1Nightstands

Too many people use the top of their nightstand for a catch all.

The trick to organizing your bedroom is to keep the top of the nightstand clear.

It should only hold a light, a book (if you read in bed) and an alarm clock. Everything else should be kept in a drawer or on one of the shelves.

2Under the Bed

The most important part of an organized home is the fact that every bit of storage space is used effectively. There are many organizers that can be stored under your bed for items that require long term storage. Make sure you measure the clearance that you have before you start shopping to make sure it will fit.

This is great for things like extra linens and pillows. Their space in your closets can then be used for things that you access more frequently.

3Make Your Bed

This is one of the best things you can do to help your bedroom look better organized. It’s the biggest and most noticeable item in the room. If he bed is a mess, it doesn’t matter how great the rest of the room looks.

4Dresser Tops

This is an area that is frequently an organizational nightmare.

However, you can easily organize this area by making sure that everything is self contained.

Your jewelry should be in a jewelry box.

If you put your makeup on using the mirror on your dresser, it should all be kept in a basket or decorative box of some kind. Brushes, combs and other hair accessories should also be kept in their own basket.

5Refrigerator

The biggest problem with keeping your refrigerator organized is that it’s mostly open space so people just put stuff away wherever there is room. Here are a few things you can do to keep your fridge better organized:

• Keep condiments together in the door
• Use clear plastic trays to hold food that is in bags
• Designate a shelf for leftovers so they don’t get shoved to the back and forgotten
• Use clear dishes or bags for storage so you can see what is inside

6Pantry

The trick to organizing your pantry is visibility. If you can’t see something, you will probably buy more of it on your next trip to the store. This is how people end up with 4 bottles of ketchup, etc, which just ads clutter to the pantry.

Here are a few organizational tips:

• Put taller items in the back
• Put items along the sides and along the back, then leave spaces (similar to an aisle in a grocery store) between those items and the next lines of food
• Use a lazy susan so you can spin it to see everything
• Add shelving – almost every store has plastic shelves that can be set on the shelves you already have in your pantry. This doubles your shelf space and improves your visibility
• Keep items that are in odd packaging in see through plastic containers

7Spices

There are so many options available today to organize your spices that there is no need to take up valuable cupboard space with them. The newer options include a “pull-down” shelf that can be mounted underneath your cupboards.

8Kitchen Table

Using an organizational centerpiece is a great way to keep your kitchen table organized. Instead of having salt, pepper, napkins, etc scattered around on the table, get an organizer that allows you to place all of the items that usually stay on the table in the centerpiece.

A small lazy Susan, wire rack or basket all work well. Other items like a bowl of fruit, etc can be put next to the centerpiece item. Instead of having 5 different items strewn across your table, it looks like you only have one.

9 Summary

It isn’t as hard to look organized as many people think it is. The key is to keep the big things clean (like your bed) and make sure the little things are in containers or baskets of some kind.

What Do You Think?

Do you have any additional tips for how to organize your home room by room?