35 Ideas for the Most Organized Home Ever

You’re bound to confuse your partner’s, child’s, or even pet’s toothbrush, towel, or hairbrush for your own if everyone’s beauty and health essentials are the same color. Ditch the matchy-matchy approach and assign a different color to each member of the family. Implement the color-coded system for bathroom essentials and beyond to prevent embarrassing mix-ups.

No outfit is complete without coordinating accessories, so why store purses, scarves, hats, and belts on a separate shelf or hanger in the closet? Cut clutter and save yourself a daily rummage through the closet by arranging matching tops and bottoms on a single hanger, then draping the perfect accessories for that outfit on the same hanger. 

If you’re a diligent record keeper, you no doubt have a box or kitchen drawer overflowing with carefully saved receipts. Cure drawer disarray and make it easier to retrieve the receipt you need for a return or exchange by capturing photos of your receipts on your phone. You can do this for free, using the Adobe Scan app, the Notes app on iPhone, or the Google Drive app on Android. Some receipt scanning apps like Expensify and Zoho Expense offer free individual plans with limited functionality as well as subscription plans with features like expense categorization. But before you start snapping receipts, figure out which you really need and how long you need to retain them. There’s no sense in holding on to useless records, whether paper or digital.

Tidying up before the guests arrive takes mere minutes when your living and guest rooms are stocked with multipurpose furnishings that double as storage. Opt for lift-top coffee or side tables, sofas with under-cushion storage, and lidded ottomans to keep throw blankets, magazines, electronics, and other knickknacks off the floor and under wraps but right at hand when needed.

The garage floor is one of the most cluttered surfaces in the home, primarily because the storage potential of the garage walls is so often overlooked. Line the walls with sturdy garage shelving, a garage storage system, racks, slat walls, or pegboards to keep paint cans, tools, and bicycles safely stowed but accessible. Set up a pulley system to keep seldom-used garage accessories like ladders hoisted high and out of the way of everyday activities.

Getting your anemic air conditioner or flaky fridge up and running again is easy enough if your appliance manuals and warranties are close at hand. Make it easier to find what you need by storing all the manuals and warranties for the appliances in that room, in a single folder or binder that you keep in that room. For example, put the documentation for your fridge, range, dishwasher, and coffee maker in a folder in a kitchen drawer or cupboard.

Beat procrastination and clutter in one fell swoop by dividing your home office into three zones—work, reference, and supply—that will be used only for the designated purpose. The work zone should contain only the essentials you need to remain productive, such as your desk, computer, and printer. The reference zone, a hub for looking up information, is where you keep filing cabinets, books, and binders. Treat the supply zone like the supply closet at an actual office: Keep a few pens, printer paper, and stationery on a shelf or table in your work zone, and visit the supply area only when you have a shortage.

Whether your collectibles of choice are vintage barware, model planes, or trinkets from your travels, putting too many of them on display can take up valuable space on end tables, bookshelves, and mantels, cluttering an otherwise charming space. Instead, take the half-in, half-out approach: Stow half of the collection in good-quality storage bins or trunks, and put the other half on display. Your space will be tidier, you can switch out pieces when you want a change, and visitors will love this thoughtfully selected expression of your personality and interests.

To save overnight guests from having to dig through bathroom drawers and cabinets to find what they need, display frequently used grooming supplies like cotton balls, swabs, and soaps in apothecary jars, mason jars, or even recycled glass food jars. This strategy will free up your closed storage for cleaning products, toilet paper, and beauty supplies while keeping items that guests may need in plain sight.

If your jewelry box is overflowing and you don’t have the budget or the space for a jewelry armoire, transfer rings, necklaces, and bracelets to a wall-mounted hanging organizer. Similar in appearance to picture frames, these inexpensive organizers are equipped with hooks that keep your favorite jewelry in full view and free of tangles.

Are you constantly dealing with stray socks, or giving socks to the wrong family member on laundry day? Next time, wash and dry all of the socks and undergarments for each family member in a separate mesh bag. When the dry cycle is finished, each person’s underthings will be in his or her respective mesh bag, ready to be sorted and worn.

