22 Tips to Keep your Home Tidy and Organized

22 easy organizing tips

I am naturally a bit of clutter person. I tend to let things pile up and we always seem to have toys and crafty bits in the main living area.

I wanted to find out from my most organized friends what their tips were. I wanted to know how someone keeps their house clutter free seemingly ALL THE TIME.

Here are their tips:

1 | GET CUBBIES FOR THE KID’S STUFF

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“This has changed so much in our home: our kids have their own cubbies/lockers. It’s so much more organized and they KNOW where their shoes/coats/ bags are and where they need to go.” – Louise at Talk Nerdy To Me (<—- see pics and full post for more details here!)

(Image via Talk Nerdy to Me )

2 | DECLUTTER + PURGE, ALWAYS

– my sister-in-law Shari, the most organized and clutter-free person I know.

3 | STAY ON TOP OF IT

– Ashley at Tales of Mommyhood

4 | STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND FIX IT

“When you see your container drawer getting out of hand, stop what you’re doing and fix it, otherwise it is just going to get crazy” – Randa at The Bewitchin Kitchen

5 | THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP

“I have felt like my life has completely changed since reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Our house is 90% complete and I have such a peace – it is so different than any other method I have ever tried. I am the type of person who feels how my house looks, so being able to have a calm, clean home that is free of extra clutter has really been just that – life-changing! I also have loved how my daughters now feel more at peace and are have a good attitude about helping now with things like laundry and tidying because it is not overwhelming.” – Jody at Mommy Moment

6 | DON’T KEEP WASHING YOUR DONATIONS PILE

“In addition to laundry hampers for clean and dirty in the Laundry room, keep a bag or basket for clothes that need to be donated so you don’t find yourself washing them over and over.”  via Lori at Frugal Edmonton Mama

7 | PURGE AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR

“Commit to a purge at least once a year. Set aside a few days to make your way through each room with a donation box and garbage bag. The less you have, the less you have to clean!” – Bri at The Modern Mommy

8 | PICK A GARAGE SALE DATE AND STICK TO IT

“If you are going to do a clear out and decide to have a garage sale, pick a date for that sale and stick to it. Give yourself a ‘rain date’ but if that passes… a ‘drop off date’. That is when you are loading up your car/van and dropping off all your stuff to the Good Will or Salvation army. Stick to it. Don’t put it off.” – Margarita at The Downshifting Pro.

9 | GET A CORDLESS VACUUM

– my good friends Jublee and Tracy (who both have beautiful tidy homes).

10 | USE NORWEX

“Use only cloths and water for cleaning the house!” – Jublee and Tracy

11 | JUST HAVE LESS STUFF

“Less stuff can help with having less mess and being more organized.” – Sarah at Journeys Of The Zoo

12 | PUT IT BACK WHERE IT BELONGS

“If putting an item in its correct place takes less than one minute, do it. Be sure to take something else from the destination room back to where you were.” – Sarah at Journeys Of The Zoo

13 | ONE IN, ONE OUT

“One in – one out. For anything that enters your house (pair of shoes, couch, etc), one has to go. Stops the hoarding and if you aren’t willing to part with something old – you don’t need something new.” – Juliana on Facebook

14 | BE RUTHLESS WITH YOUR CLOSET

“If you haven’t worn it during a season (spring/summer or Fall/winter) then it’s time to get rid of it! Chances are if you haven’t worn it this year you won’t wear it next!” – Carol on Facebook

15 | NEVER LEAVE A ROOM EMPTY HANDED

“Something always needs to be put away, and always leaving the room with something and putting it away can reduce a lot of “before bed” tidying!!” – Leanne at Modern Mama Winnipeg

16 | GET RID OF 50% OF YOUR BELONGINGS

“Seems harsh, but once you do it, it’s surprising how easy (and enjoyable) the things are to live without.” – Shannon on Facebook

17 | ONLY KEEP ITEMS YOU LOVE

“Only keep items that you really love and/or actually need! – we just did a big purge and got rid of a lot of unused items and now it is easier to keep everything tidy.” – Lindsay at Modern Mama Edmonton

18 | DO ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY PER DAY

“Wash, fold and put away, daily” – Carla Reid, here at Modern Mama

19 | TACKLE ONE SPACE AT A TIME

“It is much less overwhelming than trying to get the whole house clean/tidy at the same time – I’ve learned that is an impossible dream!” – Angela at Modern Mama North Shore

20 | NO TOYS ON THE MAIN FLOOR

If you have a basement or two-level house, store the toys in the bedrooms or basement (although they may play with them on the main floor, they get put away). I would say this is applicable for families with children over 5 years of age. – Tracey on Facebook

21 | DO IT NOW

“Taking a few minutes every day to put a few things away is easier than spending an hour or more wading through that overwhelming pile of stuff that hasn’t been put away properly. File bills as they are paid, put away jewelry when you take it off, and so forth.” – Bonnie at The Koala Mom (<—- more tips here!)

22 | DONATE

My final tip would be to donate items to help local and national nonprofits by dropping off clothing, household items and toys, books and games at your local Value Village. I have written several posts on whether you should toss, donate or sell your gently used stuff here.

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* This post is sponsored by Value Village

 

 

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