If the thought of tidying your whole house feels overwhelming, we completely understand. But it doesn’t have to be. The secret, say the pros, is to tackle one room at a time, with clear goals in mind. Whether you are trying to create a more functional living environment or just need some serious decluttering, check out these transformative ideas to ensure the new year gets off to a clean start.
A Cleaned-Up Kitchen
Before organizing your kitchen, determine how you use it—do you love to cook, or entertain, are you a big baker? How and what you use your kitchen for the most will help you determine how to organize your kitchen and where to place everyday items vs. those you only use on occasion.
- According to Paula Greer, CKD and Senior Designer at Bilotta Kitchen & Home, it’s essential to think about where items go within your kitchen. “Put everything where it will be used,” she says. “Don’t store glassware above the dishwasher, put it in a cabinet near the refrigerator. If you have a trash pullout with a drawer above or an internal pullout inside, put the trash bags there vs. under the sink.”
- A must-have for any kitchen according to Sarah Robertson of Studio Dearborn is the Hafele Magic Corner II unit, which maximizes those dark, deep corners. “It is super easy to pull out, and really maximizes the utility of the blind corner cabinet, which used to be the ‘black hole’ of kitchen storage areas,” she says. She adds another client favorite is the Docking Drawer. It includes a charging station inside a drawer to keep all electronics charged and out of sight.
- Use every square inch of space to your advantage, leave no corner left unused.
A Prettier Pantry
For pantries, a lot of the same rules apply, but as noted by Greer, it depends on what kind of pantry and space you have. “Sometimes when people think of pantries, they think of a big walk-in space/closet,” says Greer. “But many homes don’t have that extra space.”
- If you don’t have a pantry, a tall cabinet with rollouts for items like canned goods is a great alternative. “Ideally a pantry should be 14”-16” deep with adjustable shelves so you don’t lose things in the back and so that you can adjust the height so maybe cans sit on one shelf while cereal boxes sit on another,” says Greer.
- “If you happen to have a walk-in pantry with lots of shelving, I like using clear jars with labels or plastic cereal boxes,” she says. “They tend to fit nicer together and you can see at a glance when you’re running low.”
- Use baskets for individual snacks that kids can just grab and go. “And put a step stool in there so you can reach the items at the top,” says Greer.
Use every square inch of space in your kitchen, even in the corners, by utilizing products like the Magic Corner II unit.
Kitchen Storage Needs
- Utensils: Pull-out drawer with dividers (Hold Everything Expandable In-Drawer Organizer, $139.95, Williams Sonoma, White Plains).
- Spices: Drawer with angled tray you can get from Amazon.
- Pots and pans: Drawer with lid dividers, or you can use dividers for cabinets available at The Container Store.
- Plasticware: Drawer with dividers to keep containers and lids together and orderly, like YouCopia StoraLid Expandable Container Lid Organizer from The Container Store, $29.99.
- Knives: Drawer including a knife block—there are a variety you can purchase based on the size of your drawer and how many knives you have—from Home Depot, The Container Store, or Crate & Barrel.
- Water bottles: Deep drawer with dividers to keep them upright or you can use a plastic water bottle organizer for a cabinet from Amazon
- Baking sheets and cutting boards: Pull-out drawer with dividers or tall cabinet with dividers.
- Small appliances: Store appliances in cabinets, the pantry out of sight, or you can install a stainless tambour door to hide them away.
A More Serene Bedroom
The most private room in the house tends to be the place where things are piled up since it’s not for public view. Streamlining the bedside area and decluttering the closet, experts say, can transform the space into a stress-free retreat.
Before organizing your closet, be ruthless and purge anything you have not worn in at least six months.
- Only keep what you absolutely need on your bedside table, says Isabelle Wood of Organizing Engineers. A lamp, a clock (if you use one), the book you’re reading (or your iPad or Kindle), a water carafe and glass.
- Anything else that’s not used daily needs a different designated spot, such as a nightstand drawer or shelf, or a bin under your bed.
- Charging cords can be unruly. Keep the mess in check by purchasing packs of organizing clips (such as magnetic cable clips on Amazon) that adhere to the side of your bed or nightstand.
The bedroom closet is the other space that gets the short shrift. Spend some time curating the contents. Be ruthless—purge or donate whatever you have not worn in at least six months. For items you are keeping, follow these steps from Maura Fitzgerald of Fitz Just Right:
- Pull every single item out: and categorize clothing by type, and then by color.
- Pants: Hang if you have the space. If folding, use the file folding method [vertically in rows] to keep pants neat and visible.
- Sweaters and shirts: Fold workout/casual shirts, hang blouses and tops, and hang sweaters [Fitzgerald recommends velvet hangers in a uniform color, available at The Container Store.].
- Jeans: Fold and place in a labeled basket or bin.
- Shoes: Organize by type and color and store in stackable drop-front shoe boxes. Boot clips are great for hanging boots on a clothing rod. Breathable baskets with lids are ideal for sneakers and everyday shoes. All items can be purchased at The Container Store.
- Handbags and hats: There are some great specialty hooks for everyday handbags and hats. Designer handbags should be stuffed with paper to maintain shape and be styled on shelves if possible.
