9 Tips for Organizing Your Home in the New Year

Now that it’s winter and you’re enjoying more time indoors, you may notice that you could use a little more organization throughout your home. If 2021 brought an abundance of extra things into your living space, then 2022 is all about getting rid of what you don’t need — and keeping the things that serve a purpose in your daily life.

At McKee Builders, we believe that 2022 is your time to enjoy your moments at home without the stress of unnecessary clutter. Finally, with a fresh, new home in Delaware, Maryland, or Pennsylvania, you can create the atmosphere that you love to be surrounded by, day and night. Take a look at our favorite tips for starting off the new year in an organized, clutter-free home:

How To Organize Your Home for the New Year

1) Decide What To Store: Before you start, it’s a good idea to “assess your mess” and make a decision about how much storage you may need. Go through each room and envision the bins you’ll need to keep everything clean and tidy, whether it’s cloth bins for your children’s toys or plastic bins for a food pantry.

2) Use Your Doors: Don’t underestimate the versatility of doors! The back of a door can be a life-saver. For instance, if a secondary bedroom is becoming tight, an over-the-door organizer, shoe rack, or hook rack will free up space while storing everything from shoes and jackets to hats, belts, scarves, and everything else.

3) Work Smarter in the Laundry Room: The laundry room can get crowded with piles of laundry, cleaning supplies, and other odds and ends. Make some space by mounting a fold-down drying rack on the wall. When it’s not in use, just flip it up and you can navigate the room again. You can also add a rod or wall hooks to hang clothes straight from the dryer so they don’t get wrinkled. 

4) Compartmentalize Your Drawers: As small as they are, drawers are one of the hardest areas of the home to keep organized. Divide larger drawers into smaller compartments so that you can group items by use or category. There are tons of drawer organizers on the market, or you could simply use empty shoe boxes and glass jars for deep drawers, and shoebox lids and small bowls for shallow ones. This will save you time and frustration when trying to find an item.

5) Clean Your Closet: First things first, ask yourself: “Do I really need it?” Donate items you don’t wear or don’t make you feel great, and keep the items you love. (If you haven’t worn something in the past year, give it a new home!) You’ll be amazed at how much easier (and more enjoyable) it is to step into a clean, organized closet. 

6) Free Up Your Fridge: Takeout meals can make your evenings so much easier. But those boxes, containers, and bags take up lots of space, so make sure to put food in your own Tupperware and label them with the date you ordered it. You can also do a complete “refrigerator overhaul” — take everything out, throw old items away, and keep what you need.

7) Stay Trendy: A beautiful storage ottoman is not only a comfortable seat in your bedroom or family room, it’s a great way to keep items off the floor. Similarly, functional and stylish ladder shelves are perfect for picture frames, candles, succulents, watches and jewelry, books, and so much more.

8) Organize Recipes: You may have certain recipes that you can’t live without, but you don’t need whole cookbooks sitting in your kitchen. One way to free up extra space is to scan the recipes you use and love from cookbooks, cut out your favorites from magazines, and organize them into clear pages in a binder or folder.

9) Start Small: If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed, a great way to destress is to do simple cleaning tasks around the house that make a big difference — like Windexing the windows, straightening the tops of dressers and clearing off the kitchen table. A clutter-free home makes for a clear mind.

55+ Lifestyle Communities in Delaware, Maryland & Pennsylvania

We believe that great things are coming your way this year! With a little home organization, you’ll feel energized and motivated at the start of every day. For more information about our new homes and lifestyle communities in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, feel free to give us a call or you can contact us online.