There are a lot of organizing tips out there on the internet that do NOT work well with families. For instance, decanting your detergent pods can actually be a risk for little ones because they look like candy in the pretty jars (and are easier to open). Today I’m going to share some of my favorite family-tested organizing tips and show how YOU can apply them in your life!
BTW, want to know more about baby-proofing and safety around the home << check out that podcast episode, so helpful!
Clean It First
Before we get started, just the day to day cleaning is one of the most important things you can do. AND a lot of that is about getting kids to help out more (age-appropriate, obviously). Grab my printable house cleaning checklists to help your kids know what needs to be done in each room and surpass your expectations each time!
And if you’d like to get on a cleaning schedule — grab mine here:
The Right Stuff
One of the keys to rooms functioning well in a family is having the right things in each room. In this post you learn 3 things that you should have to help you declutter and manage your home easier.
Looking to MAXIMIZE the small amount of time that you have to organize << that post has some great tips too!
Counter Clutter
I find that as soon as I start to get some clutter in an area my family immediately thinks that’s where we store all the crap now. Anyone else? Just me.
Working to REALLY clear our counters of stuff has made my kids realize that’s not the spot for their junk. I have a post on 3 weird things I use to clear counter clutter.
Looking for more organizing tips — be sure to check out these posts:
- 5 Things for Easier Organizing
- Decluttering Beauty Supplies with McKenzie Guymon from Girl Loves Glam
- Mistakes You Make When Organizing
- Why Organizing Is Hard
- Motivation to Clean: Find it and use it to clear the mess
Make Cabinets Useable for All
As adults we can lift more, we can reach more and we just tend to be a bit more careful. But, when you stuff a lot of stuff in your cabinets it can make it tricky for kids. I have a post with some tips for easy cabinet organization that will allow them to both set the table and empty the dishwasher a little easier.
I also think “zoning” an area to give kids a general idea where dishes, or pots/pans or baking items go.
I Can’t Put This Away…
If I had a Nickle for every time my kid told me they didn’t know where something that was clean went – I’d be rich. Pots and pants were really tough for my smaller kids to put away, until I learned to store them better. Kids could easily put them away now, and self-sufficiency is something we DEFINITELY aim for.
Looking for more kitchen organizing tips — be sure to check out these posts:
- Clever Kitchen Storage: Smart solutions for smaller kitchens
- 19 Easy Kitchen Organization Tips to Make Life Easier
- 3 Kitchen Sink Hacks You Need
- Zoning Your Kitchen
- How to Clean Your Kitchen: Cleaning in Circles
Clothes!
Kid’s clothes are so hard. Seems like you turn around and suddenly pants that fit yesterday are only falling to their calf. I always tried to make sure that we had clothes in the upcoming sizes, but also an easy system to get rid of what wasn’t fitting anymore (or pack away for the next kid).
Clothes can be an issue for adults and kids >> check out my post with easy ideas to organize your closet.
I have a post on some good tips on getting your kid’s wardrobe ready for school. OR if you’ve got little ones — I have some awesome baby closet organization tips.
I think it’s important to be honest that it’s not always having the family that’s keeping us disorganized. I have whole post on decluttering shoes you ight find helpful.
Toys
Having kids manage their own clutter (like toys) is a BIG win. Not only are you teaching them to be self-sufficient, it sometimes weeds out what’s getting used, and what is not. Check out my post on playroom organization.
I also have some great tips for organizing games.
As I’m editing this post I realize that there are SO many places that families just organize different — and you may just be thinking WHERE DO I START?
I often ask myself that, and I’d spiral into an inability to get started at all — until I found this.
It splits spaces into their own spots. It helps me get my head around what I want a space to be used for, declutter it, and then create a system that actually WORKS for my FAMILY.
I’ve also started to realize that my fantasy of having a professional organizer come to my home would also be a lot of work — so, I just need to get started! I think this will help you do that too!
Laundry
I am so grateful for my washing machine, but I also find it to be a tricky room to organize to use effectively. I have a whole on organizing your laundry room to make it both safe and easy to use!
It can be really tempting to think that you just need more stuff to organize your home better (hello Container Store) — but I have often used Amazon boxes to make very effective organization items.
Food!
When your kids get old enough to take things from the pantry on their own — I have found that I need to go through it every now and then to restock the basics.
I was mostly left over-buying things we didn’t use as much, and somehow out of the things we really needed — my pantry inventory spreadsheet helped that a lot!
Got an older one with a messy locker at school? While that really isn’t “your problem” I do have some locker organization tips.
Family Calendar
As a mom — I love having a paper planner that’s jut for ME — to put my priorities, needs (and sometimes just hopes) in — but I also need to use a digital calendar that everyone can add events to — I have a post on how I use a paper planner along with a digital planner to make it easy for a family.
I have found that I REALLY like the paper aspect of my planner — it’s something I do JUST for myself. It’s off-limits for my kids, and that’s been nice to have a small bit of peace in our family storm. 🙂
Emergency Organization
I’m not saying the clutter is particularly an emergency — but what about storing medicine? A well-organized medicine cabinet can really help all of you when the chips are down — and I have a post on how to organize your medicine (even if you don’t have or use a medicine cabinet for it).
And, while we’re here talking about emergency organization — be sure to check out my post on easy steps you can start organizing your estate planning.
The Randomness of it All
I think one of the hardest parts of organizing a home with kids is all the random things you need to organize, and how difficult it can be to get an ideas to use the space you have.
I have a post where I shared some of my favorite organization projects around our house.
That honestly is just a starter pack to all the systems you’ll see at work in The Organized Home. If you’re thinking, I just need a little help — that’s the class for you. Join for just a month or a lifetime, whatever fits your budget… and I think you’ll be organizing like a pro in no time!
What is YOUR hardest place to organize as a family? Tell us in the comments!
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