Living in a small home has it’s challenges, keeping it organized is top of the list. Here are 5 things you can do to make small home organizing more manageable.
I love the feeling of opening my front door and being greeted with a tidy and uncluttered home. When you live in a small space maintaining this isn’t easy.
You know there are challenges to happily living in a compact world and you have to get creative with the space you have.
We love our small home and the simplicity that came with downsizing, but the first several months had me doubting our “grand plan” of scaling down and simplifying our lives. I had a few things to learn about small home organizing to make our small space work for us.
Our closets were a mess and packed with so much stuff that it was hard to find anything. I’d put things “away” based on my old way of thinking and my old home which was more than twice the size of where we live now.
Piles were growing and it began to take forever to clean up, simply because I had so much tidying to do before I got down to the real housework. At that point, our dream of simplifying wasn’t so dreamy anymore.
I had to start changing the way I was doing things. Small home organizing is as much a thought process as it is an organization method.
Implementing this list of small home organizing strategies was the turning point to keeping my sanity and the house clutter free.
My Small Home Organizing Strategies
1. Everything has a place, and one place only.
For example, office supplies such as pens scissors, ect, all go in the office. Family board games and cards are all stored together. The beauty of a small house is it’s only a few steps to find something or put it back.
You’ll be surprised at how much precious space you can save by storing like items together and in one place when organizing your small home.
2. Put it where it belongs as you enter the house.
Mail in the basket for mail, magazines in the basket for magazines, the dog leash in the basket. Do this as you walk in the door, you’re probably walking right by that spot anyway.
It takes time to form a habit. I have read that it can take 2 months or longer, so don’t get down on yourself if you don’t remember to do it right away.
Just keep going and before long you won’t be just throwing the mail on the counter when you walk in the house.
3. Keep items handy.
When organizing a small home, keep the things you use the most where you can get to them easily
It saves time and frustration! Items that aren’t used as often can be tucked away. Keep kitchen appliances that you use often where you can get to them easily.
Put items you don’t use often in the hard to get to areas. You won’t mess up your closets and storage digging for items anymore.
4. Use storage containers to keep things organized.
Baskets and sturdy boxes are good to use when doing small home organizing. My pantry stays organized when I keep small items in baskets and use the space between for boxes.
I can easily look at my pantry an see what needs to be restocked because it’s organized and everything is always in the same place.
For more pantry organizing ideas ready my Clutter Busters For Pantry
One of the most challenging areas in small home living is the kitchen. Need more help with yours? Check out my on How to Organize a Small Kitchen to Get More Space
5. Get rid of what you don’t use and what you have that doesn’t fit.
For things you haven’t used in the last few months or items too big for your home, ask yourself, do you really need it?
Give yourself a reality check. It this more important than the stress I’m causing myself by keeping it? I realized I was holding on to way more stuff than I needed.
These are my most useful strategies for small home organizing and the easiest to do. They are also the first tips I’d share with anyone who is getting ready to downsize or is struggling with living in a small house.
By making a few changes I was able to keep the house tidy and cut down dramatically on the clutter. Most importantly, I was able to stop stressing and start enjoying our simplified life.
What’s your favorite small home organization strategy? I love when you guys share with me! Let’s talk in the comments section below.
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Leticia says
I am glad to find someone who feels the same way I do about clutter. I am always looking for thing to find things to get rid off because they serve no purpose or because I have not used them in several months. But sometimes I find myself feeling like if my house is still crowded. I don’t know what else if can do to make it feel open and uncluttered?
Wendi says
Leticia, I know exactly how you feel! Clutter is one of my biggest challenges living in a small home. Taming clutter and strategies for living in a small home are topics I plan to share a lot of this year. Keep an eye out for these posts. Have you subscribed to my email? I hope these new posts will give you ideas and inspiration for your home. Thank you so much for your visit and shring your thoughts.
Joanna says
I have used baskets and shoe boxes for decades but my big problem is being confined to a wheelchair. I have to be very organised to ask someone to get something down for me, then wait a week or so for it to go back. I need a mansion I think with a room for everything lol.
