Organizing Tips For a Large Home

Introduction

Part of the joy of moving into a large home is that there is plenty of space and room for everything. In fact, you may find yourself with more space than you know what to do with at first. Over time, however, it is surprising how disorganized the whole place can become. Too many things can seem to go missing when, in fact, the items are simply misplaced in one of the many rooms and open areas of a large home. Avoid the frustration by implementing a thorough organization system. Whether you have been in the house for years or have just moved in, a well-planned system can save you many hours of sorting through disarray. Start with several classic organization themes to bring your home life back into a pleasant, organized space.

Step 1

Set up stations in your home for some of the most common activities. For example, designate an area of your house as a gift-wrapping station. All of your wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, cards, scissors and packing boxes will always be in an easy-to-find location. Instead of hunting through your entire large home every time there is a birthday or present-giving occasion coming up, you can find everything you need at your fingertips in one location.

Similar stations may be set up at rational locations in your large home for bill-paying, crafting, homework, gardening and other activities. An outdoor exercise station, for instance, may be set up by the back door or in a designated section of the garage. In this station you can keep walking shoes, rain gear, water bottles, pedometer, spare bicycle inner tubes and all types of items you may use when you want to leave the house for some fresh air and exercise. You can avoid all the extra time it takes to find all the separate items in various places throughout the home, and focus on healthy activities instead.

Step 2

In a large home, clutter can accumulate in stacks all over the place, quickly reducing the ambiance and sense of spaciousness. Take an active stance on what to do with small items that can accumulate if they're not dealt with promptly.  Start with setting up a place where all incoming mail and paper items will go. Bills and important documents should go to the office or other designated location promptly. Set up a similar strategy for magazines, schoolwork and miscellaneous give-aways that you happen to pick up.

Make a policy that everyone in the house can follow to eliminate clutter in your large home. Establish habits for children to return their toys to the toy box after playtime. Older children and adults can return books to the bookcase, place used kitchen utensils in the dishwasher, and put dirty linens in laundry hampers.

Step 3

Make cleaning and tidying as easy and painless as possible. Set up buckets or baskets with cleaning supplies in several locations in your large home. Its quick and easy to wipe down the counters in the basement bathroom, for example, if you don't have to go all the way upstairs to another location to find paper towels and cleaning spray. Schedule short, 15-minute breaks several times a week when everyone in the house tidies up a designated area. Turn up the music and make the short bursts of organization a fun time when the whole family pitches in to keep their large home looking spectacular.

Tips

If you have a busy schedule, hire a professional organizer to help you set up systems to make your large home a comfortable and well-organized house.

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