How to Organize Room by Room

Room by room is the way in which a hotel classifies its rooms to determine occupancy and to help guests understand what types of rooms are available. It’s also the way in which many homeowners organize their homes, as well. Organizing your home room by room can have significant benefits, including improved efficiency, reduced stress, better use of space and more.

Whether you’re moving into a new house, tackling a home renovation project or just ready to streamline your living spaces, room by room can be a great place to start your organization journey. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re organizing a room, however, that can make the whole process more manageable and less overwhelming.

1. Do an initial sweep.

Before you dig into the nitty gritty of cleaning your space, do an initial sweep to clear out any trash or dirty laundry that may be lying around. This will give you a clean slate to work with and will help you to get a better sense of what your clutter looks like as a whole. It’s also a good time to do a light inventory of what you have in each room and decide what you want to keep, donate or throw away. If you’re unsure what to do with something, put it in a separate bin for later evaluation.

2. Look for items that need a home.

While it’s important to choose a overall decorating style for your entire home, you should also consider the needs of each individual room when making your decisions. If a space isn’t used often, it might not need much storage or decoration, while a home office or bedroom should be designed with their unique purposes in mind.

3. Make a list of items that need to be stored.

Once you’ve cleared out the trash and discarded items, create a list of everything that is still sitting on surfaces or in closets that need to be put away. This can be a helpful tool to help you figure out what to keep and what you might want to purchase to improve storage in your home.

4. Start with a single area at a time.

If a room seems too large to tackle all at once, break it down into manageable chunks by starting with one area, such as a bookshelf or your bedside table. Then move onto the next area, and so on. This will allow you to focus on what matters most and avoid getting overwhelmed.

5. Consider color coding.

If you have a lot of similar items, such as shoes or clothes, it might be helpful to sort them by color so that you can quickly find what you’re looking for. You might also consider putting items into different boxes or baskets based on their function, such as office supplies in one box and clothes in another, to make it easier to put them away after use.