While not everyone can be a professional organiser, learning how to organise your home effectively is possible, but where do you begin? According to home experts, decluttering is the first step in this process of making your home look tidier. Simply put, decluttering means picking the items you like (and those you don’t) and deciding which ones to keep and which you can do without.

When it comes to tidying up your home, your mantra should be” Declutter first, organise second”. This is because it will be easier to create lasting systems for a home that is chaos free once you get rid of the things that don’t spark joy anymore. 

In this blog, we list expert-approved tips for organising your home that will save you money, stress, and time. The good news is that you can accomplish most of them for free by using the tools already in your home. Ready to learn how to make your home look neat and stunning? Read on! 

Disclaimer: This post is a collaboration

Clean one space at a time

Without a doubt, organisation can be stressful for many people, and this is why experts recommend starting small and cleaning one area of the house at a time, as this will make the entire process feel less daunting. 

Before you start decluttering and organising, walk around the house and determine which of the rooms is the most unproductive – once you assess it, commit to making it look as tidy as possible, but be sure to schedule it so you can be sure you won’t postpone the task. Ideally, you should go for the space that’s most used in your house because if you start the home organisation with it, the impact on your daily life will be considerable, at the same time giving you the confidence to tackle other rooms as well.

Prioritise your tasks

If you want to maximise your time when organising your home, be sure to create a to-do list of the most important things you need to complete in a day. When you prioritise tasks, you know which ones you should tackle first, and even if you get interrupted by other activities, you will return to the list you’ve created and go through all the tasks based on your priorities. But how do you even know how to prioritise?

Well, consider starting with the most basic cleaning requirements and then move on to deep and detailed cleaning. For example, beginning with the laundry can be a good idea.  Sort your laundry, add the detergent to the dispenser or washer drum, and turn on the washing machine. At this step, it would be recommended to have a rotary washing line that ensures stability for the dryer and enables you to dry clothing outdoors, on the balcony or garden, without worrying that they will land in a puddle. 

But as you wait for the wash cycle to complete, it can be a good idea to focus on other simple tasks, such as doing the dishes or taking out the trash. Once the clothes are washed, it’s time to let them dry – consider investing in a retractable washing line ( this can be particularly useful if you have limited space in your home), but also if you want to avoid having to set up a regular clothes line all the time.

Once you’re done with the laundry and the dishes, work up to the tasks requiring more cleaning. 

Take inventory 

When you know which room you want to organise, pull all the items out and decide what to keep, toss, or donate. Professional organisers call this step “editing,” and it’s essential because it will help you keep only the items you truly need (and love) in your home. 

Now, this isn’t necessarily an easy task because it can be easy to hoard things that you don’t need! It’s essential to be honest with yourself and remember that even if one item may have served you well at some point, it doesn’t anymore. For instance, if you haven’t worn some garments in 12 months or longer, there’s no point in keeping them anymore, and this is also true for bathroom or kitchen products that have expired or any other inventory that hasn’t been very useful over the past year. 

Store items in the area where you use them

When organising your home, you need to find a good spot for your things because otherwise, it will be hard to keep the place neat. Let’s say you use an item in the living room but store it in the bedroom. In this case, chances are, you will never put it away but rather keep it hanging around somewhere on the floor or in the living room, leading to a cluttered look in your living space. 

Although you may not have a space to store a specific item, finding a home for your things can be helpful because it will reduce clutter and increase the likelihood of putting items away when not needed.  

Watch your habits

This is perhaps one of the most life-changing organisational tips, and it’s about getting to the root of your home’s clutter. When you arrive home, do you hang your coat immediately or toss it on the chair? If you usually do the former, it’s a good idea to get rid of some things that are no longer necessary so you can have more space for those that you actually use. 

If you belong to the latter category, good advice is to hang a large hook on the wall rather than using the chair—this is effective because it’s not as stressful as having to hang it up in the closet, and it will keep your home looking tidy. 

Takeaway 

We know organising your home can feel overwhelming initially, but believe us – once you start decluttering, you’ll be happy you did it! So, just start and reap all the great benefits of a streamlined (and happier) life!