Is it just me or does my house seem more and more cluttered as the years go by? No one in my family is a neat freak, to my regret, so I’m always picking up stuff and looking for creative ways to declutter and keep things organized. After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo I got inspired to organize some of our clutter. Here are some products that help me keep the house relatively neat.
For Your Command Center:
If you don’t have a designated area for organizing all of your family’s activities consider making one. I can be very simple – pick a small area (for me it’s a small corner on the kitchen counter) and that will be the place where all of the school notes and paperwork to go. It’s right next to my fridge so I have some magnets with important reminders up there. I also keep this rotary organizer there and when the kids come home it goes right on the kitchen table. It has pencils and erasers for homework, plus rulers, pens, and highlighters. There’s a small pair of scissors and glue stick for school projects and I also have crayons and markers if anyone wants to do artwork. This photo doesn’t show it but there’s also a tape dispenser so it really does have everything my kids need is there and cleanup is a breeze. When homework and artwork are done everything goes back in the organizer and it goes back in the little corner away from everything else.
For Foyer:
This cute bench is used mostly for my kids’ shoes and their winter boots. I love that they can sit on the bench rather than floor to put on their shoes and when they come home the shoes go right underneath, so it’s super-convenient.
For Pantry:
I have a small pantry so I need to make the most of my storage space. I love these clear containers because they allow me to store items of various sizes and shapes. These are great for canned food but also larger items. They can also be used for the fridge and for other items like crafts and makeup.
For Bathroom:
I don’t have any counter space in the bathroom – just whatever is behind the medicine cabinet – so I need to make the most of a really tiny space. These organizers keep all the toothbrushes and toothpastes neat and organized. I also use similar type bins for medicine, flossers and other small items that tend to be all over the place.
For Kids’ Bedroom/Playroom:
My kids love keeping a lot of stuff they really don’t need. (Marie Kondo would definitely not approve!) I found a compromise that makes everyone happy: organizing sentimental/useless items in these large bins and keeping the bins tucked away where no one sees them (for example, under the bed). I love that these bins are sturdy, they’re spacious and can fit a lot of stuff, plus they’re pretty affordable.
For Parents’ Bedroom:
Rather than having my husband’s old sneakers and my dress shoes scattered all over the bedroom floor, I keep them organized in bins. These bins have a cover so they not only protect shoes from dust (especially dressy shoes which rarely get worn), they also keep away weird shoe odors.
For After-school Activities:
My kids have several after-school activities during the week and sometimes also on the weekends. I like to prepare bags with all their stuff and hang them on the banister. For example, their soccer bag includes cleats, shin guards and sunblock. Their swimming bag contains towels, swimsuits and goggles. Their piano bag has all of their piano books and sheet music. When I’m headed out the door I simply grab a bag and go – no need to scramble to find anything.
What’s your favorite organization tip?
I was not compensated for this post. This post contains affiliate links. 7 Ways to Organize Your Home that Would Spark Joy – Marie Kondo-Approved!
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a freelance writer and has written for several blogs, including The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for eighteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 12, 9 and 6) and loves finding great products for her family.
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