The Organized Home You Want in Just 5 Easy Steps

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The Organized Home

Magazines and folders in green box on bedside table in room in the organized home

 

Do you ever feel like the mess around you in your home is a reflection of your life? I know I do. When I am up and energetic and happy I keep my home much neater than in the times when I am not. We want order and beauty in our homes, but what we really have is laundry, dirty floors, things laying out where they don’t belong, muddy paw or footprints, and all the other daily messes that come into our lives.  It just makes me feel chaotic when my home gets this way.  That drains my energy and so starts the circle of emotions about how I feel about my home. 

So let’s think about it, how do you want your home to make you feel? I want a home that makes me feel peaceful, calm, and happy. How can I get that feeling when I walk through my door?  The organized home, that’s how. 

Entry Way

Let’s start with that place you see first, and work out.  Is your entryway cluttered with shoes, jackets, backpacks, and other stuff that does not belong there?  What can you do to get that area under control? Start with my favorite way to start any project. Remove everything, and give it a really good cleaning. Baseboards, doorknobs, floor, light fixtures, the works. If the walls are really dirty give them a cleaning too, or repaint if it’s in your budget. 

See the problem?

Now figure out what you need to make the space functional and pretty.  Yes, it can be both. Do you need to add a bench or a coatrack? A place for all the shoes to go? I have a friend that made the cutest little shoe shelf out of 2 crates, 2 boards, and some legs from the hardware store. It’s adorable and didn’t cost her a fortune to make. Put some hooks above that and the problem is solved. A place for shoes jackets and backpacks. if you have a large enough entry a chair would be nice as well so you have a place to sit down to take shoes off and to put them on.  Does the space need a little throw rug? Maybe some other kinds of accessories? 

Be Creative

As always shop your home before you buy new you might already have something that will work for you, and hey free is always a better price. Put on your recycling hat here. What you need may just be something that you have to make out of something else. This is also a good time to purge anything that you don’t want to put back into this area.   Look at the picture below, see how little it can take to corral the mess? Now, don’t you feel better walking into what you have now? Ok so now that you have won this area back, your mission is to keep it cleaned and organized.  Yes, you might have some family retraining to do. The little surge of joy your newly organized area gives you should give you a spark to keep going. Remember the organized home is our goal.

The organized home entry way

Family Room

What’s Wrong in this Room?

What is the next area you want to tackle? For many of us, it’s the family room. Mine is the place where everything that didn’t get dropped in the entry makes it’s home. There are piles of paper, books, and magazines on the coffee table. While I don’t have littles anymore, I do have a puppy which is pretty much the same thing. Her toys are all over the floor.

We made the mistake of letting her up on the sofa, which now is covered up with dog protective covers. There are still somehow dirty pawprints on the sofa itself. I am so happy I decided years ago that I had to have a slipcovered sofa so I could wash it. I was thinking of the kids when I bought it.  An empty nest puppy might not have been the best idea I ever had. We will talk about that some other day.

Get to Work

So same drill here. Get it all out. (except for the furniture) Take out all the decorative items, lamps, piles of paper, magazines. everything. Give it a good top to bottom cleaning. Like the entry wash the walls, floor, baseboards, light fixtures, ceiling fans, everything.  If the room is carpeted it would be a great time to wash that too.  Vacuum the furniture or wash the slipcovers if you have them. Clean any tables, mantles, windowsills that are in the room. If you can do it wash the windows and any sliding glass doors. 

What Is It For?

 Before you start bringing things in, think about the kinds of messes that are always in the room. Is there a way to keep things handy that you need without having piles of things all over the room? Do your kids study and do homework in your family room? Do kids play in there?  Think about what kind of organizational things you could use.

For me, the room doubles as my office since my office has become my craft room.  The solution was a cute little basket that I could put my planner, notebooks, and loose papers into each time I was done using them. I just put it under the end table out of sight when I need the room to be clean. I have a TV tray that I use to put my laptop on that can be folded up and placed behind the sofa when I am not using it.  (which hardly ever happens)

The dog toys are now in a wood crate I got at Walmart. In the picture below there are baskets on the bookcases. I would bet they are full of toys, games, and other kinds of things that would look messy if they were out.  If you still need help figuring out what you need, look at Pinterest, Instagram, or one of my favorite cheats the Ikea catalog.  Ikea has inexpensive solutions to may storage problems. 

