8 Easy Ways to Keep an Uncluttered Home

There’s just something about your house feeling clean, fresh, and organized. If our home is all of the above, I feel overall better and healthier and I know my family does, too.

A place for everything – and, everything in its place - How many times have you heard your mother say these words (hi, mom!)? Honestly, there isn’t an easier way to get or stay organized. If an item doesn’t have a home, create one or lose it. Pretty simple formula.

Create Solutions - The first and most important tactic to combat clutter is to find a solution and keep it simple. Remember, all you need in the entryway are the essentials – A console table with a catchall for keys, an area for sorting mail, a space big enough for a few decorative items to show your style and maybe a place to keep umbrellas and hang your hat(s).

The Golden Edit Rule – Keep only the items you use, need, or have a purpose in your home, AND, the item must have a pre-determined place to ‘live’. When you’re finished with what will stay and what will go, re-purpose or donate the rest. Make it a rule that keys, or odds and ends on the kitchen table and countertops are against all the rules.

Well stocked + styled - No matter how neat and organized you are, the pantry or kitchen cabinets can easily turn into the black hole of the kitchen - fast. Keep shelving neat and organized by editing expired items on the reg. It creates more space and most importantly, helps to promote more healthy cooking and eating at home. Styling cabinets, countertops and pantry shelves will also keep you interested in keeping things neat.

Reduce the paper – You don’t need the last two years of AD stacked in your living room and your entryway is not an office. Keep a few of your favorite or most recent issues and recycle the rest. Sort mail at the door, and put the rest to the mail system in your office.

Get the proper tools – So, the real trick to organizing is to give everything a home and contain it, right? Adding storage or shelving to problem areas can really make a real difference and give you the space to showcase a favorite collection. It also gives you additional space to store bulky small appliances, like your KitchenAid Mixer.

“Because waking up to a stylish space makes mornings that much better” – Apartment Therapy.

Never say later – Hang it, fold it, store it, but put it away. Avoid leaving clothes on a chair or the floor, towels on top of the dryer or dishes in the sink. These things pile up quickly and can overwhelm us if something unexpected becomes a priority.

Create an In/Out Box - Think of this as a space, bin or basket where you keep items to go to the dry cleaners, keep store returns or things you’ve bought and are on the fence about. Since closets are the most challenging, I keep a triple laundry sorter in my closet for these items rather than cluttering my bedroom or some random area. I check it before I head to the dry cleaner or go shopping. Works like a charm.