We’re sure that most of you will agree that it’s critical to have an organized space. When your home is organized, your mind is more organized and this has plenty of benefits in your everyday life.
But what if your home is completely cluttered and disorganized? Well, you’re going to need to sort that out, so we’ve written this step by step guide that can help you achieve a completely organized home!
Read on to find out more.
Planning Stage
Before you go any further, the first step is to completely plan out what you’re going to do. Look around your rooms and ask yourself what you want in these rooms and how you would ideally like them to look.
You may wish to do this stage on paper to get a clear idea of what you’re going to do.
However, one of the most important factors to consider is electrical items. Electrical items normally are “forced” to be in specific areas in each room due to the sockets.
So, one of the best ways to plot out your layout of each room is based on where your sockets are.
For example, your living room – you should consider where things like a TV stand are going to be placed, to allow for your items (and to hide unsightly cables!).
It’s also a good idea during the planning process to have a designated spot for garbage and to put things while you are organizing things – remember, the easiest way to organize your home is to do it room by room.
So, consider which area you’re going to use as a “hub” and get ready to start.
Organize Your Home
So, now it’s time to get organized! Here’s what you should do.
Gut The Room!
From your planning stage, you will have an area where you can put everything. So, take everything from the room you are organizing and put it into your hub room. Once everything has been removed, you will now likely need to clean.
Use your vacuum cleaner and dust all of the areas, and clean anything that may have been neglected over time. All of your items that have been placed in your hub room, clean them also and then refer to your planning for where your items are going to be.
Anything that you do not use anymore should be left out, and any garbage needs to be disposed of.
Declutter Your Items
As we just mentioned, if you have items that you do not use anymore – you do not want to put them back into the room, as this will defeat the purpose of organization. So, you need to remember this for things like your wardrobe.
You likely have a lot of clothes that you do not wear often, or at all. So, you should remove all of your clothes out of the wardrobes and closets and start to organize them thusly.
It’s quite easy to do, and much easier to do this on a large surface like a bed or the floor.
Organize your clothes into sections like jeans, shoes, jackets etc. Assess what you wear and don’t wear – anything you don’t wear anymore should be bagged and put into your room hub.
Once your wardrobe has been placed back into your room, tidily place your clothes back into it in an orderly fashion. However, if you notice any of your clothes are dirty or dusty – it’s a good idea to put them into your washing machine while you continue.
Place Like-Items Together
One of the best ways to organize anything is to put things together that are the same, or similar. Much in the same way you’d organize your clothes, you will want to put like-items together in places such as cupboards and your pantry.
It’s also wise to put loose or spare cables and other electrical items together safely. If you have a lot of things like charging cables for instance, be sure to untangle them first.
Many homes have a drawer in their kitchen or office which they call the “everything drawer”.
This is a drawer that houses things that are unique and cannot be paired with other like-items. This is a good idea to keep in mind for later in the process.
Consider Replacement Items
When you are organizing your home, you may have noticed something that should be replaced, due to damage or age. If this is the case, do not place the old item back into the room – keep it in your hub and look to get a replacement right away.
If it is an especially awkward item like a wardrobe which could take a few days to arrive, then order it online and choose a day that suits you – but until then, do not put anything in the room which clutters it.
However, you need to be aware of the size of your new item if it is something like a wardrobe. Trying to go like-for-like is the best move here.
Many people often find that it is their kitchen that needs the most replacements, for items like plates, cutlery or even appliances.
Know Your Spots
Your home should have specific spots where items are stored. Like a pantry will be used for food items, you should have places for things like cleaning supplies or bathroom items etc.
Not only does this make it easier to clean your home and makes the home look much tidier, but it helps to protect your children and pets from potentially dangerous chemicals from cleaning solutions etc.
Don’t Panic If It’s Not Working
One of the most common reasons why people fail to organize their home is because they go all the way through these steps and discover that their plans aren’t going to work. However, you should not stop if this happens.
Simply come up with another plan and change your organization if something isn’t working.
Remember, organization is simplification – so if you end up trying to come up with some convoluted plan, you’re going to confuse yourself in the future, and likely fail.
Do A Final Clean
Once everything has been organized, it’s a good idea to go through your rooms and give them a quick clean again. You’ve likely got the worst out of the rooms, but moving items can result in debris falling onto the floor.
It’s recommended that you open all your windows (if possible) and completely vacuum the floors. Give a thorough clean to the kitchen areas and ensure all of your dishes and laundry has been done.
The very final step is to spray some air freshener around the rooms (while your windows are open), providing a fresh smell to a fresh home!
The Bottom Line
Organizing your home can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be too straining. Simply come up with a good plan and remind yourself that things will look worse before they look better. You’ll thank yourself when it’s all done!
Hi, I’m John Whitford, and I work as a tradesman. Having specialized in plumbing for over 15 years, I’ve worked in a number of environments, but my biggest business is for those who need help with day to day plumbing tasks in their homes.
I started AMDorm.com to provide handy information, advice and how-to guides to help others turn their homes into the house of their dreams!
