Household Organization Hints & Tips

Mudroom

• When family members drop items anywhere as they enter the house, clutter builds up fast. Keys are placed on counters. Mail is placed on the table. Backpacks are dumped on the ground. To combat this trend, create a mudroom space, even if it's just a small side table and a coat rack at the entryway. Household members should place all items here when they enter the house.

Color Coding

• Assigning each member of the household a specific color can be effective in keeping everyone on board with the organizing effort, especially if children are involved. Paint the insides of drawers, shelves and cubby holes with an assigned color and make that space specifically for that person's items. In playrooms, colored plastic bins can serve the same purpose.

Compartments

• Drawers, shelves and cabinets can easily become a mess because the storage space is simply too large for the items that are being stored there. Items get out of place and become a jumble over time. Fix this problem by investing in small bins and boxes to put inside the spaces to separate everything.

Pegboard

• Both the kitchen and the garage tend to accumulate small items that need to be stored neatly, yet still be easily accessible. Mount large sheets of pegboard on the wall and match the hooks to the items you wish to hang from it. In the kitchen, consider spray painting the pegboard to match the wall so that it is aesthetically pleasing.