9 Ways to Make Your Home More Organized Than Ever This Year

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  Is your spring cleaning checklist now longer than a CVS receipt? Make this the season you declare victory over clutter once and for all. What are some ways to make your home more organized than ever?

You feel better when you have a place for everything. Furthermore, finding what you need is much easier, minimizing those last-minute rushes to get out of the house when you can’t find your kiddo’s homework assignment.

You’ve come to the right place if you’re ready to don your plastic gloves and apron and work up a healthy sweat. Here are nine ways to make your home more organized than ever this year.

Start With the Big Stables 

In Greek mythology, one of Hercules’ 12 labors was to muck the Augean stables, a job akin to scrubbing the floor of a meat packing plant with a toothbrush. It has since become a metaphor for any large, onerous task you put off for too long — like sorting through the mess of boxes in your garage or basement.

The right tools make any job easier. Here’s your checklist for each area.

1. The Garage

The extra space in your garage can transform into a home office workshop or child’s playroom once you clear the clutter. Take the following steps:

• Use old furniture for storage: That scratched chest of drawers can hold yarn and needles for your knitting creations.
• Install a pegboard to hang small tools.
• Look up: High shelves are the perfect place to stow hazardous materials like antifreeze that kids shouldn’t touch.
• Choose locking cabinets: These are also excellent places to store tools like chainsaws you don’t want your kids to touch.

Furthermore, hit your floor with a coat of epoxy. It fills in cracks and hides oil stains, preventing new ones from forming. It also greatly enhances your curb appeal.

2. The Attic

• Start with an inspection: Take everything out and look for insulation and mold.
• Make four piles: You’ve heard of to keep, repurpose or donate. Add a fourth pile — to appraise. Cleaning your attic becomes an adventure when you transform it into a treasure hunt, and even old Pokemon cards can be worth surprising money.
• Ditch the cardboard: Cardboard boxes are cheap but also the perfect nesting area for cockroaches and bigger pests like squirrels. Instead, look for sturdy plastic or metal bins that withstand time’s test while preserving your memories.

3. The Basement 

Here, you should combine the approaches you used for tackling your garage and attic. A coat of epoxy on your basement floor is an inexpensive way to make it look more polished. Better yet, consider converting it into a usable living space or even a small apartment. You could bring in extra cash with an Airbnb, especially if your home lies near a popular tourist destination.

Move Onto the Bedrooms

Your next job is to move onto the bedrooms. First, heave a big sigh that the heavy work is done. Then, roll up your sleeves and prepare to get ruthless with these tips.

4. Closet

Everything is more fun with friends. Call your BFFs and have them clean their closets on the same weekend, and do the same with your kids’ friends parents. Then, organize a party where everyone gets first dibs on each other’s donation piles. You can replenish your wardrobe without spending a dime, and you’ll feel less guilty knowing that the 2-sizes-too-small sweater your aunt lovingly knitted by hand is going home with a pal instead of a random Goodwill donation box.

Then:

• Hang hooks for organizing belts, scarves and chains.
• Place a shelf above the door for little-used items like suitcases or straw hats.
• Turn your hangers the reverse direction. When you wear an item, put it the right way. You’ll have no problem identifying what you haven’t worn at year’s end.

5. Under-Bed Organizer

If you have space under your beds, they’re ripe for storage. Look for narrow but wide containers that slide into such areas and use them to store your underwear and socks.

6. Kids’ Toys

Simple, brightly colored shelves are ideal for organizing kids’ toys. You can paint them bright primary colors to make it easy for tiny hands to put items in the right spots and keep their floor clean.

Every Nook and Cranny

Your organizational wizardry is almost finished. However, you shouldn’t stop before attending to the details that make a huge difference in daily life.

7. Your Entryway

A stylish shoe rack is the perfect reminder to family and guests to doff their dog covers before walking on your white rug. A coat rack with attached shelves lets you organize backpacks, lunch boxes and homework assignments so they’re easy to grab on busy mornings.

8. Drawers and Cabinets

• Trash and recycling: A set of sliding bins helps you keep things in order until it’s sorting center time. Mount a can crusher, too, to save additional space.
• Plates and lids: Wire racks and lid dividers keep stuff from falling out of cabinets with a crash when you open them. You can also clean out your oven’s warmer drawer at last.
• Pots and pans: You can find standalone and hanging pot racks and those that install inside cabinets to keep you from digging through a stack of five to get the saucepan you want.

9. The Infamous Junk Drawer

Put your repurposing hat on. You can use the following items to create storage spaces for small things like buttons and batteries that often end up in the infamous “junk” drawer:

• Clean tin cans
• Old paper towel and toilet paper rolls
• Egg cartons
• Loose-leaf tea canisters

How to Make Your Home More Organized Than Ever

It’s spring cleaning time. Are you ready for a major overhaul?

Follow these tips to make your home more organized than ever. You’ll feel happier at home when everything has a place.

Click the links below for any posts you have missed:

4 Creative Ways to Organize Your Home This Spring

How to Incorporate More Family Space Into Your Home

Living in Texas: Planning a Move to a New City

The Benefits of Using High-Quality Exterior Paint

How to Add Value to Your Home

The Top Reasons Your Furnace Isn’t Kicking On

I’d love for you to join my email list!  You’ll receive a notification straight to your inbox which will include links to my latest home project posts!  Simply enter your address below.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world!  Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!

Toodles,

Between Naps on the Porch