Organize Your Home Day
10 areas in your your home to cleanout today to feel more organized.
Organizing your entire home can be a daunting task! Breaking down your to-do list into sections will help your organization feel more manageable. Finding 10-15 minutes each night will help you get these tasks done rather than spending hours in a single day. Setting a timer will help you manage your time better to fit your schedule!
Areas to Organize in Your Home Today:
- Clear all your countertops in your kitchen.
- Clear your desk in your office/ workspace.
- Fold all your blanks and put away.
- Put pet items away.
- Clean out your junk drawer.
- Declutter your papers.
- Get rid of duplicate kitchen items.
- Put your shoes in their proper rooms.
- Declutter your nightstand.
- Organize your linen closet.
1. Clear all your countertops in your kitchen.
Keeping your countertops clear not only makes your home look cleaner, but it also helps you remember to put small appliances and utensils back where they belong. It's always refreshing walking into a space and not having your eyes distracted by clutter. Having that space on the countertop also makes cleaning easier without having to move things out of the way.
2. Clear your desk in your office/ workspace.
Now that many of us have been working from home this past year, it can be more difficult to manage the balance of work life and personal life. This results in plates and cups accumulating, personal mail and paperwork building up, your kids crayons and homework somehow getting on your desk... and the list goes on. Make sure everything in your work/ office space is dedicated to only things that are work-related. Everything else needs a new home! Just like your kitchen countertops, you'll feel a sense of relief walking into an office with a tidy desktop.
3. Fold all your blankets and put them away.
Do you have blankets lingering in your living room and family room? Maybe some pillows from movie night the previous weekend? It's time to get your throw blankets folded and put away. Don't have a home yet? Try finding some baskets at your local thrift shop to save some extra money! The visual cleanliness will leave you feeling at peace when you walk into your home!
4. Put your pet items away.
Many of us have pets such as a cat or a dog that somehow accumulate toys and treats overtime. As nice as it would be to have one of those pets trained to put their belongings away on command, most of us are not that fortunate! Take some time at the end of the day each night to put toys, balls, treats, and any other pet items away in a bin. Having a designated spot in the home for all the pet's items helps everyone in the house know where they belong!
5. Clean your junk drawer.
We all have that one drawer that accumulates things throughout the house. Sometimes, we have multiple of these drawers! They can be anywhere from your kitchen, your nightstand, dresser, office or in all 4! Put 10-15 minutes aside to organize each of these areas at least once a day. You might find things that you’ve forgotten about! Try going to your local dollar store and see if you can find small drawer organizer bins. Common junk drawer items include: batteries, coins, post-its, pens/ pencils, bottle openers, keychains, etc. You may even find that some items belong in a new home!
6. Declutter your papers.
Papers can pile up, especially when you put your mail in a spot to grow and grow until it becomes overwhelming. Take some time to go through any bills, junk mail, and letters. You’ll likely have three designated piles to keep them organized as you go through them: recycle, to-do, and file away. While you go through your papers, we suggest getting your filing system ready (binder, filing cabinet, accordion folder), have a recycle bin nearby, and get a tray to put your to-do pile on!
7. Get rid of duplicate kitchen items.
For some reason, we all accumulate kitchen items and utensils throughout the year. Do you really need two roasters at one time? How many spatulas will you need to cook for one meal? Stop thinking about the what-ifs. If you truly miss the item, you can always purchase it again in the future. Plus, after cleaning your countertops off, I’m sure your cabinets will be able to breathe easier and thank you for it!
8. Put your shoes in their proper rooms.
Look around your house. Have you noticed shoes by the doors, by the couch, in piles in the front closet? It’s time to take care of that. After your shoes are in their proper rooms/ areas, organize them in a neat row or on a shoe rack. That way, no one in the household should be looking for their shoes in the near future! (Until it accumulates again- that is).
9. Declutter your nightstand.
This is a time when you need to think about what you truly need right before bed and first thing in the morning. Some things that may belong on your nightstand are: lamps, books, glasses, medication, etc. Anything else that you don’t need right before bed goes! They need a new home! Sometimes paperwork, dishes, drinking glasses and other things can end up there where they don’t belong. Once it’s decluttered and organized, take note every day to keep it that way!
10. Organize your linen closet.
Along the same lines as the kitchen… how many duplicates do you have hiding in your linen closet?! Be honest with yourself - how many bedsheets do you need for the one full-sized bed in your home? The best way to get organized is to take everything out of the space. Yes, this means clearing out your linen closet. Organize the linens into what can be donated and what can be put back. Anything you do not want can be donated to local animal shelters or homeless shelters! It’s a great way to give back on items that you’re no longer using.