresser tops.
Frequently Used Items Get Center Stage
I keep things close to where I use them.
This means I don’t waste time going to get what I need.
They’re often a few steps away from where I am.
For example, if I don’t have room for a bulky kitchen item that isn’t used very often anyway, it lives in my laundry room, just off of the kitchen and out of the way.
But know that if you put items in places that are hard to get to or hard to reach, you’re not going to use the item.
So don’t put everyday items in harder to reach areas.
It’s fine to set up your home in a way that works for you.
I Don’t Buy Cheaply Made Things
Quality over quantity rules in my home.
If I’m unsure about what a quality indicators I should be losing for in a couch, for example, I’ll do a quick search for a checklist about features to look for.
Take plastic storage bins, for example.
I don’t get them from the dollar store or even Target’s Dollar Spot because the plastic used in those containers tend to be thin and brittle and easy break.
Instead, I opt for more quality bins and baskets that I know will stand the test of time.
Bottom line, look for quality in all that you buy.
Waiting for the right item is better than getting just anything now.
Save up for quality if you need to.
It’s always going to be less expensive in the long run if you avoid the cheap because it always comes out expensive in the end.
Over to you!
And now you know nine different secrets for an organized home!
Working as a Professional Organizer has made me more aware of these habits and rules and they’re all things you can incorporate into your routine to change your home and life for the better too.
Happy organizing!
