An Organized New Year: 6 Organization Hacks

Start off this New Year with an organized home with these six tips you need to stop the mess from piling up inside your door.

1. Welcome in a Wastebasket & Recycling Bin

Photo via Nicole Dawn Designs

Clutter typically starts with items that don’t have a home. Mail, books, coupons, and newspapers pile up right inside your door. While they’re not technically dirty, they create a messy look. While wastebaskets and recycling bins aren’t the most attractive item in your home, they are a quick fix to clutter. Add one wherever your paper mess tends to add up for a quick solution to clutter.

This simple use of space also creates a classier space for the wastebasket rather than just the typical wastebasket in the space. Putting the wastebasket in a cabinet like this will make the house look less cluttered in a flash. Looking through the front door and seeing a cabinet similar to this one is better than a normal wastebasket. 

2. Give everything a Home.

 Photo via My Pink Life

From mittens to book bags and jackets, the items you use daily tend to pile up. Establish a ‘home’ for the items you use daily. Prevent blocking the front door by giving shoes a specific mat or rug to sit on. Add labels to bins and baskets for hats and mittens. Give every person in your home a specific coat hook or area to prevent items getting lost or stock piled because there isn’t a specific home for them.

3. Go paperless.

Photo via Evertt Clinic

Remember all of that mail we talked about? Get rid of it! Go paperless: sign up for electronic bills and statements to keep your paper trail to a minimum. Cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions for titles you haven’t read in months. This may help keep not only your home organized, but your accounts and bills as well. If you set up paperless billing and are able to  keep track online everything may be easy to keep organized. 

4. Take Advantage of Closet Space

Photo via Better Homes and Gardens

Keep those entryway closets clean and organized. These are great areas to use vertical storage solutions. Vertical storage uses less floor space, making it feel less cluttered. Get the most out of vertical storage by storing seasonal items that aren’t used on a daily basis higher and those daily items lower.

5. Opt. for built-in storage

Photo via Decor Pad

Utilize furniture and designs that have built-in storage. Benches can often have built-in storage in the base, which makes a great home for backpacks, gloves, and more. Use items that are dually decorative and can be used to store items. Have a favorite Coke crate? Use it as a key holder to make it functional.

6. One in, one out.

Use the one in, one out mentality. Whenever you get one item in, you get rid of one. From jackets and shoes to magazines, this technique will help keep the clutter minimal. This will also help save money that you can use towards your next home project. For the items you want out there are many different things you can do like sell or give away. You can give it away to someone you know or drop it off at a Goodwill thrift store. By being conscious of what is coming in and leaving the house you will be able to stay on top of keeping the house in tip-top shape.