How to Organize Your House: a Simple System + Organizers

Learn how to organize your house and keep it that way using these 10 simple organizers and a foolproof method that anyone can do.

Organizing is simple, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.

I’ve lived in half a dozen houses and apartments as an adult and there has been one thing consistent about each one. I’ve always struggled to get organized. Then I figured out this system. No matter how big or small your house is, you can make it work!

Organization strategy

The trick to getting organized is a 4-step method. This will work in every room. You can go big and do a whole room at once or start smaller and organize a single closet or area.

1. Gather everything.

This is the messy part. Gather up everything in the room. Empty closets and cabinets, look under the bed, etc., and put it all in the middle of the room.

While your spaces are empty, now is a good time to give them a good cleaning.

2. Sort into 3 piles.

Sort your stuff into (1) things you want to keep in this room, (2) things that you want to keep somewhere else, and (3) things to get rid of.

As a general rule, if you haven’t used it in a year and it’s easy to replace – let it go.

3. Purge the clutter.

Take your pile of things to get rid of and… get rid of it. Some things will probably really be trash, but recycle or donate what you can. If you think something is valuable enough that it’s worth your time, sell it.

4. Organize what you keep.

Everything that’s left needs a home. Take the things that go somewhere else to the room where they belong. For the things staying in this room, put like items together so you can see how much space they take up.

Essential organizing supplies

Once you have your room clean and can see how much space you need, it’s time to use a few organizer to make things stay tidy. Here are the top ten organizers that I use in my house.

1. Closet door organizers

Closet door organizers can go in any room. In the bedrooms, use them for shoes and small accessories. In a hall closet, sort cleaning supplies. They’re also handy for small items like office or craft supplies.

2. Metal sliding organizers

Metal sliding organizers are ideal in cabinets that are a bit too deep to easily reach the back. I used this organizer for the cleaning supplies under my kitchen sink.

3. Baskets

I have baskets in just about every room. The ones with lids are a good way to hide items. This blue woven basket sits under my microwave and holds all of our reusable food containers.

4. Photo boxes

Photo boxes are good for more than just photos. They are really sturdy and are great for keeping things hidden in plain sight. Make cute labels for all of the boxes so you remember what’s inside at a glance.

5. Magazine files

Magazine files are perfect for office paper, card stock, printer paper, notebook paper, and construction paper. They also work nicely for kids’ books if your child is likely to knock over a whole shelf to get one out.

6. Plastic containers

Plastic containers are great in the pantry. They keep food fresh, help everything fit neatly, and look cute. Sometimes I buy food in bulk or I just feel like the packaging isn’t really secure.

Decanting food into containers has become a part of my grocery shopping routine. I do it when I bring the food home and it only takes about 5 minutes each week. Just make sure you clip the cooking instructions from the box or label foods that might be hard to identify. (ie. What kind of rice is that and how long does it cook?)

7. Wire storage cubes

I like wire cubes because you can take them apart and change them as much as you like. They are also durable, but make sure you don’t stack them too high for safety. Anchor them to the wall if you have small children.

8. Fabric storage cubes

I put fabric storage cubes in my wire cubes, above. They also look nice sitting on other shelves. Use them to hold larger items – like bathroom appliances – or put smaller containers inside for dividers so that the things inside don’t become a jumbled mess.

9. Plastic shoe boxes

Plastic shoe boxes are great in kids’ rooms, where you need a container to sort and label lots of small toys. We use these for LEGO storage and organizing. My son also has some that he uses for action figures, plastic animals, and desk supplies.

10. Wall hooks

I use both permanent and temporary hooks. I use temporary Command hooks for holiday decorating indoors and outside. In the bathroom, we’ve always preferred towel hooks, so when we remodeled the bathroom we replaced small white hooks with bigger metal ones.

Organizing is a process. Start with a small project or one room. Set aside a few minutes each day or a whole weekend. Little by little, you’ll see a difference. And the more you organize your house, the more organized it will stay.

What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• Free printable cleaning routine checklist
• How to organize paper clutter once and for all
• Home office organization: closet before and after