The types of places to often get cluttered the quickest are areas that are confined. This means your utensil drawer, medicine cabinet (and bathroom storage), and pantry are most likely to get out of hand. Even when you take everything out and place everything back nice and neat it is usually a mess again after a couple of days. The solution is thinking through the best way to contain the items.

When you are containing items, think about each container as a category. Let’s look at the bathroom first. One bin should be dedicated to nail polish, another travel sized toiletries, maybe one for extra toiletries when you run out, and another for first aid.

If you live with multiple people and share an area (like the pantry or bathroom), it may be best to use labels to make sure everyone knows where their things go. This way everyone feels they have their own space even though the entirety of the space is shared.

Use walls and doors when you’re short on shelf space.

Many think that storage is all used up when all their shelves are occupied, but there are plenty of unused storage opportunities left—all you have to do is utilize your walls and doors.

You can always add to the storage you are given in a space - especially the bathrooms. For example, over the door hangers. If you don’t have a great door to put it on, you can put command hooks right onto the wall, cabinet, closet doors - the opportunities are endless!

When it comes to closet space, it can be hard to fit your extra belongings like bags in a nice and organized manner on the shelves. The solution to this is to hang them. If you have the shelf space, put them there. Every organizational challenge is unique - you have to think about how to use what you have in the best way possible.

Now What? – Contain!

Clear is better

Clear containers allows you to see what is inside - another way to help you quickly put things back in their place. Clear also lets you see when you are running low on something, if something that should be in there is missing etc.

Square/rectangle is better

The reason for this is because they can stack and sit next to each other well. This way you are using all of the space that you have and you are maximizing the use of it. Using circular organizers like lazy susans are great if you need to utilize the depth of a space but not great if you want to make the most of every inch.

Label! Label! Label!

No matter what containers you are using, label everything! If there is one thing that leads to organized spaces becoming messy again it is that you aren’t sure immediately where to put things back. With labels, this problem is much less likely to happen.

This one was actually pretty easy for me. Anything that I haven’t used in the last two years went away. Only having the decorations that I use will make decking the halls so much easier next year.

Things to Consider when Storing Items

How much space do I have?

Be realistic with yourself! Take dimensions of spaces you are looking for containers to fit in, and look for that perfect fit. It is so easy to get swept away when container shopping!

Are there other storage spaces to consider?

Many people have extra space they don’t consider using! For example, store your off season clothes in the basement, attic, or even a guest bedroom closet!

Get creative with your storage solutions, and don’t forget about places like high up in your garage (consider using a storage solution to utilize this!) or underneath your bed.

Frequency of use

Think about how often you use something. If you are only using it once a year (like your turkey roaster or your Holiday china) consider putting it somewhere that might be more difficult to reach. You won’t be reaching for it every day, so it won’t matter as much.

Then, keep the things you do use everyday close by.