Decluttering Small Spaces and Getting Organized Again

Having a smaller home can mean you have less housework to do, and are always closer to your family – literally!

But, many people are often worried that they won’t fit into a smaller home. Maybe you’re already in a home you feel is too small for you. I’m here to show you why that doesn’t have to be true! I will be sharing practical decluttering ideas and organization hacks that work for small spaces! Plus, keep reading until the end for a free cleaning schedule printable!

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Getting creative with storage and organization hacks can transfer your smaller home into a beautiful haven, no more clutter, no more feeling cramped! All with just a few simple hacks you can do today. 

See More: Bedroom Cleaning Checklist: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Checklist

The First Step To Organization and Decluttering Your Small Spaces – Out with the old

When you want to organize and declutter, especially in a small home, it is important to keep unneeded junk out. To start off, you’re going to go around your home with three boxes. One to store, one for donating, and one for trash. 

Store all your valuable belongings that you don’t need on display or that you don’t use. This can include items passed on from grandparents, children’s belongings you wish to keep. Be careful with this!

You want to be very very selective on this step. For example, when going through my daughter’s closet I wanted to keep some of her baby clothes to cherish some of the memories with her as a newborn. BUT, that did not mean throwing all her clothes in a tub and throwing it in the attic or garage. I picked 5 onesies that were our favorite and donated the rest. 

Donate children’s toys, old clothes, and shoes, dishes you no longer use or have too many (You don’t need 8 pots of the same size, throw it out!) 

Trash anything not in good enough condition to donate. 

Have you actually used this in the last 6 months?

Pick up EVERYTHING and ask this question. This will help this process tremendously. After asking that, ask yourself where you got the item from and what it means to you. This will help you decide whether it’s worth storing or not. 

Now that you got rid of everything you no longer need we can start organizing!

Think Vertically, find more storage where you don’t think to look when decluttering small spaces

In a small space, always look to where you can go up. This will maximize your storage space without making the room look cluttered. A key step to decluttering small spaces is being creative! You want to leave space on the floor, but you still need storage. 

Think of tall narrow bookshelves for the living room or a shelf above the toilet

If you want to try this idea, but don’t have room in your budget go check out local thrift stores or the Facebook marketplace! There you can search for a great deal, and get extra storage you were lacking. 

This also goes right with the next tip, 

Floating shelves add storage and decor, they look great don’t take up hardly any space and if done right just look like decor! 

I love adding floating shelves into small spaces, they can really work wonders. It looks like purposeful decor, but you’re just organizing your items in plain sight making them oh so easy to get to! I love how these ones can go with so many different design styles, plus they can fit in everybody’s budget! Win-win!

I love to add floating shelves around dressers, then place any perfumes and colognes, lotions, and any other self-care products right there. You can also place jars and organizers for jewelry here too. Everything is right there easy to grab, not cluttering the tops of dressers or space in the bathroom. 

I love doing this in the bathroom too! The same concept, add beauty and self-care products and they’re out of the way and super accessible. 

In kid’s rooms you can also use this to organize books, bows, shoes, or any other smaller objects. 

Also read: Create your perfect cleaning schedule.

Multipurpose Furniture can add more storage to a small space, without adding another piece of bulky furniture

Search for pieces with hidden storage, a lifesaver when it comes to decluttering small spaces! Get an entry bench that lifts up, or has bins underneath. Look for an ottoman that has storage hidden within.  There are so many different multi-purpose pieces for your home. You can even find headboards with added storage built right in or an end of the bed bench like this one that is on my purchase list when we finally finish our bedroom!

You can find some really great pieces that can add extra storage that is unseen. This will make your space appear larger and more organized when you can keep all that extra clutter hidden away.  This helps organize and declutter any small home extremely easily while adding design as well.

Find more storage under what’s already there

Sorry all the moms and dads out there, but everything’s going under the bed.

You can get bed risers to raise your bed a bit more if yours isn’t tall enough to fit anything under(I know mine is, at least hubby’s side. I really don’t understand how so much gets under there..), then either get special storage for under the bed or improvise with your own! 

So, everything isn’t really just being thrown under the best, we’re keeping it organized too.

One In, One Out,

This simple but great idea will help your small space be organized, making every square inch count. Before buying anything new, make space for it first, which will keep you from creating clutter.

Closet organization is one of the most important parts of a small home

If you have a small home, your closet organization has to be just about perfect. This is crucial to organize and declutter a small home. Decluttering small spaces can be so much easier with great closet organization.

Your closets are probably on the smaller side, so make sure you organize them to the best of your ability. 

For linen closets, I like to add bins to place different sizes and purposed rags and towels. As well as another bin for laundry items(we don’t have a separate laundry room so when I do laundry I just grab my bin and the basket and it works wonders!). You can also store paper products such as paper towels and toilet paper here to save you extra space in your bathroom and kitchen. 

For the bedroom closet, you can install closet organizers, or do a similar concept as the linen closet. You can add a shoe rack in your closet for extra shoe storage, you also need to keep smaller items organized, like belts, ties, and scarves. 

Use command hooks to add even more space, in a larger closet you can do this by putting them on the wall right next to the closet door across from the clothing rack, or in a smaller closet add them behind your actual clothes. Hang your bags or belts, scarves and ties. 

Utilize behind your doors for added storage when decluttering small spaces

This one may not always look the best, but it can help a ton when trying to organize and declutter! Add over the door hangers or organizers and utilize every inch of your home by storing items on your doors. Plus there are so many different kinds to choose from

You can add a hook on the back of your bathroom door for extra towel storage. On the back of your front door for extra coat storage or you can add an organizer on the back of bedroom doors to store shoes, belts, accessories, and more! They even make them for kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors. You could double your pantry space with an organizer like this!

There can be many different ways to add storage to a small home

It is most important that you always declutter your home but also Make mindful decisions about what things deserve space in your home, and keep things that make you happy!

I try to do so once a month on a smaller scale, and I also use my printable cleaning schedule to help remind me to keep things sparkling as well. Start your organization journey today – your future self will thank you!