Top 36 Home Hacks

This year for Get Organized HQ's Virtual Summit, I'm collaborating with other home organization experts to bring you over 100 sessions that will literally change your life!  Have you wanted to become more organized, make your life run more smoothly, or just be a better version of you?  Then 2024 is your year, and the Get Organized HQ Virtual Summit is here to help!  To help kick off the event, I'm sharing my TOP 36 Home Hacks that keep my life running on track! Click here to watch this video or just keep on reading!

1.  Keep Healthy Foods Accessible

Health and eating well is always something I'm trying to improve.  I've found that if I make healthy foods as easy to eat as the prepackaged carbs, I'm much more likely to reach for the healthy stuff instead!  I keep fruits and veggies cleaned and cut up right in the front of my refrigerator.  Whenever hungers strikes, I can grab them even easier than I can open a bag of chips or crackers!

2.  Put a Basket in Clutter Spots to Contain it

If you find a certain spot attracts clutter no matter what you do, then rather than fighting it, just put a basket there to contain the clutter.  I'm as guilty as anyone else about dropping my stuff on the counter as soon as I walk in the house.  I keep a basket there for little odds and ends that I tend to drop.  It keeps everything contained and much neater than if it were just strewn all over the counter.

3.  Store Cupcake Liners in Mason Jars

The jars are clear, so you can easily see what you have, and they hold a pretty large amount of liners.  It's soooo much better than the liners falling all over your cabinet!

4.  Buy the Same Socks for Each Family Member

Each family member can have their own type of socks, but buy the exact same color/design.  This way you never have to match socks!  I just toss them all in a drawer, and we can just grab out two socks and know they'll match.

5.  Keep Travel Toiletries Packed at All Times

I have a full set of travel toiletries packed all the time.  When I need to pack in a hurry (or even when I'm not in a hurry!), it's so much faster and easier!

6.  Use 10 Drawer Rolling Craft Bins

These are so useful for separating things out, especially papers.  The different colored drawers can also help with color-coding.

7.  Empty the Dishwasher First Thing in the Morning

This is the biggest key for keeping my kitchen mess under control.  I used to not like to run the dishwasher if it wasn't a full load.  But they're so efficient on water and energy (more efficient than hand washing!), that I really don't care if it's a full load or not anymore.  No matter what, I always try to run the dishwasher at night.

My dishwasher takes almost four hours (a LONG time) to get through a load, so running at night works WAY better than trying to do it during the day.  Then when I wake up in the morning, I can quickly unload it while I'm making kids' lunches or eating breakfast, and then it's ready to be loaded with dirty dishes throughout the day.  I'm much more likely to load it as I go and keep my sink clean if I don't have to unload it first!

8.  Have an Inbox and Outbox in All Spaces

I try to have this in every room.  Every bedroom needs one, and definitely every floor of your home.  I've done an entire video on this because it's so helpful in keeping clutter at bay.

An outbox is basically a designated place where you put things you don't need anymore– basically donations or clutter!  Then when it's full, you can take the things to your car and drop them off at the donation center.

An inbox is the opposite– it's a place where I put things that I bring in.  It might be online orders, a bag from a shopping trip at target, toothpaste, makeup, etc.  But sometimes I don't have time to put those things away as soon as they come into the house.  By keeping them in my inbox, everything stays neat and tidy, and I can put them away later when I have more time.

9.  Keep Trash Bags in the Bottom of the Trash Can

Don't you hate it when someone doesn't replace the bag?!?  If you keep a few bags in the bottom, it makes it so much easier to quickly replace it when you take out the trash!

10.  Keep a Trash Can Next to Your Dryer

It's so much easier to toss the lint if there's a nearby place to put it.  If you don't have room for a large trashcan, just keep a tiny one on top of your dryer.

11.  Label Everything

If a bin or drawer is labeled, it's much more likely to stay organized.  It just feels wrong to put things under the wrong label, so it will help all your family members to actually put them back in the right place!

12.  Vinegar, Water, and Baking Soda for Burnt Pans

Have you ever had burnt on food that won't come out of your pans?  Just put equal parts of vinegar and water into the pan, boil it, and then add baking soda.  It's like magic!

13.  Have a Master Calendar

It can be digital or physical, but there needs to be one place where the entire family can see what's going on.  I find a digital one works best for my family.  My husband and I can both add to it and see it in real time.  But whichever you choose, there needs to be one source of truth for the family schedule!

14.  Use the Same Bins Throughout your Home

I'm so passionate about this that I've done and entire video here on my favorite bin and why I keep it to just this one type as much as possible.  I use one style of bin and one style of drawer organizers throughout my entire house!  It makes it so easy to buy more when needed, or to move them from room to room if our needs change.  It saves so much money in the long run!

15.  Have One Go-To Meal for Company

Ours is crock pot chicken shredded up.  I then put out barbecue sauces and buns.  People can make sandwiches (or not).  My mom's is a taco bar.  The beauty of both of these is that they're easy and ingredients are usually on hand.  It's also easy to adapt for different dietary needs, preferences, or allergies!

