20 tips for making your spaces less cluttered

Most of us have a closet packed with old junk or years-old clothing that needs to be purged. To make more room for organizing, spend a day purging your home of unwanted items. Make three piles — keep, donate, and trash — and stick to your decisions. 

Keeping up with clutter is challenging, but having a list of things to do each day makes it easier to stay on top of the mess. Make a list of the things that make your home feel the cleanest — clearing off counters, putting up toys — and make it a priority to check those off each and every single day. 

It just makes sense to organize items according to how frequently you use them. Save spaces atop counters or shelves that are difficult to reach for lesser-used items that you won't need to grab frequently. 

There are so many different types of organizing systems — from Marie Kondo's KonMari method to simply designating specific receptacles for specific items — but the best one is the one that you'll actually use. Resist the urge to pick a system that's overly complicated to ensure optimal results. 

The refrigerator door is generally used for displaying adorable kid art and important reminders, but it can also serve as a one-stop shop for important documents. Purchase a magnetic organizer with different slots for incoming mail, report cards, bills, or other essential papers, then set a time on your calendar to clean it out at the end of each week. 

Every time you come in or out the door, it's likely that you've got something with you — keys, backpacks, phones, purses. Stop clutter in its tracks by starting the organization process as soon as you walk in the door with key hooks, purse hangers, and cubbies for storing shoes. As a bonus, you'll also always know where your most important stuff is located, which could help cut down on morning chaos. 

If you store your clothing in a dresser or chest of drawers, it can be challenging to keep those piles of t-shirts and socks organized. Employ plastic drawer organizers, which can expand to fit the exact shape of your dresser, to keep garments in nice, neat stacks and minimize wrinkles. 

Food comes in all different kinds of packages, which can present major issues when it's time to keep the pantry organized. Eliminate the heaps of boxes and packets by decanting your pasta, flour, spices, and other essentials into jars that can be stacked and stored next to each other to maximize space and cut down on clutter. 

There's no denying it: kids come with a whole lot of junk. Amid all the toys, clothes, school supplies, and other essentials, it's easy for the playroom to end up a total mess. Twice a year or so, give your kids a laundry basket that they can use to discard toys they no longer want, clothes that don't fit, and items in good condition that can be donated for others to use. 

When you've got a house packed with clutter, the idea of tackling all those bursting closets and overflowing drawers is totally overwhelming. Start small, with just one drawer or room at a time, to implement an organizational practice that will actually work in the long run. 

If you've got old sports memorabilia or shoes just taking up room in the closet, why not sell it and make a few extra bucks? Using sites like Mercari and eBay, you can easily unload the once-loved items that are now collecting dust and have some extra cash to spend on your hobbies — or new tools to better organize your home. 

A lot of the time, precious memories are attached to our clutter. When it comes time to get rid of things owned by your beloved late grandmother or downsize after a divorce, the process of decluttering can have a significant emotional impact. Take your time, make sure to honor your feelings during the process, and enlist the help of folks in your support network if possible to lighten the emotional — and physical — load. 

Now that basically everything is electronic, those annoying bundles of cords that run from the computer to the wall can make a space look seriously messy. Use zip ties to corral cords together, producing a space that instantly looks a little bit more put-together. 

Sometimes, you just aren't sure whether or not you really want to get rid of that vase you inherited from your great aunt — and you shouldn't have to! Make space in a closet or storage space for a "maybe box," and use it to store items that you're not quite sure whether to keep or donate. Just make sure to hold yourself to a timeline — maybe a few weeks or months — for when you'll make a decision. 

A favorite of minimalists everywhere, the "90-90" approach preaches that you should only keep an item if you've used it in the last 90 days, or plan to use it in the next 90 days. If you can't remember when you last wore that dress or used that ice cream maker, that's probably a good signal that it can go. 

If you're the type who likes to see results immediately, you're going to need to set aside some time. Send the kids to Grandma's and establish a plan for a weekend decluttering spree. Make a list of all the tasks you want to complete, then check them off while listening to some music that will keep the blood pumping and energy high. After you've finished, consider a fancy dinner or indulgent dessert as a reward. 

Pretty much everyone has tons of receipts, bills, and other papers, many of which don't actually need to be in their physical form. If you're saving receipts for tax purposes or holding on to an owner's manual for an important appliance, take photos or use a digital scanner and upload them to a cloud drive for safe-keeping. 

Some things — like passports, birth certificates, and marriage licenses — should always be stored in a safe. In the event of something terrible, like a flood or fire, knowing that these important documents are safe provides major peace of mind. And, as a bonus, they'll always be in the same place when you need to access them. 

Keep a box in your closet or garage for donations, like shoes that don't fit anymore or last season's coats, and add them as you decide these items are no longer needed. Once the box is full, drop it off at a nearby charitable organization where they'll do much more good than sitting in the back of your closet. 

If you don't have much closet space or room for organizational systems, get creative! Bins placed under the bed can store shoes, while a decorative bowl can hide TV remotes and other clutter underneath the coffee table.