Organized Home - This How Organized People Do it

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Wow, we’ve covered a LOT of organization projects, tips, and tricks this month! But just because I know about these things doesn’t mean that my life is perfect or that I have an organized home all of the time. Oh hell to the no! There are days when I’m happy to head to the office just so I can escape the chaos.

Organization Products for an Organized Home

It’s a constant struggle to find methods and products that work. If you read a lot of blogs like I do, you’ll start to notice that the really organized people out there tend to have a lot of the same things and use a lot of the same methods to keep an organized home. I mean, yes, I realize that it also requires a lot of discipline to stay organized. But I think if you start with the products and methods, the discipline can follow. That’s my hope at least. ?

Here are some common tools and methods that help organized people stay organized. If you’re also struggling to maintain an organized home, read on!

Spot for keys

I know this is a big one for me. Even though I try to keep my purse organized, I don’t always put my keys in there when I get home. If I’m coming back from shopping I’m a lot more likely to lay them down somewhere and then set my bags down. It’s the “somewhere” that becomes the problem, usually when I’m late for work. A functional yet stylish key holder would solve this problem. This one from Target also has a spot for mail. Things that look good and are multi-functional are a win in my book.

Glass or plastic jars for pantry items

My pantry used to be a giant cluster. It was so hard to find anything. I love having a pantry cabinet in the kitchen but the shelves are really deep and things tended to get lost in there. Just like the spice cabinet, I had to pull things out just to find anything. Glass or plastic/acrylic canisters help cut down on pantry clutter a lot. I’m a huge fan of the dollar store so I buy a lot of containers for organizing from there.

Some pantry items like flour and sugar are better stored in glass canisters like this.

If you don’t want to deal with glass, these acrylic canisters come in a variety of sizes and feature a flip-top lid.

And the dollar store always has these round canisters with lids available in a couple of different sizes.

Pegboards

Never underestimate the power of the pegboard as an organization tool. If you don’t believe me, do a quick search on Pinterest and prepare to have your mind blown. And pegboard is cheap too! I can pick up a 2×4 panel at Menard’s for around 5 or 6 dollars. It also comes in white if you don’t like the drab brown. You could also spray paint it any color you wanted. The options are endless. Organization kits and hook sets are available or you could make your own. Pinterest has a lot of ideas on this too. Pegboard is not just for garages anymore, my friend. Think outside the box!

Drawer organizers

You know I’m a big believer in proper drawer organization to keep the mess at bay. Remember my junk drawer makeover from a couple of weeks ago?

I’m also a big fan of organizing other drawers. I use something similar to this in my silverware drawer. It’s expandable to accommodate extra utensils or tools.

Mudroom, or area for coats, shoes, bags, etc

One thing that was sorely lacking in this house was a place to hang coats and scarves and to keep shoes. I had to get creative and create a space for it. This is one of those must-have items for any organized home. If you don’t have a designated area or mudroom per se, create one! All you need is a wall-mounted hook rack, a boot tray (or some other way to corral shoes and boots) and maybe a spot for umbrellas.

Underbed storage

If you’re running short on storage space, underneath the bed is a great place to look for extra space. If your space is small, like in an apartment or small house, you’re limited in your options for gaining new storage areas. Lack of storage makes it difficult to maintain an organized home. There are a lot of choices for containers that will fit under your bed, like this clear plastic storage container with wheels from Target. Put things you’re not going to need that often under the bed, like extra bedding or out of season clothes.

Toy storage

Better toy storage and organization is another area I need to focus on soon. I still have a ton of Aislynn’s toys around from her younger years. But she also has a lot of colors, books, and art supplies that she uses now. A lot of her baby toys will be passed down Clara but Clara will be getting new stuff too. Open storage seems to be the best option for toys because it’s easier for little fingers to put things away if they can see where it should go and they don’t have to pry open a lid first. We keep toys in the family room and in what’s now Aislynn’s room but will soon be shared by both girls.

Space for hanging and folding in the laundry area

I gave my laundry room a major update last year and one of the things on my must-have list was a place to hang and fold clothes. There’s a nice table in there now for folding and I DIY’d a hanging rod that’s on the wall above the table. It’s just so much easier to take clean clothes upstairs that are already folded and on hangers. This accordion folding rack that attaches to the wall would work if you had a smaller space.

And a cube organizer would be a super quick fix for a folding area! And you could fill the cubes with baskets for even more storage! Baskets are my Kryptonite….

And that wraps up Organization month here on the blog! We’ve talked about everything from creating new habits to organizing a spice cabinet. I had a lot of fun and got some much-needed organization done around the house! I hope you enjoyed it too.