Organizing a small space can be much harder than you think. This blog post will take you through the best small home organization tips that you can find!
One would think that having a smaller space would mean that it’s easier to organize. Unfortunately, it’s usually the opposite.
A smaller home can mean more opportunities for clutter and disorganization because of the lack of space. And you also don’t have the luxury of hiding your messes.
If you’re looking for some easy tips for how to organize a small home, come with us as we go through our favorite tips for small home organization.
And if you enjoyed this blog post, you should take a look at this blog post that’s all about how to organize a small pantry.
This blog post is all about small home organization.
Genius Small Home Organization
1. Declutter
Before you start to organize anything, the best thing you can do is declutter. This will probably take longer than you want it to, but it’s absolutely worth it. If you’re going room by room, you should repeat the following in each of your rooms and/or spaces. Take all your clutter and separate it into three different piles: trash it, donate it, and keep it.
You will need to be honest with yourself on what you will actually use. One good rule to use, especially for clothes, is if you haven’t used it within a year, it’s safe to either donate it or throw it out. Unfortunately, decluttering shouldn’t just be something that happens one time. You should declutter often so it doesn’t pile up and overwhelm you.
2. Make use of as much space as possible
The cabinet doors, the side of the refrigerator, and under beds are valuable space that you need to take advantage of. When you have a small home, you can’t afford to not use the space that’s available to you. The trick is to make it seem organized and clean while doing so.
In order to keep your items tidy and organized, you should grab some helpful items like over-the-door organizers and containers that fit nicely under your bed. For example, you could grab a shoe organizer for your bedroom closet and or wire storage racks that fit nicely on your cabinet or pantry doors.
3. Use drawer dividers and shelf risers in closets and drawers
Everyone has the designated “junk drawer”, but there’s only so much junk that one drawer can handle. After decluttering your drawers and shelves, especially in your kitchen, invest in some drawer dividers and shelf risers.
These are both great options because you will actually be able to see what you have as well as keeping similar items together. Make sure these aren’t just relegated to your kitchen area as they work wonders in any cabinet, closet, or drawer.
4. Get your items off the floor
This is definitely one of the most underrated organization tips on this list. Getting your items off the floor and onto tables, ottomans, counters, and more will help you more than you realize. Not only does it clear up more space and make your space visually clean, it allows you to place these objects in designated spaces in order to best organize your items.
For example, many people just leave their shoes either in front of the door or even just all over the place. Get them off of the floor and into a shoe rack or holder made for shoes. It will help keep your shoes organized and give them a designated place to “live”.
5. Look for furniture that can double as storage
When it comes to furniture, the functional decor is the best way to go when trying to maximize your space. Basically, you need your furniture to be pulling double-duty. Looking pretty can’t be its only attribute. For example, when looking at furniture, you want to see ottomans with storage, bed frames with drawers underneath, and drop-leaf tables when possible.
6. Maximize your vertical space
This goes hand and hand with using any space that you can, but in an organized fashion. This is especially important in closets, where a lot of unused space at the top of these areas often goes unused because people think they can’t reach up there anyway.
That is the wrong way to look at it. Grab yourself a small stepping stool and use that space! Another great option is using shelf risers. These not only keep you more organized, but it also gives you more space to use.
7. Use labeled, clear containers
Another great organization hack is using containers to keep similar items together, but it doesn’t help if you don’t know what is exactly in those boxes in the first place. The best way to tackle this problem is by using clear containers when possible, but always label your containers.
From your kitchen to your basement, you should take the time to write down exactly what’s in the box, not just a general topic. For example, for Christmas decorations, don’t just write “Christmas decor”, write down the specifics. Time spent now writing these lists will save you so much more in the long run.
8. Turn areas of your house into designated “zones”
Even if you have a small home, you can still designate areas or define functional “zones”. One of the more popular, and very needed, zones is having an area when you first walk in to drop items that you typically need when leaving again: keys, purses, backpacks, shoes, and more. An area like this would benefit from some hooks for keys, a basket for mail, and a little shoe organizer if there’s space.
9. Go digital when possible
How much random, important pieces of paper do you have stuffed into a desk or table somewhere? I bet you have plenty of tax documents, medical documents, and more that are taking up more space than needed.
You don’t have to be super tech-savvy to go digital. First, scan all your documents needed. You don’t need a scanner as there are mobile apps that work just as well, like Adobe Scan. When uploading them, make sure you clearly label them as well so you know what they are.
And lastly, follow the 1-2-3 rule when storing them. Always have three different copies of important documents: two different storage types, including encrypted cloud and a hard drive/USB, and one off-site, like a secure cloud.
10. Use your walls
In small homes, floor space is precious but walls are typically underutilized. If you have the space to add something to your wall, make sure you use it! On top of installing peg boards and floating shelves, you can also mount your cleaning items such as your vacuum, broom, mop, and more. Make sure to use sturdy floating shelves and mounts if you’re hanging heavier items. For example, please do not use a pegboard and or a bunch of pegs to hang something heavy like a vacuum.
11. Keep daily items at eye-level
This is a great hack for those that tend to just put their things everywhere and anywhere. There are tons of reasons why this is a great idea, but two of the most important reasons is that it saves you a lot of time as well as encouraging you to keep this area clean.
There is nothing more frustrating when you are strapped for time, but you can’t find that one item that you need. Additionally, it also reminds you to grab it! Sometimes we all could use reminders when we’re rushing out the door.
12. Evaluate everything you bring in (one in/one out)
This might be one of the hardest things to do on this list, but it’s incredibly helpful if you don’t have much extra space in your home. Every new item that you bring into your home must replace another one. It doesn’t have to be the exact same item, of course, but you must swap it out. It doesn’t matter if you plan on throwing it away or donating it – just get rid of it! Bonus points if both objects are of a similar size.
13. Keep it as clean as possible
This tip might go without saying, but it’s an important one! Cleanliness is basically the cousin of organization. If you want to keep your small home organized, then you must keep it clean.
A smaller home shows the clutter much more than a larger house, even if it only contains a quarter of the clutter. To make it easier on you, clean more frequently. That way there will always be less to clean.
14. Add a small trash can to busy rooms
Speaking of keeping it clean, adding a small trash can to rooms that typically fill up with junk pretty quickly is an easy way to keep your home clean. The best areas are the kitchen, your living room, wherever your kids play, and your kids’ bedroom. I would advise that your kids’ bedroom does depend on their age. If they’re old enough not to play in the trash, then add a trash can to their room.
15. Worst case scenario: outside storage
I kept this one for last because that’s what it should be: the last case scenario. If you truly have no room left in your small home, that’s okay. You’ve organized and decluttered your life away and you still have too many things. This is understandable, especially if it’s a multi-generational home.
There are plenty of options for cheap chains, such as U-Haul Storage or CubeStorage. Make sure you compare prices online like at Storage.com. Prices also tend to be lower outside of city centers, so check out more suburban areas when considering these options.
There is another interesting concept referred to as peer-to-peer storage, kind of like the AirBnB of storage, like Neighbor.com. I have never used these peer-to-peer storages, so I cannot recommend any personally, but please do this at your own risk!
This blog post was all about small home organization.
