Remember when you moved into your first home as a couple? Back when there were just the two of you and your biggest organizational hurdle was figuring out what to do with the two coffee makers in your new combined household? You know, back before you had children and your lives became filled with toys, homework, football practice, dance lessons, sleepovers, and more laundry than you ever thought possible.

Who knew such small people could amass so much stuff?

As your family grows, so do your piles of unorganized stuff. Some days, you probably feel as if you’ll never lead an orderly life again, that you’re doomed to forever live in a world of chaos, lost socks, and misplaced keys. Things don’t have to be this way! You can gain control over the creeping clutter in your home. Keep reading for some excellent tips to organize your growing family.

1. Use baskets for easy cleanup.

Give each child (and maybe your spouse too) a basket labeled with their name. You can keep these baskets at the bottom of your stairs, if you have them, or at the end of the hallway leading to the bedrooms. These provide a quick and easy way for everyone to clean up at the end of the day.

Teach your children to deposit all of their toys, books, and other miscellaneous items into their basket each evening.

Colorful five-gallon buckets also work well for this (sometimes called junk buckets). This system ensures there is always a place to put things away.

2. Donate or sell things you no longer use or need.

You don’t have to completely Marie Kondo your life or house but take a serious look at items you have that you don’t use regularly.

 Do you have old outdated laptops or cell phones cluttering your closets or shelves? Or maybe a television that still works, but you bought a new one on Black Friday, so you no longer need it? What about that old mattress and box springs leaning in the garage? Try consulting with a junk removal service to assist you with disposing of unwanted items. 

3. Use closet organizer systems.

The internet is filled with organizer systems for your closets including bins, baskets, and drawers.

Use a canvas hanging organizer for sweaters. You can even use these in your linen closet for towels or pillowcases. Buy plastic bins to pack away seasonal clothing or sentimental pieces such as prom dresses or your grandmother’s sweater vest. Make sure to label all the bins so you know exactly what is in each one.

For kids’ closets, provide them with a basket to drop those articles of clothing that no longer fit them, or the hand me downs that they’re not quite ready for yet. Label these “too big” and “too small”. This leaves the hanging space in a closet for things that do fit.

4. Also, implement the box method.

Keep everything needed for a specific task or chore contained in its own bin or box. There’s a storage container for every project you can think of.

For instance, consider a school hair accessories box, perhaps an empty reusable baby wipes container, where you keep things like ponytail ties, barrettes, spray de-tangler, and a brush.

Set up a homework box in a handled storage tray for each child. Fill each tray with pencils, pens, crayons, a calculator, or whatever tools each child needs to complete their homework. If you have room, also consider setting up an entire homework station with all the supplies you can think of to make doing homework more efficient (and neater).

Another useful box is a cleaning box. Put glass cleaner, paper towels, a dust rag, an all-purpose cleaner, and rubber gloves into a tray with compartments. This prevents all that stuff from piling up under your sink.

5. Set up a command center

Consider installing a wall command center, someplace to display a weekly menu, a calendar, and dry erase boards for making lists. You can even add slots to keep your cellphones, coupons, and take out menus. And don’t forget a place to hang your keys.

6. Wrangle your rechargeable electronics.

Cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, and GPS devices all need to be charged. This can create a mass of messy tangled cables. To tame all your cords, use an old breadbox as a charging station. Drill holes in the back for the cords. If you and your family have lots of devices, you could also drill just one hole for the power cord of a multi USB charging block. This way, once all your devices are connected, everything is contained within the breadbox. You can even close the lid.

7. Organize the pile of shoes by your front door.

Do you have shoes piling up next to your front door? Install a pegboard to hang the shoes from. This way, you can organize them all by pairs and get them up off the floor.

Hang baskets from the rungs of a decorative ladder to store mittens, hats, and scarves to help completely de-clutter your entryway.

8. Have your children get involved in the laundry process.

It’s never too early for kids to learn about doing laundry. Give each of them a colored mesh bag for dirty clothes. After the clothes have been washed and dried, give them the bag back for folding. Print labels for dresser drawers so they can easily and efficiently put their clothes away.

If you follow and implement a few of these tips, you will be on your way to getting your family organized in no time.

A big thank you to guest blogger, Alex DeMarzo, for writing this fantastic content and helping my blog space BLOOM!