Ever been on your way out the door only to find you can’t locate your keys?  Or you know you bought a bottle of ketchup the last time you went to the grocery store, but it seems to have disappeared when you’re about to serve dinner?  Or you’re getting ready for a night out and you can’t find that black purse that goes perfectly with your dress?  If any of these situations sound familiar, you’re not alone!  But there is hope.  With a little time, effort, and planning, you can have an organized home will save you time and reduce your stress. There are some key strategies that can help control the chaos.  These include decluttering, grouping similar items together, and incorporating new storage solutions.  And the best part is, these strategies can be applied to every room in your house.

Decluttering is something that we hear about a lot.  Many of us have good intentions to get our homes organized, but we procrastinate because it can seem overwhelming.  We all have busy lifestyles…who has time to declutter?  No worries!  You don’t need to tackle the whole house at once.  Start in one room and do a bit at a time.  In the kitchen, for example, even just taking ten minutes a day to go through one drawer or cabinet will make a huge difference before you know it.

Grouping similar items together sounds simple, right?  But once you’ve gathered them together, you need a place to put them that makes sense.  Maybe you’ve got cleaning supplies not only in the laundry room, but also under sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen.  So, when last minute company is coming over and the front door is smeared with dog nose prints, you’re running around the house looking for the glass cleaner because you can’t remember where you put it.  A great solution to this is to consolidate all the cleaning supplies in one place.  Kesselbohmer has the perfect under sink storage solution: the Portero under sink storage baskets with a carrying caddy.  You will always know where your supplies are and you can carry them to wherever you need them.

Many people don’t think about vertical storage when they think about organizing their homes.  There are vertical solutions for every room, whether it is a magnetic strip on the kitchen wall to hold knives, a peg wall with hooks and holders in the garage for tools, sports equipment, and gardening supplies, or a decorative spice rack near your stove to corral those small bottles and free up cabinet space.  If you are a crafter like I am, you know how quickly craft supplies can multiply and get out of control.  Instead of stuffing them all in boxes and cupboards where you can’t see them, consider mounting a wall organizing system like this one from Hafele.

Another area that can benefit from decluttering is your clothes closet.  Discard or donate any clothes that are outdated, no longer fit, or that you haven’t worn in the last several years.  Be brutal!  Once it’s out of sight, it will most likely be out of mind as well.  Once the decluttering is done, now you need to find a way to store the clothes that are left in a way that is convenient and easily accessible.  Converting one wall or a portion of one wall to adjustable shelves is one solution.  Baskets can hold loose items such as scarves, while clear plastic boxes can keep out of season shoes neat, clean, and organized.  Vertical storage in the closet is another solution that many people may not consider.  Symphony Wall Organizers come in a variety of heights and the bars can shift left or right to accommodate light switches and outlets.  A variety of hooks allow flexibility to hang everything from shoes to bags to hats to jewelry, keeping everything easily accessible.

These are just a few ways you can organize your home to help reduce your stress and save you time.  A quick online search will inspire you with many more ideas to declutter.  Although the process may seem daunting, it will pay off in the end!