Housekeeping Organization

Maintaining an organized home can be tricky when you don’t have a lot of storage solutions. But luckily, with a bit of creativity and helpful tips, you can keep your things neat and tidy. Storing medicine without a medicine cabinet is easy, but you need to do it properly.

First, take a moment to think about the idea of home organization, because the concept doesn't look the same for everyone. Some people picture a meticulously clean house with walls of bins and matching labels. Others consider finding their keys in less than 5 minutes being organized.

According to recent data, the average new home size in the US is 2,485 square feet (much larger than approximately 50 years ago). However, interestingly enough, over the past several years, the size of new homes has been shrinking. 

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the New Year, dreaming about a fresh start and all the things you plan to accomplish. Like many homeowners, you likely set several house goals. However, as February approaches, you’re beginning to think that maybe you were a bit too ambitious with your New Year’s home resolutions.

Clutter, clutter everywhere, and not a place to put it all. Does this sound about right? Are you surrounded by a mountain of stuff that you don’t even remember getting? You think, “No, problem. I just ordered a bunch of bins on Amazon, so I’ll be organized in no time.” Well, it’s time for a reality check; getting organized isn’t about the bins.

Clothes, clothes, everywhere, and not a thing to wear? Maybe that’s because you have so many clothes, you get overwhelmed whenever it’s time to get dressed. If your closet is ready to burst, it’s time to learn how to declutter your closet and take back control of your wardrobe.

If you always use your kitchen to prepare meals for the household, then you know cooking isn’t always the easiest part of your day. There is planning, preparation, and precision involved in creating memorable meals at home. While you can’t change the fundamentals of cooking, you can arrange your kitchen in a way that makes it easier to cook.

You’re selling your house, and your agent tells you to clean up before they take pictures. You scrub, dust, mop, and do your best, but then they tell you there’s still too much stuff, and you need to declutter. But then, they start talking about how they’re going to stage your home, and you’re confused because you thought you were doing that already.

Come on, you knew an article about making the most of your small space was going to have a section on decluttering. That’s simply because it is imperative to reduce your inventory when you want to maximize your living area.

Maybe you’re not sure if you even want to organize your home. Perhaps you’re fine with things just as they are, with piles of paper sliding off the kitchen counters and clothes strewn across the bedroom floor. But there’s no denying that organization has its perks, including increased productivity, better time management, and an overall calmer living environment.

The art of cooking in a tiny kitchen is a feat that can take years to master. Each tiny kitchen has its unique quirks and challenges. But with time, preparation, and perseverance, great meals can come out of these very small spaces. While cooking a typical meal in a small space is easy enough, preparing a holiday feast in a tiny kitchen is a much larger challenge, and requires lots of planning and tricks to pull off without any issues.

Charities are always in need of donations, especially around the holidays or after a natural disaster. When you think of charitable contributions, you likely think of essentials like clothing, water, and canned goods. While these are exceptional items to donate, there are many other products that charities gladly accept. Some of these items might even be collecting dust in your home right now.

If you have children and don’t use your dining room, the space has plenty of potential to become a playroom. Not only is this great for your kids, but it’s also an easy way to declutter your home. You won’t have to worry about your children’s toys being scattered all over the house.

Warning! Drooling over organized closets, pantries, and garages on Instagram could delay your organizing goals. The pristine, hyper-sorted spaces on social media make you think you need to buy a bunch of pricey bins, baskets, and storage solutions to get results. But here’s what you really need to know. You don’t have to buy containers to get organized!

A dedicated place for kids to play can be a lifesaver when it comes to keeping your home organized and tidy (not to mention calm). When things get messy, simply shut the door or draw the curtain to hide the chaos. But if the playroom isn't functional, toys and mayhem soon start seeping into other parts of your home.

When you’re dreaming of a picture-perfect home, with everything in its place, it’s hard to ignore the barrage of aesthetically pleasing storage solutions out there. Influencers show off luxury bins, fill fridges with clear acrylic containers, and arrange their closets as if they’re a department store.

