Step 2: Do a surface sweep. 

Uncluttered countertops naturally make your place look bigger and more organized. Think about what you really need on your kitchen counter, night table, desk or bathroom vanity. If you don’t reach for it regularly, put it out of sight.

Step 3: Clear the floors.

Next, get as much as you can off the floors. This is where hooks and racks come in handy. Put shoes on a rack inside a closet, hang big baskets from the ceiling for toys, put hooks on the back of cupboard doors for purses and sports racquets and turn your bicycle into art by hanging it on a wall.

Step 4: Start making piles.

Use three large bags for trash, donations and giveaways. Move clockwise around a room, placing things into the appropriate bags. With less stuff around, it will be easier to get – and stay – organized. As you sort, make a list of where a basket or drawer organizer might be useful. Don’t worry about folding things neatly yet; that comes next. You’ll need to buy those drawer and cupboard organizers first.

Step 5: Find a place for everything.

Now comes the fun part: organizing your drawers, closets and shelves. In your closet, organize clothes by type, grouping like colours together. In drawers and cabinets, group similar things into piles. In your bathroom this might be cosmetics and/or hair products, where the kids play these might be puzzles and toy cars, in the garage these may be things like light bulbs and extension cords. Indigo, Linen Chest, Bouclair have stylish nesting boxes, plastic and wire containers and even cloth baskets which are pretty enough to display, while helping keep things together and organized. ThinkKitchen has nifty storage jars, containers and even specialized items like onion storage bags. Bonus: CAA Members earn savings and/or rewards when buying these online.

Step 6: Do your paperwork.

Once your belongings are organized, move on to your mail, magazines and important papers. Get a filing cabinet (CAA Members earn rewards online at Staples) to file receipts, bank statements, bills and insurance papers. Use this opportunity to check that no policies have expired and that you have proper coverage in place. Start by seeing that you have the right home insurance for your now-very-organized home. CAA Insurance offers complimentary policy reviews and you don’t have to be a CAA Member to get one.

The time you take to get your house organized will be time well spent; an organized home will make you feel more productive and in control. You’ll also have a safer house: there will be less chance of somebody tripping over some of that clutter.

To get your no-obligation, complimentary policy review from CAA Insurance call: 1-866-464-6448 or visit: https://home-insurance.caasco.com/property