Bring Back What You Need 

Now that you have figured out what you need in the room, you can start bringing your stuff back in. Yes, purge here too, it does not make sense to find a home for something you really don’t want or need, right?  Clean everything that is coming back into the room. For the things that you need for organizing, again shop your house and look at things to see what they could be made into. 

At the end of the day, all I have to do is stow my papers, pick up the dog toys, and run a dust mop over the floor.  Now it’s inviting for me to come into in the morning instead of making me cringe. 

Bedrooms

Do the same thing in the bedrooms. Everything out except the large pieces of furniture. Leave the closets for another day, that is its own project. Give it a top to bottom clean, floors walls light fixtures, vacuum bedding. Wash curtains and all bedding.

Kids Need Input and Help

If you are working in a kid’s room let them help with putting things away that they want to keep. Help kids through the process of purging. Explain that someone else might love to have a toy they don’t play with anymore. Things that have to be thrown away may need to be explained too, “how would you feel if someone gave you a broken toy? ”

Look at the things that came out of the room and decide how they should be organized back into the room.  Ask your child about how they want things organized,  some kids want all the cars together for others it makes more sense to have all the red things together. If you do it their way they will be more likely to put things back where they belong. At my house, though, it was always a victory if they just put things back somewhere, even if it wasn’t the place it started.  Like before shop your house to see if you already have something that will work for storage before you buy new. 

Not So Bad?

OK that wasn’t so bad, right? Now you have a few areas in your house that make you happy and are working toward giving your home that feeling that you want it to have. We are not redecorating, yet, we are just making our homes someplace that doesn’t want to make us want to run from all the stuff when we walk in the door. We are striving for the organized home we want.  All we have really done is to 1) figure out what the problem is in the room, 2)think about a way to solve it, 3) get what you need shopping your home first, and 4) giving the space a good cleaning and 5) returning only the things that should be in that space.  Easy Peasy.  The hard part is defending your space from the clutter bugs that may live with you!  

Coming Soon

Coming soon tips on taking back bathrooms and kitchens. Want more ideas? See my post on my Pantry organization.  You might also enjoy my Laundry Room Reveal from the One Room Makeover.

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Till Next Time…

The Organized Home You Want in Just 5 Easy Steps

Do you ever feel like the mess around you in your home is a reflection of your life? I know I do. When I am up and energetic and happy I keep my home much neater than in the times when I am not. We want order and beauty in our homes, but what we really have is laundry, dirty floors, things laying out where they don't belong, muddy paw or footprints, and all the other daily messes that come into our lives.  It just makes me feel chaotic when my home gets this way.  That drains my energy and so starts the circle of emotions about how I feel about my home. 

So let's think about it, how do you want your home to make you feel? I want a home that makes me feel peaceful, calm, and happy. How can I get that feeling when I walk through my door?  The organized home, that's how. 

Entry Way

Entry Way

Let's start with that place you see first, and work out.  Is your entryway cluttered with shoes, jackets, backpacks, and other stuff that does not belong there?  What can you do to get that area under control? Start with my favorite way to start any project. Remove everything, and give it a really good cleaning. Baseboards, doorknobs, floor, light fixtures, the works. If the walls are really dirty give them a cleaning too, or repaint if it's in your budget. 

See the problem?

Now figure out what you need to make the space functional and pretty.  Yes, it can be both. Do you need to add a bench or a coatrack? A place for all the shoes to go? I have a friend that made the cutest little shoe shelf out of 2 crates, 2 boards, and some legs from the hardware store. It's adorable and didn't cost her a fortune to make. Put some hooks above that and the problem is solved. A place for shoes jackets and backpacks. if you have a large enough entry a chair would be nice as well so you have a place to sit down to take shoes off and to put them on.  Does the space need a little throw rug? Maybe some other kinds of accessories? 

Be Creative

As always shop your home before you buy new you might already have something that will work for you, and hey free is always a better price. Put on your recycling hat here. What you need may just be something that you have to make out of something else. This is also a good time to purge anything that you don't want to put back into this area.   Look at the picture below, see how little it can take to corral the mess? Now, don't you feel better walking into what you have now? Ok so now that you have won this area back, your mission is to keep it cleaned and organized.  Yes, you might have some family retraining to do. The little surge of joy your newly organized area gives you should give you a spark to keep going. Remember the organized home is our goal.

