Keeping your family organized is no easy task. Kick your family organization into gear with these simple hacks and quick projects.
Organization is my thing. I thrive off of being organized and quite frankly my family does too. A new year tends to throw me into overdrive mode. Cleaning and organizing must be done before stepping into a new year.
Early on I learned that my daughter’s way of getting things done was using a list. This was one of the things that motivated me to begin organizing the rooms our home. Decluttering wasn’t enough. Everything needed to have its own space. Over the years my organizational methods have gotten better but it wasn’t until we built our first home that I really got things all the way together.
Simple Family Organization Hacks
When we moved into our new home, I wanted two things: to make our home more efficient by turning it into a smart home and getting everything organized. Being organized and staying on top of cleaning can help your family be more efficient. These hacks have helped my family stay on track with our family organization system.
For the Laundry Room and Closets
Use a laundry sorter
A laundry sorter is a lifesaver! Sorting your clothes after you wear them is a million times easier then going through everything on wash day. We use this laundry sorter to keep things organized. I used labels for the baskets so our kids know where to put their clothing. We divide our laundry into darks, lights, whites, and towels/sheets.
Create a cubbie system or mudroom area
A cubbie system or mudroom is a great landing place for when your family gets home. This is where your kids backpacks, coats, and shoes will go. Think of it as the place to collect all the things before your family steps foot into your home. Once or twice a week you can go in to declutter the mudroom and start fresh.
The mudroom is also a great place to put a command station chalkboard with weekly reminders for your family.
Create a folding station
Folding as you go can save tons of time when doing laundry. Give your laundry room a mini makeover and create a small space for a folding station so that you can fold laundry while other loads are washing.
Assemble a mobile folding station
If you’re more of a mobile person and like to fold the laundry in front of the TV or while you’re watching your kids in the playroom, a mobile folding station would be a great idea for you. Use laundry baskets, preferably with handles, to take your laundry with you to whatever room you’ll be folding your clothes in.
Use baskets
Linen baskets or woven baskets like these with labels are a great way to organize all the things. I like to put things like towels, sheets, throw blankets, etc into baskets in our linen closet to make them easy to find. This way I’m not shuffling through the closet to find things when we have guests or when I’m putting laundry away. Woven baskets can add a touch of style to your linen closet.
Have a miscellaneous bin
How many times have you found socks without a match or change that someone left in their pocket in the dryer? Having a miscellaneous bin to toss all of those items in is essential. It’ll serve as sort of the “lost and found” for your house. Make sure to go through the bin once a week to clear it out. Toss out those socks with no match if you haven’t found it’s pair after a few loads.
Organize Sheets
If you have a ton of bedsheets, the best thing to do is organize them by room. This makes it easy when you’re looking for sheets to make your bed. You can use bins to organize the sheets for each room.
For the Bedrooms
Color coordinated hangers
Velvet hangers are my absolute favorite. Each family member in our house has their own color hangers. When we’re doing laundry we hang the clothes on the hangers according to color. When it’s time for the clothes to be put away, everyone simply grabs their color hanger and knows what to do. This makes it easier to sort through the clothes that are ready to go back into their rightful place.
For the Bathrooms
Family organization should continue throughout your home. One of the most forgotten about rooms are the bathrooms but they’re one of the rooms that your family uses multiple times a day. You want your bathrooms to be organized not only for your family but guests as well. A tidy bathroom may inspire your family to partake in more self care routines and lessen the anxiety that comes with those rushed, stressful mornings. Turn your bathroom or even your kids bathroom into every organizer’s dream with these simple tips.
Get a hanging shower caddy
If your shower is lacking shelves, a hanging shower caddy can help to store products like shampoo and body wash. Suction cup caddies are a great shower storage option as well.
Don’t forget about the toilet paper
Having toilet paper lying around in the packaging it came in is a huge pet peeve for me. It looks super messy and can get dusty if not stored properly. Use a closed toilet paper holder for next to your toilet or a bin to store under a sink or in a cabinet.
Over-the-toilet shelves work great for smaller spaces
Do you have a small bathroom and are struggling for extra storage space? An over-the-toilet shelf is great for storage. You can buy shelving with a cabinet or without. Use it to store things like extra toiletries.
Apothecary jars add a modern design element
I love apothecary jars in bathrooms. I think that they add a modern flair to the space. We use them to store things like cotton balls. The wide mouth jars make it easy to reach into.
Organize those bath toys
My kids have a million bath toys or at least it seems like it. We love this bath toy organizer to help the kids keep everything organized. Before they’re done with bath time they are responsible for putting their toys away.
In The Kitchen
Vinyl pantry labels
Labeling our pantry was the best thing I’ve ever done. It makes cooking and baking so much easier. Snack time is a breeze because my kids no longer have to shuffle to find the snacks they like.
Airtight storage containers
This was the first organization project I tackled when we moved into our home. Sorting your food and cooking supplies into airtight storage containers can help your family to easily find things. I can’t tell you how many times my family has asked me to find something in the pantry that is right in front of them. Labeling your containers will help alleviate any confusion.
Use drawer dividers
Drawer dividers are a huge lifesaver. They can be used to organize utensils, spices, and cooking spoons.
Create a meal plan
Meal planning is super helpful for us and helps us save money. Creating a monthly family meal plan is something that you can do together as a family. By planning all of our meals we are able to make more efficient grocery lists, plan ahead and know what we’re having for every meal.
Rooms to Organize
Getting your family organized can become overwhelming super quickly. Take it room by room and start with the smaller spaces first. Getting the smaller rooms done will eliminate any anxiety you may have about organizing. As a rule of thumb, I like to start with the smaller rooms in our home that we use the most. Why? Because those are the spaces that need to be organized the most.
- Bedrooms
- Entryway
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Office
- Garage
- Family Room
- Living Room
- Playroom
- Mudroom
Tips for Organizing Quickly and Staying Organized
1. Make a checklist
Creating a checklist before you get started will help keep you on track with your family organization project. Separate the checklist by room. Once your checklist is complete you can go room to room and start organizing. Marking things off as you go will help you feel accomplished and less overwhelmed.
2. Recruit help
Getting your family to help makes the organization go a lot quicker. It also helps them to know where things are so you’re not having to find things later.
3. Divide and conquer
Once you’ve recruited your family and friends to help, divide the checklist so they know where to get started. Give each person a room that they can start organizing. If you’re wanting to complete each room as a group, give each person a section of the room and start from there. If your kids are smaller like mine, it helps to give them a small incentive to stay focused. Rewarding them with something like ice cream or a little extra TV time have worked for us.
4. Declutter as you go for consistent family organization
While you’re getting organized, you’ll want to declutter your home. Don’t be afraid to throw things out that you no longer use at home. Make a donation pile for charity if you have things around you’re home that are able to be donated.
5. Keep a permanent donations bin
Keeping a permanent donations bin will not only help your family stay organized but it will help to keep your home decluttered as well. Find a small bin that you can keep somewhere like your laundry room for donations. Once it’s filled donate the bin to a charity that takes donations.
6. Review papers once a week
We have a standing family meeting once a week on Sundays. It’s about 30 minutes long and we talk about everything from what will be on our menu for the week, activities we have going on, and my husband and I will discuss any upcoming expenses. We write things down on our DIY command station chalkboard so that everyone has access to what we discussed in our meeting.
7. Assign everyone in your family a color
I love color coding things. Everyone in my family is assigned a color. When writing notes on our DIY command station or hanging clothes using the colored velvet hangers, it makes it easier to know who things are for. If a note is written on our command station in pink then it’s for me, blue for Trevor and purple for Tatiana. Choose a neutral color like white, black or grey for the entire family as well for things like events, menu items, etc.
8. Rotate toys
Toys are always all over our house. It’s a constant battle with my kids. Having the toys organized makes it easier to rotate them. This makes it easier to make sure that all of the toys are being played with. During every rotation you want to pay close attention to the toys that aren’t getting any attention. If your kids aren’t playing with certain toys after a second rotation, it’s time to donate them.
Family Organization Essentials
- Airtight storage containers
- Linen baskets
- Magnets
- Whiteboard or chalkboard for a DIY command station/family calendar
- Colored velvet hangers
- Laundry sorters
- Label maker or Cricut smart cutting machine
- Donation bin
- Family “lost and found” bin
- Family binder
- Draw dividers
- Lazy Susan
- Bath toy organizer
Want some family organization tips or other home decor hacks? Check them out here and subscribe below.
Leave a Reply