Small homes are cozy, practical, and often easier on the budget, but they definitely have challenges, especially when it comes to storage. If you live in a smaller house, you probably have to get creative when it comes to everyday organization. Seasonal storage is a whole other conundrum.

Are you trying to convince yourself that your overflowing closets and cluttered countertops aren’t a big deal? You might tell yourself the mess doesn’t bother you, until you really start thinking about what it’s costing you. That’s right. Those piles of clutter are eating away at your budget, not to mention your mental and emotional well-being.

After decluttering your house, you often feel like you can breathe more easily and things are more peaceful. It’s like you hit a giant reset button. But if you’re not careful, that reset can quickly turn into more of a replay, with everything creeping back to how it was before. 

There are many reasons why you might need to put items in storage, but the goal is that these stored items will be just as perfect when you take them out of the storage unit as when you put them in. Some items are likely to be resilient, regardless of how they are stored. But other belongings made of more vulnerable materials can be susceptible to damage. This is especially true if you don’t have a climate-controlled unit. Therefore, it is important to climate-proof all the items you decide to put in storage.

You can spend hundreds of dollars on cute organizers to color-code everything from your socks to your kitchen utensils, but it’s still overwhelming. Piling overflow shoes and clothing from your closet into stackable bins makes things easier on the eyes, but does nothing to streamline your life. Put simply, organizing your house isn’t the same as simplifying your life.

Proper storage makes all the difference in how your home looks, feels, and functions. If you don’t have a place for everything, clutter takes over, leading to stress and frustration. Blankets, sheets, towels, and similar items tend to accumulate, which means adequate storage is essential. Many homes feature linen closets for this very purpose, but how do you store linens without a closet?

If you’re a parent, you know that time flies by faster than a supersonic jet. Before you know it, children are bigger, into new hobbies, and wearing larger clothes. As your children grow, their storage needs change, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy new containers every year.

It can take years and even decades to build a sizable tool collection that you are proud of. There are just so many essential tools, it can take years to save up for them all. Power tools, in particular, are quite expensive, but necessary for anyone who wants to do lots of DIY projects. But once you finally do have a full tool collection and lots of power tools, you might find that organizing and storing your power tools is a whole new challenge you need to overcome.

When you have kids, it's a safe bet you also have a lot of stuff. If blocks, dolls, Hot Wheels, LEGOs, stuffed animals, and random art supplies are taking over your space, fear not. There are ways to contain kid clutter and maintain a more adult vibe in your home without sacrificing fun and play time.

The holidays often stir up feelings of magic, whimsy, and heartwarming cheer. But if you spend more days stressing about your house than basking in the joy of the season, it’s time for a change. Get your home ready for the holidays without feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

You might try to convince yourself that organizing your kitchen cabinets isn’t that big a deal. After all, once the doors are closed, you don’t see the mess, right? (Unless you’re dealing with organizing glass cabinets.) But the benefits of organized cabinets go way beyond a tidy kitchen.

The holiday season is synonymous with dinners, parties, and family gatherings. There are many reasons to attend a party at this time of year. You may even feel inspired (or obligated) to throw a holiday party of your own. There are a lot of ways to approach hosting a holiday party in your dwelling, and they all come with their challenges. This is particularly true if you plan to host a holiday gathering in a small apartment.

If your home is short on closet space, you could end up with a significant clutter problem if you don’t come up with a plan. Older houses often lack closets, and the ones they do have aren’t usually large. Or maybe you simply have a bunch of stuff and decluttering your home isn’t on your to-do list anytime soon. 

After you bake your holiday cookies and quiche, remember to save the cardboard egg containers. The cardboard compartments can be used to store your small Christmas decorations. These containers have anywhere from 6 to 24 shallow pockets that can fit many of your small and breakable holiday decorations.

