It might not seem like a big deal but keeping your home organized can make a huge difference in your life.
Experts have found that keeping a tidy household gives you more energy, helps fight depression, improves your sleep and eating habits, and can even lower your risk of having a heart attack.
But staying organized is easier said than done, especially if you have a demanding job or kids to take care of. What you need are quick and easy ways to keep things neat.
We’ve got your back on that with these 10 storage hacks to help keep your home in tip-top shape.
Read on to find out what they are.
1. Organize the Entryway
Your entryway is the first thing you notice when you walk into your house. If there are muddy shoes and coats slung everywhere, it’s going to immediately signal to you that this is a place of chaos.
Invest in a storage bench. This is a great place to keep boots, shoes and other seasonal items that you might not be currently using, and it also makes a functional space to sit down and put on your shoes.
Turn bookshelves into storage lockers. Especially if you have kids, giving them their own designated place for their coats and backpacks will teach them the importance of keeping things neat and tidy.
2. Put Your Coffee Table to Work
One of the first places to get cluttered is a coffee table–it’s not easy to find your remotes and coasters in a jumbled mess.
Get a coffee table with storage options built into it, and then use velcro to make little spots for your remotes. (This will also keep you from losing them!)
If you can’t afford to invest in a whole new coffee table, get a few hanging basket shelves from your local big-box store to put anything you don’t want to display.
For any decor, DIY yourself up a nice coffee table tray to keep your living room looking chic.
3. Color Code Your Closets
This simple change can go a long way because it will encourage you to keep your clothes organized all the time.
Especially if you have open closets, the clothes themselves will add color to the room in an intentional way instead of a chaotic one.
Not only will it be nice to look at but it will be functional as well. When you’re dressing in a hurry, being able to pull a warm or a cool colored shirt when you need one will save you time and energy.
4. Simplify Your Walls
Who doesn’t love having tons of art and pictures of family on their walls?
It’s easy to the fall into the trap of over-decorating. Keeping your walls simple will make the room seem bigger and will inspire you to declutter other parts of the home as well.
No one’s saying you need to put your family photos in the attic.
Designate certain spaces, like the entryway or hallways, as your family photo areas. Plan out how you are going to organize your photos on the wall–don’t just start hanging things up willy-nilly.
5. Clean Up Those Counters
Another space that can get out of control quickly is your kitchen counters. Your goal here should be to keep a few things on your counter as possible.
Use shelves and drawers to keep things organized. Buy a few extra cutlery organizers to help turn your junk drawers into functional space, where things are easy to find.
A great trick for keeping your counters neat is to get a few easy-to-care-for plants, like ivy or jade.
Seeing your plants and remembering to water them will signal to you that your counters are an open space that you want to work to keep neat.
6. Install Shelves Along Your Ceilings
This can be a big DIY undertaking but the results will be worth it.
Installing shelves that run the length of your walls, just a foot or two below the ceiling, is a beautiful way to display things that you don’t use every day but still want to have out in the open.
It will save you tons of space, and also add a unique feel to your living room or bedroom.
7. Hooks and Pegs All the Way
The more things you can hang up the better, that way everything has a place and is easy to find.
Whether you want to purchase simple stick-on hooks, metal ones that screw in, or create some DIY pegboards, any way that you can get things up off the ground is a win.
Hang up any bicycles or musical instruments–this way they are still functional but also serve as decor and help save you floor space. For these larger items, you’ll need to invest in specialized hangers, which are easy to find online.
8. Don’t Forget About Your Bathrooms
Your bathroom is an important space that often gets overlooked. People clean their sinks and toilets and then call it a day.
Having an organized medicine cabinet will make a huge difference in the functionality of your bathroom. Being able to find a band-aid when you need one is super important.
Use magnets to secure things like tweezers to the inside of your cabinet to save space.
Make the Container Store your best friend. They have all manner of bathroom organizers to fit every shape and size of medicine cabinets.
Hang jewelry organizers and decorate a spice rack to use as a home for your nail polish–and don’t forget to color code!
9. Fruit Baskets Aren’t Just for Fruit
Everyone loves a hanging fruit basket. They are affordable, functional, and easy on the eyes.
You can use them outside of the kitchen, in places like the bathroom or bedroom closets as a fun way to keep things up off the ground.
If your kids like to keep a lot of toys in the bath, this is the perfect way to keep everything organized. You can hang it up from the curtain rod while they’re using it, and then stash it away in a hall closet when it’s your turn to shower.
10. Get Your Washer and Dryer Up off the Ground
Install pedestal drawers or a low shelf under your washer and dryer.
You can keep any products you need down there, and you can also create a system for organizing dirty clothes.
Imagine a world in which your family members deliver dirty clothes into neatly tucked away bins labeled darks and lights.
With a little bit of work, this reality is possible.
Share These Storage Hacks with Others
If you give these storage hacks a try and find that they do help you declutter your home, tell your friends about them. They will probably have some tips of their own to share.
For more ideas about how to make your house as gorgeous and functional as possible, check out our blog.