A Mess-Free Bathroom
The bathroom usually doesn’t offer much square footage; however, it needs to house a lot of items—both large and small. Following some of these steps can keep items tidy, accessible when you need them, and help you determine when to get rid of those things that have expired.
- Think about your routines. Instead of sorting your products by category like “dental” or “skincare” and use a medicine cabinet or a top drawer that is easily within reach as you’re getting ready.
- Toiletry and make-up products can add up and cause a lot of clutter, plus people tend to hang on to these items for too long. To adhere to the expiration dates, label items when they need to be discarded or categorize them by date so you can easily toss them when the time comes.
- If you have a medicine cabinet, divide medicinal items by category. Keep pill bottles and liquid medication on one shelf together, and store medicine measuring cups and syringes in a small container near them.
- Any other small items in your medicine cabinet can also be kept at bay in small, clear containers with labels like the iDegin Linus Cabinet Organizer with Drawer, $14.99 each, The Container Store, White Plains.
- Stow toiletries and makeup under your sink in baskets or clear drawers and containers like The Home Edit Stackable Drawers, $14.99-$27.99 each, The Container Store. Toilet paper, bath towels, cleaning products, backstock, and larger items should be stowed in a linen closet or space nearby.
- Keep items tidy and easily accessible by utilizing baskets and/or clear containers as shown and label everything so you know where it goes.
- Adjustable shelves in a linen closet are a gamechanger for accommodating items of varying heights. Lower ones are ideal for easy access to large essentials like towels and toilet paper, and higher shelves can be reserved for backstock items.
- If you have space on the inside of your door you can utilize this for smaller items as well by taking advantage of an over-the-door organizer or containers you can hang as shown here.
- For drawers or shelves, dedicated dividers (Elfa Décor 16” Shelf Divider Translucent, $7.50 each at The Container Store) or clear containers that come in a variety of sizes (as mentioned above) are essential for clutter-free storage of toiletries and other items.
- Maximize the storage you have in your vanity, medicine cabinet, and linen closet to make use of every square inch.
A Neatened-Up Playroom
Kids come with a lot of stuff, and it can feel overwhelming to keep everything in its place. But Karri Bowen-Poole of Smart Playrooms says simplifying is key. “Start by decluttering,” she says. “Decide what to keep, donate, or toss. Once you’ve pared down, create designated spots for everything.”
Lina Galvão of Curated Nest adds, “Think through whether your child is going through transitions soon, like a more rigorous academic schedule, a new sport or instrument, or anything that might change their storage needs.”
- Clean the space thoroughly, then designate specific areas for each category. Bowen-Poole says to use bins and shelves, and to label everything. She loves using the clear bins from The Container Store. “They make it easy to see what’s inside and keep everything organized,” she says. “Specifically, the men’s shoe bins are perfect for maximizing space.”
- Not every child needs the same kind of storage, of course. “For most kids, it tends to be a mix of concealed storage, plus display or work areas for personalization and activities like homework, crafting, and playing,” says Galvão.
- Go through your child’s stuff twice a year—once in the spring and once in the fall—to keep items from accumulating. “This schedule aligns well with seasonal changes, making it easier to assess what you need and what can be donated or discarded,” says Bowen-Poole.
- Use soft storage bins for younger children. “Great materials include rope, natural woven materials like seagrass, canvas, wool, or felt,” suggests Galvão. She loves the sophisticated colored felt bins from Muuto and the vegan leather ones from Gathre.
- If you have the space and are willing to invest, Galvão says the team at Curated Nest loves working with custom millwork and closets. “This gives the ultimate customizable solution,” she says. “Built-ins also give you a chance to add architectural detail, which adds value to your home. For example, window seats with drawers below are a gorgeous way to take advantage of unused space. And built-in shelves or closets allow you to select your shelf height, drawers vs. pullouts, and much more.”
- Incorporating a routine for tidying up will also help keep things where they belong. “A five-minute cleanup before bed can help instill good habits,” she says.
For children’s things, use bins and shelves and label everything.
Tech Help
Phone apps that will help you stay on top of chores and organized.
Tote Scan
Simple and inexpensive, the Tote Scan packet is available on Amazon and includes QR code stickers and instructions for downloading the free app. You simply place the QR codes on bins, scan them with your phone in the app, name the bin, list contents inside, and where the bin will live. When you’re done, you can scan the QR code on the the bin to easily see what’s inside.
Homer
For $36.99 annually, Homer will keep manuals, documents, paint codes, and any pertinent information for your home in one easily accessible spot. You can also keep track of when your last repair was, how old appliances are, and any remodeling information. Create to-do lists, track household expenses, and scan receipts to save them. Use the search or voice function to pull up items or ask a question—such as, What does this error mean on my dishwasher?—and it will give you an answer based on your make and model.
Home Tasker
This app allows you to track chores by room, frequency, and tasks (that you choose from a preset list or you add yourself) and will even send you reminders when something needs to be cleaned. With the paid version ($29.99 annually), you can delegate household chores to others. If you have multiple homes, it can also help you manage different properties.
Our Experts
Paul Greer, CKD and Senior Designer at Billotta Kitchen & Home
Sandra Montague, California Closets
Maura Fitzgerald, Fitz Just Right
Isabelle Wood, Organizing Engineers
Karri Bowen-Poole, Smart Playrooms
Sarah Robertson, Studio Dearborn
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