Family Room

What's Wrong in this Room?

What is the next area you want to tackle? For many of us, it's the family room. Mine is the place where everything that didn't get dropped in the entry makes it's home. There are piles of paper, books, and magazines on the coffee table. While I don't have littles anymore, I do have a puppy which is pretty much the same thing. Her toys are all over the floor.

We made the mistake of letting her up on the sofa, which now is covered up with dog protective covers. There are still somehow dirty pawprints on the sofa itself. I am so happy I decided years ago that I had to have a slipcovered sofa so I could wash it. I was thinking of the kids when I bought it.  An empty nest puppy might not have been the best idea I ever had. We will talk about that some other day.

Get to Work

So same drill here. Get it all out. (except for the furniture) Take out all the decorative items, lamps, piles of paper, magazines. everything. Give it a good top to bottom cleaning. Like the entry wash the walls, floor, baseboards, light fixtures, ceiling fans, everything.  If the room is carpeted it would be a great time to wash that too.  Vacuum the furniture or wash the slipcovers if you have them. Clean any tables, mantles, windowsills that are in the room. If you can do it wash the windows and any sliding glass doors. 

What Is It For?

Before you start bringing things in, think about the kinds of messes that are always in the room. Is there a way to keep things handy that you need without having piles of things all over the room? Do your kids study and do homework in your family room? Do kids play in there?  Think about what kind of organizational things you could use.

For me, the room doubles as my office since my office has become my craft room.  The solution was a cute little basket that I could put my planner, notebooks, and loose papers into each time I was done using them. I just put it under the end table out of sight when I need the room to be clean. I have a TV tray that I use to put my laptop on that can be folded up and placed behind the sofa when I am not using it.  (which hardly ever happens)

The dog toys are now in a wood crate I got at Walmart. In the picture below there are baskets on the bookcases. I would bet they are full of toys, games, and other kinds of things that would look messy if they were out.  If you still need help figuring out what you need, look at Pinterest, Instagram, or one of my favorite cheats the Ikea catalog.  Ikea has inexpensive solutions to may storage problems. 

Bring Back What You Need 

Now that you have figured out what you need in the room, you can start bringing your stuff back in. Yes, purge here too, it does not make sense to find a home for something you really don't want or need, right?  Clean everything that is coming back into the room. For the things that you need for organizing, again shop your house and look at things to see what they could be made into. 

At the end of the day, all I have to do is stow my papers, pick up the dog toys, and run a dust mop over the floor.  Now it's inviting for me to come into in the morning instead of making me cringe. 

Bedrooms

Do the same thing in the bedrooms. Everything out except the large pieces of furniture. Leave the closets for another day, that is its own project. Give it a top to bottom clean, floors walls light fixtures, vacuum bedding. Wash curtains and all bedding.

Kids Need Input and Help

If you are working in a kid's room let them help with putting things away that they want to keep. Help kids through the process of purging. Explain that someone else might love to have a toy they don't play with anymore. Things that have to be thrown away may need to be explained too, "how would you feel if someone gave you a broken toy? "

Look at the things that came out of the room and decide how they should be organized back into the room.  Ask your child about how they want things organized,  some kids want all the cars together for others it makes more sense to have all the red things together. If you do it their way they will be more likely to put things back where they belong. At my house, though, it was always a victory if they just put things back somewhere, even if it wasn't the place it started.  Like before shop your house to see if you already have something that will work for storage before you buy new. 

Not So Bad.

OK that wasn't so bad, right? Now you have a few areas in your house that make you happy and are working toward giving your home that feeling that you want it to have. We are not redecorating, yet, we are just making our homes someplace that doesn't want to make us want to run from all the stuff when we walk in the door. We are striving for the organized home we want.  All we have really done is to 1) figure out what the problem is in the room, 2)think about a way to solve it, 3) get what you need shopping your home first, and 4) giving the space a good cleaning and 5) returning only the things that should be in that space.  Easy Peasy.  The hard part is defending your space from the clutter bugs that may live with you!  

 

 

 

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