If there is one thing that every house has in common, it’s clutter! Living a full life comes with stuff along the way. So how do you keep all that stuff from living all over your countertops, end tables, and living room couch? With a little creative organization!

1. File it away. Many of us use filing cabinets in our professional lives to keep track of customer information, invoices, and receipts. Why limit this incredibly handy device to your workspace? A filing cabinet is the best way to keep your physical records organized, especially if you have a family or own a home. Stow a binder for everyone’s medical information inside your cabinet, with a sheet in the front of your children’s binders where you can record important milestones like crawling and walking. Alternatively, try scanning in important paperwork and saving it in specific folders on your home computer. Getting all the bills, receipts, and records off your countertops is an essential first step to moving on to more exciting organizational projects.
2. Make your furniture play double duty. From now on, your furniture doesn’t get to just serve one function.  That inexpensive armoire that you bought to house your daughter’s baby clothes? As she grows and changes, so does the armoire! In elementary school the armoire could serve as an art station or hobby closet, and when she goes on to high school, the armoire might morph into a computer desk. Similarly, a chest or trunk can serve as both storage space and a coffee table, a standing bookcase holds trinkets and books plus acts as a room divider, and baker’s racks can be used for storage in the bathroom and bedrooms as well as the kitchen.
3. Climb the walls. Too many times we only think of organization as going in one direction – horizontal. But if you start to look at your walls as potential storage area, you’ll realize that your house is brimming with places to keep all that clutter! Some simple hooks in each room can be used for coats, play clothes, and sports uniforms. A sturdy rope hanging from eyehooks on the wall can be used to display artwork, special photos, important correspondence, and other lightweight items. And mounting shelves or cubbies is a great alternative to keeping them on the ground where they take up valuable floor space.

This post was generously written by guest blogger, Lisa. She is a mother and organization enthusiast who relies on her storage units in Colorado Springs and storage units in McAllen to keep her life clutter free. As a writer at Self Storage Deals, Lisa advocates labeling as the best way to stay organized around the house.