Below are some tips to help you organize different parts of your home:
Living Room
Welcome the Wastebasket
If trash tends to accumulate in the family room, adding a wastebasket might cut down on clutter. Few family rooms actually have a wastebasket in them; they're not attractive and they can smell. Counteract this by choosing a can that fits your room's decor. If you know food will be thrown away here, get one with a lid and some deodorizing trash bags.
Keep Flat Surfaces Clutter-free
Papers, books, brochures and magazines tend to accumulate on flat surfaces all around the house, and the family room is no different. In fact, the family room is often more cluttered because it's a central gathering place in the house. A two drawer lateral file is recommended as an ideal solution. Make a quick sweep of all flat surfaces by piling papers in a bin, then sorting and purging as necessary. Take a vow, and get your family to follow it, to put papers in files rather than on the coffee table.
Control Out-of-Control Cords
Until the world goes wireless, we'll forever be stuck with tangled cables behind our entertainment centers. Fortunately, there are several options for taming cords in the family room. The most attractive is the slim Cableyoyo. It neatly coils up to six feet of cord and comes with an adhesive backing that sticks onto nearly any surface. A cable caddy usually sticks onto a desktop (or behind the TV console) and has a space for several cables to clamp into. Your cords will still dangle freely, however, so a cable zipper, which encloses all the cables in a tube, might be the best bet.
Create a Play Zone
If toys are taking over your family room, it's time to put them in timeout. Unused corners of a family room transform into great play areas because the walls serve to block encroaching clutter. Corners are also good areas to put a small bookcase or children's table. Add rolling bins for toy storage so your child doesn't have to feel confined, but is encouraged to pick up after he or she is done playing.
Coffee Table Functionality
If you have a coffee table (or forgot you had one due to the clutter) it's time to reassess its organizational capacity. Coffee tables that look great but don't have any storage for magazines, remote controls or even drink coasters, are probably making life more difficult. If you don't have the budget for a new one, consider adding low storage cubes, rolling baskets or bins to stick under the table.
Designate a Game Area
For a family that likes to play together, a game cabinet for board games and cards is both functional and fun. Games usually end up in a TV armoire, but it's helpful to designate a separate space for them, whether in another shelving unit, a bookcase or in plastic containers below the sofa (if the sofa has a skirt). Creating a single game space will free up other areas of the room for storage. If a computer is part of your gaming area, Julie Morgenstern recommends against a computer armoire. She's rarely seen them work well and recommends instead a desk that has a separate work surface, paper storage and a surface for the monitor.
Creatively Display Photos
If you have a lot of small, photo frames that tend to clutter your family room it's time to take control by displaying them in new ways. Photo albums and collage frames are great options for storing lots of photos at once, and a digital photo frame is especially handy for those who don't use film. Don't just use the mantel or side tables; use vertical space on the wall. Organizing your photos by date or occasion in photo boxes is especially helpful for scrapbookers, who can keep these in one central location on a bookshelf.
Take Advantage of Space Behind the Sofa
Organize extra blankets, pillows, candles in an accessible place - behind the sofa. It's a great place to put a trunk, cabinet or low bookcase. Plus, it gives you another surface to put a lamp or show off some treasured objects.
Decluttering the Entryway
Focus on Floors
In the entryway, the outside meets the inside and brings plenty of mud and moisture with it. Place entrance mats on both sides of the door to trap tracked-in dirt and rainwater before it hits your clean house.
Clear Clutter Regularly
Family comings and goings tend to deposit mail, paperwork, newspapers, magazines, library books, broken items and extra clothing at the door. Schedule regular STOP clutter sessions in the entryway.
Family Launch Pads
Just as a spaceship must have a dedicated structure to support liftoff, so family members need a Launch Pad to stabilize them as they blast out the door in the morning. What is a Launch Pad? It's a dedicated space — perhaps on a bookcase shelf — to contain all the "out-the-door" essentials for each person.
Organizing your Bedroom
Opt for Storage Under the Bed
Get more mileage out of the horizontal space in your bedroom with sliding or rolling under bed storage bins. It's a great extension of your closet, allowing you to rotate your seasonal items or even store bigger, bulkier items like backpacks, purses and blankets. Plus, the storage hidden if you have a bedskirt. Stick a label on the outside of each container so when you peek under the bed you'll know exactly what you're looking at. Short on linen closet space? Another idea is to keep extra sheets for your bed here.
Make Your Bed Every Day
Treat your bed as the sanctuary it is by positioning it for use every day. If you spend three minutes each morning to tuck and fold, you'll develop a habit of keeping order in the room, which may translate into motivation for picking up the pile of clothes on the floor.
Tame the Shoe Pile
Bags tend to sag and take up valuable hanging space, which most people can't afford to give up. Plus, an expanding tiered shoe rack below your clothes keeps them accessible and away from dirtying or staining materials. If you have a mountain of shoes, don't throw anything out! Get all 20 pairs of identical black heels lined up nicely. If you enjoy abundance, often in about a year you'll give in to those 20 pairs and be ready to let some go.
De-Junk your Junk Drawer
Remove the Drawer
First thing’s first -- take out the whole drawer and take inventory. Be sure to have a trash can handy, because chances are you’re going to find a lot of expired coupons, worn-out recipes and to-go cutlery.
Sort Into Piles
For anything you deem worthy of sticking around, create piles with like items. Do you have duplicates? Get rid of one. Are your safety pins and paper clips taking over the entire drawer? Collect them all, so you can see what you’re working with.
Keep it Separate
Now that you’ve narrowed everything down to what you actually need, find containers around the house that can keep everything divided and easy to find once you put it back in the drawer. If you don’t already have boxes or drawer dividers, you can use ice cube trays or old muffin pans. Or cut out the bottom of old cereal boxes for a cheap solution that can be dressed up with washi tape or wrapping paper.
