Don’t read that title as “My house is sparkly clean and everything has its place right now and I’m basically Organizer Barbie.” That ain’t it.
We just took down our Christmas decorations last week, and now this house feels totally chaotic. It happens every year. But after cleaning up the same messes a thousand times in this house (mamas, y’all know that feeling, right?), I have figured out solutions that work to give the things in our house a “home”.
When it does get messy, it only takes a few minutes to do a quick sweep of the house before it feels sane again.
(Pst… need ideas for organizing all the nooks and crannies of your house? Check ’em out here.)
So I thought it would be helpful to round up 20 of my favorite organizing items that have totally saved my tail to whip our home into shape over the years.
20 Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space
(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)
1. Use a Closet Clean-Out Cheat Sheet to Sort Out the Keepers
Simply asking myself “Does this item spark joy?” isn’t enough for me. I need direction and clarity when trying to purge pieces from my wardrobe. Print out this cheat sheet and physically as yourself the hard questions about what’s in your closet. Over time, the job will go faster and get easier.
(See our entire closet here.)
2. Display a Calendar, Mail Sorter, and Memo Board for a Command Center or Mail Drop-Zone
Have a place for a calendar to jot down reminders and schedules. Use a mail sorter to stay ahead of the pile. Put up a memo board for papers that need immediate attention. And leave room for a key rack and shelf for any items that tend to get dropped at the door.
(See our DIY command center wall here.)
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3. Use Shelf Risers and Drawer Stacks in Sinks, Cabinets, and on Shelves
Vertical storage is like getting double or triple the space.
(See a tour of our entire organized bathroom vanity here.)
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4. Invest in Drawer Organizers
There are so many great drawer organizer inserts out there, but even if you don’t want to spend the money, you can even cut up cardboard cereal & cracker boxes to do the job.
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5. Use Tiered Shelves
Tiered shelves allow you to stack things for vertical storage while seeing everything at once. This matching spice bottle set streamlines our spice cabinet beautifully.
(See a tour of our entire organized kitchen here.)
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6. Go for Matching Hangers
It’s amazing how streamlined a closet can feel with matching hangers. These wooden ones are from IKEA, but if you don’t have a location near you, these wooden hangers are comparable.
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7. Use Clear Canisters
It’s so much easier to see when you’re running low and you don’t have to play Tetris to get a bunch of odd grocery containers to fit onto one shelf together. I love these clear locking canisters that keep our dry goods completely air tight.
(See our entire pantry cabinet here for small space storage solutions.)
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8. Corral Countertop Cooking Staples into a Caddy
I like putting utensils, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter and my Google Home (for music while I cook) in easy reach together in a round basket tray so my countertops are clear for kitchen prep work. Bonus points if you put it on a Lazy Susan for 360 accessibility.
(See more tips for decorating kitchen countertops for function here.)
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9. Place Wall Hooks Right Beside Your Family’s Most Commonly Used Door
It’s the designated spot to prevent your entire house from becoming the drop zone of clutter. I love these cute double hooks that look antique and add a little charm to our laundry room. Ours are several years old now, but these hooks and these hooks have a similar vibe.
(See a tour of our entire laundry room here.)
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10. Designate a Toy Basket in the Living Room
(We do this since we have a playroom right off of our living room, so I realize not everyone has the luxury of a playroom.) No matter what your toy situation looks like, at least having enough baskets and bins for toys when not in use helps give them a “home” so they’re out of sight. We just fold a blanket or place a throw pillow on top of our basket.
(See more tips for toy organization here.)
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11. Hide Cords with Cord Covers
You can paint the cord covers the same color as the wall so they blend right in and you’ll never notice them.
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12. Take Advantage of Pegboards
For craft rooms, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wherever… items stay orderly but accessible. These pegboard hooks and pegboard baskets help a ton.
(See more cleaning/laundry room solutions here.)
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13. Use Ironing Board Hooks
Keep the ironing board accessible and out of the way without taking up a ton of valuable space in a closet somewhere by putting a hook in your laundry room.
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14. Use Wall Baskets Inside of Closets
I like storing gift wrap items on walls in our coat closet so I can quickly grab them when a wrapping occasion pops up. Use wall baskets for storing gloves, umbrellas, or any other accessory too.
(See more of our coat closet here.)
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15. Roll Your Towels and Washcloths and Stick with White
Bonus Points: It makes a bathroom feel more like a spa. I love white because they’re easy to bleach too. These towels are my absolute favorite. I LOVE this bathroom tower for vertical storage too.
(See a tour of our entire master bathroom refresh here.)
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16. Use Wire Baskets in Pantries
That way you can see food items inside of the wire baskets more easily.
(See a tour of our entire IKEA Hemnes pantry solution here.)
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17. Take Advantage of a Tiered Basket for Produce
A tiered basket helps so much to keep fruit from being scattered all over the kitchen counter while preventing overcrowding so they don’t spoil as quickly.
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18. Keep a Glasses Holder and Trinket Bowl on the Nightstand
For taking everything off at the end of the day.
(See a tour of our entire master bedroom here.)
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19. Keep Gaming Consoles and TV Receivers Behind Mesh Doors
They can still receive a signal without being visible that way. You can see our tutorial for building this DIY window seat here.
20. Go Nuts With a Label Maker
My little $10 label maker was worth every penny!!! Label containers, doors, drawers, bins, anything to help you and your household know what goes where.
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I know there are a bunch of other favorite organizing items of mine too, but those are definitely the top contenders.
Here are a few of my favorite past organizing projects we’ve done:
Our Small His & Her IKEA Closet Makeover
Our Full Kitchen Organization Tour
9 Tips for a Super Functional Coat Closet
Our Nursery Organization Tour
7 Laundry Room Organizing Solutions
Do you have any favorite organizing items? Spill ’em all!
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The post The Best Home Organizing Items for a Tidy Space appeared first on Bless'er House.
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