The start of a new season is the best time to survey the contents of your closet and purge it of clothes you no longer wear. (A yearly edit is especially crucial if you’re cursed with a small closet.) As a general guideline, if you haven’t worn an item in a year, you’re unlikely to wear it again. Be ruthless, then bag up the discards for donation or sell them at a yard sale. While you’re at it, check for missing buttons, stuck zippers, or small tears on the clothes you’re keeping, and make any necessary repairs. 

Do you find yourself making the beds with mismatched sheets because you can never find a complete matching set? Try this trick: Before you put a set of linens in the closet, fold the fitted sheet, flat sheet, and one pillowcase, and then stash all the folded linens inside the remaining pillowcase. You’ll never again lose a piece of the set, and the linens inside the pillowcase will stay clean and wrinkle-free until you’re ready to use them.

A lost TV remote is the last thing you want to contend with before a binge-watching session. Make sure your remotes are always at the ready by stationing a remote rack, or even an unused vase or basket, on an end table, coffee table, or shelf near the TV. This way, your family members will always know where to return the remotes.

Short on shoe storage space in a mudroom or walk-in closet? Install one or more lengths of precut, preprimed picture rail molding on one or two walls of the space, then hang your dress shoes on the rails by their heels. Your DIY shoe rack will keep your fancy footwear off the floor and in tip-top condition, and the tiered arrangement of shoes in different colors and styles will make for a whimsical showpiece.

You don’t need to buy a bed with built-in storage to leverage the potential of underbed storage. As long as you have ample room beneath your bed, you can furnish the empty space with containers made expressly for this purpose, or with freestanding bins or baskets. If you’re feeling creative, you can even use old wine crates or drawers fitted with casters for easy access. Fill your underbed storage containers with out-of-season clothes and linens, then roll them back under the bed to free up closet space and keep your bedroom the serene sanctuary it was meant to be.

Thin out that tangle of throws on the sofa by packing some of them in a pouf ottoman. When filled with blankets, stuffed animals, spare sets of sheets, or other soft storage hogs, an empty pouf shell can become a foot rest, improvised seating, or ad hoc table. You’ll have your throws close at hand, but only you will know that they’re hiding in plain sight.

Storing passwords for your online accounts on Post-it notes stuck to your computer monitor is not just distracting, it’s also risky. The notes can easily fall off and get lost, and if you have housemates or frequent guests, yours won’t be the only pair of eyes on them. Transfer those passwords to a dedicated password book or password manager software to keep your workspace clean and protect your online accounts from prying eyes.

If the shelf space in your medicine cabinet is inadequate for your health and beauty essentials, install shelf risers. For just a few dollars, you’ll be able to double the space inside. Arrange the risers strategically to create shelves of varying heights that will accommodate tall lotion bottles and toothbrushes as well as shorter pill or perfume bottles.

Turn a junk drawer in the kitchen, office, or craft room into an organizational oasis simply by lining it with drawer dividers in a variety of sizes. Use long dividers for utensils, staplers, or pens and pencils, and reserve the short sections for small items like measuring spoons, paper clips, or erasers.

Turn that mess of munchies into an orderly array of provisions by dividing the pantry into zones that each correspond to a category of consumables, such as weeknight meal prep ingredients (for instance, pasta, rice, and beans), baked goods, snacks, and drinks. Place foods that expire soonest in front of foods with a longer shelf life so you will always grab grub while it’s at its freshest and most flavorful.

When you stack folded shirts or towels in a drawer, only the topmost item is visible. If, however, you fold them like files so they sit upright, you can survey the entire collection at once and pinpoint the one you want in a flash. If you take it one step further and arrange your file-folded garments by color, you can shave precious moments from your morning outfit selection routine.

Installing shelves in between the trusses of your attic is a great way to carve out space for items that require long-term storage. These tiered shelves often install in minutes to create room for bins filled with Christmas decor, winter wear, or even a secret stash of gifts that you need to conceal before an upcoming birthday or holiday.

Bulky and unwieldy yard tools, from spades to trowels, are often left leaning against a garage wall or relegated to an already crowded shelf. To keep tools off the floor but still in clear view, turn to leftover PVC pipes from plumbing projects past. For long-handled tools like shovels and rakes, mount two vertically aligned PVC pipe segments on the wall for each tool you need to store. Then, slip the long handle of each tool through the rings to keep it neatly stowed and off the floor. For smaller tools, cut short lengths of PVC pipe, mount them on a wall or board, and put one or two tools in each pipe.