16.  Have Audio Shopping Lists through Apple Reminders

It took me sooooo long to realize how useful this tool is.  We used to use Alexa, but now that we've moved away from that, we needed a better system for shopping lists.  Apple devices have a reminder function that's perfect for this.  My husband and I share the “Shopping List.”  We can both add to it, and we can both see it whenever we're at the store.

I can add to it wherever I am using my phone or watch.  I just say, “Hey Siri, add milk to my shopping list.”  Apple is so smart that it even categorizes my groceries into store sections (all frozen foods are together, for example).  It's been life changing, LOL!

17.  Use Photo Boxes for Organizing

They're great for all kinds of things other than photos.  Check out my video here for more ideas!

18.  Hang Your Clothes in Color Order

It makes finding them so much easier, and it's so pretty in the closet!

19.  Buy Larger Spice Jars

You should really buy the 4-6 oz jars so you can fit all of your spice into the jar.  The last thing you want to have to do is hang onto other containers with extra spices in them.  They'll become a jumbled mess!  If you want to keep things pretty in matching spice jars, just be sure they're big enough to hold all your spices!

20.  Repurpose Garlic Butter Cups that Come with Pizza

My family doesn't really use the dipping sauces with our pizza.  But I love using them to make a quick and easy garlic bread.  Spread it on any type of bread or buns, bake, and you have a super fast and tasty garlic bread!

21.  Use Energy at Off Hours

This doesn't really apply in my area, but some areas give different pricing for energy use at different times of the day.  If this is the case in your area, try running your dishwasher or washer/dryer at night.  Many devices have a timer so you could delay the start.

22.  Once-A-Month Admin, Return, and Donation Day

Set a day once a month to do all the admin work– make appointments, run the clean cycle on your dishwasher, or whatever needs done monthly.  Do all your returns and donations that day, too.

This helps me because I literally hate making phone calls to set up appointments.  I will put it off indefinitely, but if I have one day set to do this, then I'll actually make the time.  It also takes it off my shoulders mentally for the rest of the month since I know I'll take care of it on Admin Day!

23.  Use Bead Boxes for Organizing

These little boxes are perfect for so many small things!  I did a video here with a bunch of ideas!

24.  Don't Fold Washcloths

Instead, toss them into a basket!

25.  If you Decant, Have a Designated Place for the Extras

If you decant pantry items or toiletries, into “pretty” containers, inevitably you'll have a little extra sometimes.  Have one set space where you keep the excess so it doesn't get lost or wasted.

26.  Parmesan Cheese Lids Fit Mason Jars Perfectly

I keep the lids and make mason jar shakers for all kinds of things– cinnamon sugar is a favorite!

27.  Put Your Phone on the Other Side of the Room

Are you trying to stop scrolling at night or in the morning?  Keep your phone charging across the room so it isn't easily accessible.

28.  Hire Things Out as Needed

It can feel wasteful to hire out something you could do yourself.  But sometimes we just need a few more hours in the day.  What is your time worth?  Could you make more money doing something else than the hourly rate you'd pay someone to mow your lawn or clean your house?  Then it may make sense to hire it out!  Evaluate, and if this is the case, then hire it out guilt free!

29.  Use Lazy Susans

They're great for so many things, but one of my favorite uses is for medications and vitamins.

30.  Keep Running Gift Lists for Friends and Family

I use the Notes App on my phone to keep gift lists for people.  If I'm out with them, and they mention something they like, it goes in my phone!  When Christmas or birthdays come, I already have a bunch of ideas!

31.  Switch to Microfiber Cloths

Are you trying to use less paper towels?  Keep a bunch of microfiber cloths close by all areas where you'd normally use a paper towel.  It will be so much easier if there are a bunch of those clean cloths within reach!

32.  Shred Chicken in a Stand Mixer

If you toss cooked chicken into your mixer, it will shred it all in under a minute!   A hand mixer can also work for this, and it's so much easier than shredding it with a fork!

33.  Phone Reminder Trick

My friend saw me doing this one day, and I didn't even realize it was a hack until she commented on it.  You can easily set a reminder to do something like cancel a subscription or return a book.  But I take it one step further.  I attach a consequence to it.

If I say, “Cancel Netflix,” I might hit snooze or not get around to it.  But if I say, “Cancel Netflix or pay $21,” then I'm MUCH more likely to actually cancel it right away!  I did a video here with more details on how it works for me!

34.  Habit Stacking

Trying to set up a new habit?  Attach the new habit to something you already do automatically.  If you want to start making your bed every morning, make it a rule to do it as soon as your toothbrush goes in the drawer because you're already brushing your teeth every morning out of habit!

35.  Use Cornmeal on Greasy Clothes

Let it set overnight, then launder as usual.

36.  Use the Container Concept by Dana White

The container principle is life-changing.  If you have a set container for something, and it gets full, you can't go beyond the boundaries of the container!  If you want to add something to the container, you must take away something else so it will fit.  It naturally keeps your items and clutter in check because it sets clear boundaries!

Whew!!  That was a lot!   But if you take even a few of these to try, then your life is bound to run a bit more smoothly.  If you found this helpful, then you will LOVE the Virtual Summit!  I'm collaborating with other pros to bring you the best tips for a more organized life!  Best of all, the entire event is FREE!!  There are over 100 sessions full of fantastic content, and you don't even need to leave your house!  Register for your virtual ticket here!

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives