6 Tips for Organizing Your Home

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Home Depot & Rubbermaid, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #AllAccessOrganizers  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

This summer my husband and I gave ourselves the goal of organizing every single closet, cupboard, and drawer in our home.  We are both very organized people, and truly LOVE to organize (and reorganize) our living space to make it function the best that it can for us.  We have spent literally thousands of dollars on plastic containers (just ask our friends and family) to better organize our home, and we are always on the lookout for new storage solutions.

That's why I was so excited when I learned about Rubbermaid's new All Access Organizers.  What's different about these containers is that not only do they easily stack, but you can see AND access the contents of the containers without ever unstacking them!  What a concept!  No more unstacking piles of boxes to get to the one you need. You can open the container up by pulling down the clear drop-down door in the front, or by lifting up the lid on top.  I bought mine at Home Depot.

We recently switched some rooms around in our home, and the boys' room closet needed to be re-organized.  It was so much fun starting with an empty space, and using Rubbermaid's All Access Organizers to create an organized and well-functioning closet.  I even found an often overlooked storage area that I utilized, and will be sharing with you later in the post!

Here are some of my favorite tips for organizing your home:

1.  Have a place for EVERYTHING.  When everything has a place where it belongs in your home, then it's easy to put it away, and even easier to find it when you are looking for it!  Isn't it so frustrating to try and find something that you know is there somewhere, but you just don't know where?  This simple tip will solve that problem. Take a look around your home and see what is constantly cluttering your home.  Does it have a place where it goes?  If not, make one!

My son loves sports, and we are always finding random balls around the house.  I used one of the large Rubbermaid All Access Organizers to store his footballs, basketballs, and soccer balls, and now it's easier than ever to have him put away his own sports equipment because he knows exactly where it belongs, and can see through the clear door to know where it goes.

2.  Use Plastic Containers to hold and contain smaller items.  I love using plastic containers, especially to store small things that might look cluttery sitting out.  It makes your closets, cabinets, and storage areas look neat and clean and uniform.  Containers also keep the dust out and can help protect your items.

My son LOVES his Legos, but I don't love stepping on them.  Vacuuming them up is even more painful (do you know how much money I have invested in Legos?!).  To solve this problem, I put all those little tiny Lego pieces into a Rubbermaid All Access Organizer, and now I don't have to worry about getting them stuck in my feet!

3.  Label everything!  One of my favorite things in the world is my label maker.  I love to label all of my storage containers so that I know exactly what's inside without even having to open up the lid!  If you don't have a label addiction (or even if you do) then Rubbermaid All Access Organizers are perfect for you!  No more lifting up the box to see what's inside- you can see right through that clear window up front!  Now there's no more excuses as to why your child can't put his things away, because there's no more heavy boxes to unstack.

4.  Utilize awkward, unused spaces.  Feel like you are running out of room?  Many times all it takes to find more storage space in your home is for you to take a look around with fresh eyes and a new perspective.  I will use storage space wherever I can find it!

When I was organizing the boys' closet, I noticed that the space under the crib wasn't being used at all.  Back to Home Depot I went, to buy two more small Rubbermaid All Access Organizers.  I came home and added baby wipes to one container, and diapers to the other.  Now the diapers are out of sight, and I cleared up some valuable space in the closet!

5.  Don't over stuff your containers. Just because everything is nice and organized, that doesn't mean you can overfill and stuff your container.  This will cause more wear and tear in the long run.  Keep your containers nice, neat, and organized.

6.  Evaluate your current storage situation.  Is your system working for you?  What part isn't working for you?   How can you fix it?  Does everything have a home?  If the answer was no to these questions, then it might be time try a new system.

Although I used the All Access Organizers in a closet, they would also be a great storage solution for a playroom, laundry room, garage, or anywhere that you need storage!  I love how they transformed the boys' room into a great functioning, organized space!

To keep up with all of the organizing fun, you can check out Home Depot and  Rubbermaid on Facebook.

Happy organizing!  ;)

xo, Laura