There’s something about starting a brand-new year that makes us want to hit reset on all sorts of things, from our fitness levels to our financial well-being. Another area in which many people desire to make a bunch of changes is their homes. Whatever the reason, January has a way of turning our homes into a reflection of how we want to live, not just how we’ve been living.

The winter holidays should bring warmth and joy to everyone who celebrates them. Unfortunately, in today’s busy world, this season often feels more like an expensive, stressful balancing act than anything resembling holiday cheer. While you can’t always change the way holidays are celebrated where you live, there are many ways to cope with and minimize holiday stress.

Dining room tables can sometimes feel like a waste of space, especially if you don’t have a large family. If you aren’t constantly entertaining, then you most likely have a small dining table, or perhaps no dining table at all. For most of the year, this likely frees up space in your home, so you can use the room for other purposes. But when it comes to hosting a holiday gathering, you will be left having to find a creative and hopefully inexpensive way to create a large dining table for festive gatherings.

One great way to protect clothing from the elements and external dangers like moisture, bugs, and sharp objects is to vacuum-seal them. There are many vacuum-sealable plastic bags on the market, and many of them are geared towards storing your clothing for long periods.

When you don’t have much room for your belongings, efficient storage is a must. Whether you live in a small apartment or share your space with others, you need to be smart about where you put your things. So, what’s the best way to store your items when you’re short on space?

Time is precious, so who wants to spend more time than they need to get ready in the morning? But if your makeup drawer is a wreck, you’re likely wasting a bunch of time searching for items. Knowing how to organize a makeup drawer so you can find what you need quickly can make a huge difference in your day. 

Corner pantries are meant to be a major part of your kitchen’s storage. It’s usually where extra food goes, and where you can expect your other less-used kitchen tools to go. If you’re a foodie like me, that usually means that you’re a little overwhelmed when you see how much stuff you have to fit into a corner pantry. Is there any way to make organizing this easier?

For anyone working an in-0ffice job, lunch is always a looming consideration. Some prefer to eat in an employee cafeteria, while others order out. But these habits can become expensive and even unhealthy. These are a couple of reasons why the concept of meal-prepping has grown more popular.

If you live in a house with kids, then you likely have a playroom that moonlights as an office or a living room full of LEGO bricks. Perhaps your kitchen needs to handle homework as deftly as it does meal prep. Unless you live in a larger home, you’re sharing spaces with your children, so what’s the best way to make it work?

It’s too easy to get behind on laundry when you're busy with work and other responsibilities. However, there’s no better time to put your laundry away than before having guests over. A pile of laundry is an eyesore to many people, even if your guests can relate. 

Are you tired of tripping over clutter every time you get dressed? Will you lose it if you step on another kid’s toy or spend 15 minutes trying to find the can opener?

Maybe your favorite organizing influencer’s pantry or medicine cabinet has you drooling. Everything has a place, and it seems so easy for them to find what they need within moments. You decide this marvel of modern organization must be yours, so you start trying to recreate the look in your own space.

When you hear the word minimalism, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Do you picture a room with white walls, a bed, a table, a single chair, and a toothbrush? Maybe if it’s a more daring display of living with less, there’s a houseplant on the windowsill and a woven rug on the floor.

It’s not you, it’s your stuff being sneaky. You might be the most organized person in the world, but there are still places in your home that seem to breed clutter. Don't panic; everybody has these sneaky clutter spots, but the good news is that once you’re aware of them, you can conquer them.

You finally found the home you've been looking for, whether it's your first house, second, or third. Over the first few months, you spend days unpacking, decorating, tweaking, fixing, and rearranging. But your new house still doesn't feel like it’s yours. Did you pick the wrong place, or does it just take time for your new house to feel like home?

Hushing the house means reducing the number of items in your home to achieve a quieter, more peaceful environment. House housing, or quieting the house is a popular trend in a world where everyone seems overworked and stressed. The idea of a simpler life and a serene retreat sounds amazing.

