Feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and chaos in your home? You’re not alone. Many people struggle to achieve and maintain an organized space… which is why professional organizers exist! To help you get started on your home organization journey, we spoke with some of ENVY’s best professional organizers from all over the United States for their top tips. Whether you’re looking to organize your entire home or just one small area, these tips will help you start and complete the job.
Start with a plan
Before you begin decluttering, create a plan of action. This includes determining what areas of your home need to be decluttered and organized, setting goals for each area, and establishing a timeline for completing the task.
– Esther Friedman, Montclair, NJ
Set a goal. Write your intention and a realistic goal, place that somewhere you can see. Sometimes staying on task is the most difficult thing.
– Olivia Pera, Chicago, IL
Start small and pick one space of your home. Don’t overwhelm yourself! By starting small it will be much more encouraging when completed to continue organizing throughout your home.
– Alexandra Franco, Fresno, CA
Time to purge and declutter
Decluttering is the first step before organizing. Group like items together, such as all your clothes, books, or kitchen utensils. This will help you identify how much you have of each item. Then, go through each item in the designated area. One effective way to approach this is by using the “Four Box Method” – label four boxes as “keep,” “donate,” “sell,” and “toss,” and sort through your items accordingly.
– Esther Friedman, Montclair, NJ
Esther Friedman
Esther Friedman
When making purchases, ask yourself: Do I really need this?
Clutter happens while life is happening and starts before it even enters our homes. Be mindful of unnecessary purchases and selective of what you’re bringing in as it can accumulate quickly, taking up your time and energy.
– Danielle Nicholas, Wilmington, MA
The best way to prevent clutter is to stop it from coming into your home in the first place! Before buying anything (and I mean anything), shop your home. Do you have the item already? Do you have something that you can use instead? If I had a dollar for every duplicate, triplicate, etc. item I’ve found in peoples’ homes…
– Naomi Hertsgaard, Minneapolis, MN
Tip for getting rid of clothes
Looking for a quick way to declutter your closet without having to remove everything? Simply turn your hangers around in your closet. As you wear items, return them to the closet with the hanger facing the normal way. This is a visual way to see what items you actually wear. In reality, most people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time. Each season take a look at the items you never wore. It may be time to let those items go.
– Amanda Clark, Orange, CA
Use the one-in-one-out rule
Whenever you purchase something new, you need to let go of something else. It’s called this the “One-In/One-Out Rule”. Many people practice this literally; for example, if you buy a pair of shoes, you have to let go of another pair. You don’t have to be this strict. You can exchange a kitchen utensil for a new toy. Just add the same number of items to a donation bag as the number of new items you bring home. This exercise helps you control the clutter piles that appear out of nowhere.
– Janet Schiesl, Centreville, VA
Labels are your new best friend
Don’t forget to label everything. Even in a small space you will forget what is stored in opaque bins. Labeling helps remind you where everything is, it can help others find what they need and return items to their proper places. Using the same type label can give mismatched bins a cohesive look.
– Amanda Clark, Orange, CA
Label Label Label! Not only do labels put the finishing touch on the organizing products, but more importantly everyone knows where things belong. It helps create a sustainable system for staying organized.
– Juliana Meidl, Rochester, MI
Labeling It’s all the craze now. We’ve all seen fancy labels in pantries and on garage shelves. But it’s more than just for aethetics. Labeling is a great communication tool. Whether you live alone or with other people, labels communicate what goes where. Purchase a label maker if you’d like, or use masking tape to make your labels. Great places to use labels are pantries, storage rooms, and garages. Find a space where you can incorporate labels and see how it works for you!
– Janet Schiesl, Centreville, VA
Make sure your labels are cohesive & visible. They should always be the same size, shape and color within the same space.
– Alexandra Franco, Fresno, CA
Remove packaging
Packaging takes up so much space. Remove your items from bulky boxes and reorganize items in clear storage bins. This works great for food, toiletries, and surplus items. Decant as much of your dry goods as possible. Store food in clear containers. OXO containers are a favorite of professional organizers. Food will stay fresher longer and you’ll know how much you have. No more grabbing a box from the cupboard and realizing there’s only one cracker left. Cut out cooking directions and expiration dates and tape them to the back of the container.
– Amanda Clark, Orange, CA
The target principle
The “Target Principle” is a great exercise for when you are deciding where to store something. Picture yourself doing a task: standing at the kitchen sink or sitting at your desk are two good examples. When you are standing (or sitting) in the middle of a target, you’ll want to store your most used items as close as possible to the middle of the target. Anything you use every day should be nearest to you, within arms reach. Then items that you use often can be stored a little further out on the target, and items that you seldom use can go even farther away. You can use this principle all over your house to make life much more efficient!
– Janet Schiesl, Centreville, VA
Place items with purpose
Designated places give home to items that otherwise end up on a table, thrown on the floor or otherwise forgotten.
– Olivia Pera, Chicago, IL
Regardless of the space, creating zones is key. An organizing zone is a space where we store a category of items together. For example, in a pantry you want to keep all the snacks in one zone and breakfast foods in another. In a basement storage room holiday decorations are a zone, keepsakes are a zone and camping gear is a zone. Zones make it easy to always locate what you are looking for.
– Juliana Meidl, Rochester, MI
Organize your closet by category and color
One of the most visually pleasing and functional ways to organize your closet is by category and color. Start by grouping your items into categories like tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and accessories. Then, within each category, arrange items by color, from light to dark. This method not only looks great but also makes it easier to find specific items when you’re in a rush.
– Kristin + Co Organizing, Wilmington, NC
For a full breakdown on how to transform your closet, check out this article with more tips from Kristin.
Be realistic and set goals
Don’t try to organize your entire house in one day. Instead, set realistic goals for each day or week. Break down each task into smaller, more manageable tasks, and set a deadline for completing each one. This approach will help you stay focused and motivated, and you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you complete each task. You can do it!
– Naomi Hertsgaard, Minneapolis, MN
Break it down and work in small doses to make decluttering/organizing less daunting (one cabinet, drawer, corner of a room or category at a time). Give yourself some grace by going at your own speed and celebrate the little victories. The result should be *better* rather than perfect.
– Danielle Nicholas, Wilmington, MA
Remember, decluttering and organizing is an ongoing process, so don’t be too hard on yourself if things get a little messy again. Just make sure to regularly go through your belongings and adjust your organization system as needed.
– Esther Friedman, Montclair, NJ
Ask for help
If the thought of decluttering and organizing gives you anxiety, ask for help! One of the best things about my job is that I help people by giving them more time to do the things that THEY are good at. There is no shame in hiring a home organizer. Sometimes all it takes is a short session- you’d be surprised how much can be accomplished in four hours! My goal is to get clients to a sustainable baseline that they can maintain on their own.
– Naomi Hertsgaard, Minneapolis, MN
Want to see more tips from our top professional organizers? Check out our most recent feature in Redfin, “Common Home Organizing Mistakes Professionals Always Notice (and Ideas to Solve Them).”
Discover more home organization tips in these blog posts:
Spring Cleaning Tips from Professional Organizers
Continue Reading Spring Cleaning Tips from Professional Organizers
Transform Your Closet: 5 Essential Tips from a Professional Organizer
Continue Reading Transform Your Closet: 5 Essential Tips from a Professional Organizer