Keep the rim of the tub cleaner and cut down on bathroom clutter by putting up a shower curtain with storage pockets. Available either as full curtains or smaller hanging storage, these organizational heavy-hitters have mesh pockets for stowing shampoo, soaps, loofahs, bath toys, and other bathroom supplies. The mesh lets water drain through, helping the curtain dry out quickly, and a range of pocket sizes can accommodate everything from bars of soap to bottles of conditioner. 

Conceal cords and cables that run the length of your office, living room, or bedroom by feeding them into baseboard cord channels. You can stick these self-adhesive, neutral-colored cord channels directly to your baseboards and then slide the cords into the hinged opening to hide unsightly cables and protect them from damage.

Unwieldy dog food bags are both eyesores and spills waiting to happen. Instead of scooping food from the bag into Fido’s bowl, transfer new bags of dog chow into a sturdy old popcorn tin or other container with an airtight seal. This food storage solution minimizes spills, helps you measure servings more accurately, and keeps the food fresh.

Tired of fumbling with that roll of garbage bags on trash day? If you park the whole roll on a paper towel holder, you’ll be able to unfurl and tear off a bag in seconds. You can stand the roll upright on a countertop, or for even faster retrieval, mount the roll to a kitchen wall or behind the door of an under-sink cabinet.

Installing wire shelving on the back of every door in your house will make that dead space work harder. Door-mounted storage is a simple and efficient way to keep items that get daily use, from soap to laundry detergent, at arm’s length without cluttering up cabinets and countertops.

Kids grow up fast, but sometimes they’re slow to let go of toys and other amusements they’ve outgrown. Over time, you’re left with old toys, clothes, books, and other once-prized possessions cluttering up the house. Help younger kids sort through their stuff to make “keep,” “donate,” or “discard” piles, and then arrange the “keepers” neatly in baskets or other containers. For older kids, help them organize the project, let them make the big decisions, give them a deadline, and follow up to make sure it happens.

Make your cabinets work harder by taking advantage of the space inside cabinet doors. In the kitchen, stick Command hooks inside cabinet doors to hang measuring cups, pot lids, oven mitts, and other often-used items. In the bathroom, hooks or hanging baskets inside the door are great for holding blow dryers, extra washcloths, toiletries, and beauty products. If you’re up for spending a little more money, buy specialty organization products for pot lids, spice jars, food container lids, kitchen wraps, and more. 

While most of the statements, receipts, and other important tax-related documents start arriving in January, others—for instance, receipts for charitable deductions, home improvements, and business expenses—dribble in all year long. Save the last-minute scrambling by keeping a tax folder right where you sort through your mail and putting any tax-related documents in there immediately. Similarly, keep a folder on your computer to hold any tax-related emailed documents, and move them in promptly so the email doesn’t get lost in your inbox. 

With so many smart, inexpensive storage solutions for pot and pan lids, there’s no excuse for piling them in a jumbled mess in the back of a cabinet. Hang them from a pot rail or stow them in a dedicated drawer. Opt for a rack that hangs inside the cabinet door, vertical organizers that fit in the cabinet, or a shelf expander that will let you store them right above the pots. You can even run a tension rod along the side of a drawer or cabinet to hold the lids in place. 

Speed up the endless cycle of laundry by establishing standards and making sure everyone in the family is aware of them. Require that zippers be closed, pockets be emptied, and articles of clothing be separated when they hit the hamper instead of being nested inside hoodies, pants, or other items. Establish a drop-off point for anything that’s stained, dry clean only, or hand-wash. Make sure everyone knows to empty the lint trap after using the dryer and how to drain water from a front-load washer. Getting buy-in from family members will make the laundry days smoother for everyone.

It’s so easy to just stack incoming mail on the nearest horizontal surface—the kitchen counter, dining table, or console in the foyer—thinking that you’ll sort it when you get a chance. The best way to cut down that stack of mail and keep paperwork organized is to deal with it as it comes in. Station a small recycling container (or even a small paper shredder) next to the entrance where the mail comes in, and dispose of any junk mail or other unnecessary papers as they enter the house. Promptly move whatever’s left to its designated spot: a folder for bills to be paid, a folder for tax documents, a folder for items to be filed…whatever categories make sense for you and your family. Without a plan, the papers will just pile up again.