If you live in an area with a seasonal climate, then you experience an array of weather, moods, activities, and clothing. While spring and fall wardrobes can overlap a bit, there is very little in common between winter and summer clothing. As the weather warms up and cools down each year, you likely swap out your winter wardrobe with your summer one, and vice versa. But as you pack away your seasonal clothing, you must take the time to store it correctly.

The holidays can feel like a never-ending series of cocktail parties and family gatherings. There’s always an excuse to throw a party in the winter, and you may even plan on hosting one or more parties at your home this year. While no concrete entertaining rules exist that you must abide by as the host, there are many mistakes you should avoid to ensure every holiday event you plan is flawless.

Whether you’re an avid home cook, a busy parent, or just love to snack, a disorganized fridge can put a damper on your kitchen habits. French door refrigerators are one of the most popular styles of this appliance. Knowing how to organize a French door refrigerator will go a long way to keeping your life calmer and more productive (and you won’t waste food).

The holidays are full of good cheer, special moments, and time well spent with family and friends. It’s also full of stuff. Between the decorations, food containers, gifts, holiday clothing, and wrapping supplies, your house is crammed with post-holiday clutter. However, it’s important to approach decluttering thoughtfully, without trying to overhaul your entire home in a weekend.

Let’s face it; our pets take over our hearts and our homes. Between the pet toys, beds, grooming supplies, leashes, litter boxes — the list goes on and on — you might feel like your pet needs their own room. Don’t give up the spare bedroom just yet. Instead, use these tips for organizing your pet’s belongings.

Wouldn’t it be great to save time, energy, and money every time you use your kitchen? Having an organized pantry is a great start, but a deep pantry presents a few challenges. Knowing how to organize a deep pantry can streamline your meal-prepping, reduce stress, and make your kitchen tidier.

Football season might be over, but now it’s time for soccer, baseball, track, volleyball, softball, swimming…whew! Spring sports are huge for kids, with countless options, which means tons of gear to put somewhere! Unless you want a pile of shoes, gloves, uniforms, and packs by your door, it’s time to get organized.

One factor that can impact a product's longevity is how and where it’s applied. Using a clean applicator to use a cream or solid product will prevent bacterial growth. 

With home prices and apartment rentals at an all-time high, many people have had to downsize into smaller living spaces. In some cases, life can feel pretty much the same in a slightly smaller home. But one room that can be difficult to navigate when it shrinks in size, is the kitchen. A small kitchen means there is less room for your appliances, and you are suddenly left with minimal counter space to prepare food. When you find yourself in a kitchen with limited counter space, how do you create more?

If you resolved to be more organized this year or currently find yourself living in a home filled with clutter, then the winter is the perfect time to do something about it. The weather outside might be frigid, but inside your home, there is plenty of work you can do. However, organizing your home and ridding it of clutter can feel overwhelming, which is why it is best if you accomplish this goal one task at a time.

Life with pets is fun, rewarding, and, well, messy. Plus, having a pet adds responsibilities to your day and a lot more stuff inside your home. A well-equipped entryway designed for life with pets can make things tidier, easier, and cleaner.

Organizing your clothing in a way that works for you can make a huge difference in how your day goes. If it’s simple to get ready, find what you need, and your things stay nice, you save time and money. Typical clothing storage in your bedroom is usually a dresser and closet, but what should you keep in them?

Hoarding begins with the best intentions. There are sentimental reasons, and of course, the far-fetched idea that maybe one day you’ll utilize something you’ve never taken out of the box. The key to maintaining an organized home is knowing when to hold on to something and when to let it go. Below is a list of everyday items that people tend to hold onto longer than they should.

Bathroom closets are often catch-alls for anything and everything remotely related to self-care. We store towels, medicine, toiletry supplies, first-aid gear, massage devices, facial steamers, spare bed sheets; you name it. If you’re unsure how to organize a bathroom closet, it quickly becomes a chaotic mess, adding a snowball of stress to your day.