Wendi says
Joanna – I don’t know what I would do without our baskets and boxes. I cringe to think of the chaos that would probably be my house and closets. You must be very organized. How challenging though, to have to wait to reach your items & put them back. Yes, you should have a room for everything and lots of cubby holes lining the walls for your baskets and boxes all within your reach! 🙂 Thanks for visiting and your comment today!
Alli says
I have a stack of rubbermaid drawers in my tiny apartment kitchen’s pantry. I use it to store baking pans and odd cookware I don’t use often. It is a life saver since we only have 4 cabinets! I love your idea of baskets in the pantry! I will have to try that!
Wendi says
Alli, Baskets in the pantry have been such a huge help! If I’d know they were so useful for organizing and as dividers I would have had them sooner. I understand tight cabinet spaces too. Our pots and pans are in drawers 🙂 Thank you for your comments and good luck on the Organizing!
Rebecca @ Love at First Book says
I think organizing the things in the pantry is super important. . . I like how you have baskets and tubs on the floor there. It’s “wasted” space unless it can be used appropriately, and it’s kind of difficult to think of how to use that space usually.
Thank you for linking up to the Spread the Love Linky Party! Even though it’s my last week of hosting, April @ The Steadfast Reader will be taking over, which is super exciting! More info to come. . . 😀
Wendi says
Thanks Rebecca, The floor and up high spaces in closets are almost always wasted space. I don’t understand why in a small house builders don’t maximize every inch of potential. One another note, I’m going to miss stopping by your place every week to link up! I guess I have to start carving out time to not only read but finish new books as well just to stop over and visit!
Marie@The Interior Frugalista says
As a girl with several professional organizing courses under my belt I have to say Wendi this is an awesome post with great advice! We have a small house and a very poorly laid out kitchen and I too found that baskets have been the key to keeping my kitchen well organized. I have my spices in baskets too and organized according to “baking spices” “hot spices”, etc. so when I’m cooking I just pull out whatever basket suits the dish I’m making and it takes seconds to put it back in it’s “home” again.
Wendi says
Marie…Thank you that’s such a huge compliment coming from you! If I’d have known that the baskets were they key to keeping the pantry organized I would have added them years ago! I really like the way you keep your spices organized..that’s so smart:)
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says
These are great tips, Wendi! We have a REALLY small kitchen, and the baskets in the cabinets has been key to keeping it all organized and maximizing our use of the space. What we need to work on, however, is putting everything in its proper place as soon as we get home. We have a table by the door that just ends up being a catch-all for all our junk. Definitely need to re-read this post from time to time to remember that! 😉
Wendi says
Lauren, We had the same “walking in the door issue”! It made such a big difference when we started putting it away as we walked in. Extra clutter made the house look even smaller and because our place is small it only takes a few items to look cluttered. it’s such a merry-go-round…without the fun! Thanks for visiting!
Lucie says
I know many folks have the “drop everything on the nearest flat surface” issue when they walk in the door. When you enter my 905 square foot condo, you are immediately in the living area. Consequently, there is no nearby “drop off” spot to unload, until you are across the room. I solved that with a nice ladder desk with a roomy drawer. My friends tell me I’m a clean freak, but if you look into the drawers, you’ll see the clutter. I’ve been working hard on organizing drawers, but I only have 6 built in drawers in the whole condo, so not a lot of storage for odds and ends. The desk having a roomy drawer (same size as the top, about 2′ x 3′) has helped tremendously. I’d love some ideas on decluttering small spaces like drawers and bookshelves, they’re my catchalls!
This is a great blog, glad I found it!
Wendi says
Hi Lucie and thank you! I completely understand how challenging a small home that’s clutter free can be. I love your idea of a drawer as the catch all. We are getting ready to redesign the living area and I’ve been thinking of how I’ll incorporate an entry something-or-other to catch our stuff. You’ve shared a super idea! Thanks so much for reading my blog and I hope you’ve subscribed to stay in touch!