Imagine, trying to get you and your family out the door and to an appointment or reservation, but you can’t find your car keys or sunglasses—your family needs organization. We’ve all been there before and it’s stressful. According to The Daily Mail, the average person will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items in their lifetime.
But how can we prevent that from happening?
The hard truth is, many of us lose or misplace items in our homes often. Simply because these items don’t have designated spots. That’s why home organization is so important. When our home is organized, we’re not only able to find items easier but cleaning requires less time.
Now, if you’ve been on Tik Tok recently you’ve probably noticed a surge in home organization videos. It’s fun to watch influencers organize their pantries, closets, and fridges with dozens of clear plastic bins and perfectly matching wicker baskets. But that type of organization isn’t always possible for the average household. Buying all those containers is expensive and more importantly not good for the environment.
That’s why we’ve put together tips to help you with sustainable home organization. So you can feel good about doing your part to stay green. All while making your house a clean and calm place to live.
Here are our tips for sustainable home organization:
Clear The Clutter
Before you can truly organize your home, first you need to get rid of anything that you don’t want anymore. This can include items you don’t use, don’t like, are broken, or simply won’t fit in your space. Start by decluttering one room at a time and work your way around the entire house. Make it a game and get the whole family involved—this works especially well for kids getting rid of old toys.
Remember, as you’re sorting, set up a central station in the house for family members to bring unwanted items. This will make it easier to decide what to donate or throw away once you’re done decluttering.
Use Old Boxes For Organization
With social media, it’s tempting to buy matching bins and baskets to organize your closets and pantry. But chances are you already have great organization options in your home without having to buy some. And nothing is more environmentally friendly than using something you already have.
Old shoe boxes, delivery boxes with the closing flaps cut off, and even old paper grocery bags all make great organization baskets. Having a designated place for items that would otherwise sit around your house like tv remotes, blankets, and toys makes it easier to get and stay organized.
And you can put these boxes and bags anywhere you need a little extra storage. If you want the space to look uniform, consider painting the boxes and bags a neutral color like black, brown, or white to add cohesion.
Upcycle Glass Jars For Smaller Items
Just like boxes and paper bags, glass jars are a great way to keep your home organized. You can use jars to organize small everyday items like pens or pet treats. And you can even build a collection of glass jars and use them to keep your dry goods like flour and pasta fresh longer in your pantry.
Plus, when you run out of uses for glass jars in your home organization, you can always repurpose them for a plethora of other things, like beverage glasses or even gardening tools.
Get Rid Of Furniture That Hinders Organization
Look around your house. Do you have a set of drawers or maybe even a cabinet that always seems full but you’re never sure with what? If you do, you’re not alone. Most people have at least one piece of furniture in their house that operates like a black hole, items go into it but rarely come out.
Whatever this furniture is in your house, consider removing it altogether. Because the best way to ensure your house stays organized is to ensure it won’t get cluttered again. And you don’t need to buy fancy new baskets to do that. The most sustainable way to stay organized is to remove clutter once and for all and make a commitment to remove items once they no longer serve a purpose.