Home organisation tips

Apart from the chores and bills, homeowners know that the battle against clutter is an endless and uphill one. Try as we might to keep our homes fashionably neat, our online shopping hauls and ever-growing pile of knick-knacks can easily throw a spanner in the works. To keep things spick, span and on-trend, here are home organisation tips for aspiring minimalists.

From organising cables and bulky winter wear to endless mounds of kitchenware, these home organisation tips will help you restore order to every corner of every room.

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How to maintain organisation at home

These home organisation tips can only get you so far. The trick to maintain neatness and cleanliness at home is to consistently keep up organising habits. This includes decluttering regularly on a weekly to monthly basis, which would take a much shorter time to organise than putting it off at the end of the year.

Once you’ve sorted out the things you don’t want any longer, further categorise them into items to donate, sell, or recycle. There are plenty of places that accept spring cleaning donations, such as the Salvation Army. Just ensure that the items you’re donating are in good, usable condition.

It’s even possible to earn money by being environmentally-friendly for items that can’t be donated or sold. There are collection points around Singapore that take in scrap paper and dead electronics in exchange for vouchers.

If you don’t even want to bother with clutter, then let the size of your home limit how much you can even buy. If your wardrobe is already stuffed to the brim with clothes, then put off buying new tops and bottoms until you’ve cleared space in there. This might even stop you from unnecessarily buying new things since you don’t have the space for it.

1. Organise matching bed sheets in pillowcases

Image credit: Martha Stewart

Even when folded perfectly, the large size and irregular shape of fitted bed sheets can easily unravel into unruly mounds over time. To hold your painstakingly folded linens securely in a bundle, keep matching sets of bed sheets within pillowcases. This way, you also won’t have to rummage around in the linen closet to find matching pieces to form a full set.

It’s best to store the pillowcases with the opening facing outward so its contents don’t fall backwards as you retrieve each bundle. For extra aesthetic points, tuck the excess fabric downward for a more seamless appearance.

2. Organise bags & smaller luggage within bigger luggage to hide clutter

Image credit: July

Storing our luggage in larger ones might be one of the most common home storage tips, but take it a step further by using empty space for additional travel essentials like duffle bags, winter garb, and hiking gear. Those planning on upgrading their baggage can go the extra mile by maximising storage space with purpose-built luggage sets that nest within each other perfectly.

However, most Singaporeans only go on vacation once or twice a year, so those with limited storage space at home can stash their rarely-used baggage in self-storage facilities like StorHub instead. This will help to free up valuable storage space at home for more regularly-used items.

3. Keep clothes in drawers organised with old bookends to prevent clutter

Image credit: u/sdho via Reddit

Though it’s been a while since KonMari was the talk of the town, this home organisation system continues to provide practical tips, especially for unruly closets filled with everything from school tees to formal suits. If you’ve managed to reclaim wardrobe space by arranging your garments into neat rows, use upcycled old bookends to keep things in place while you retrieve items.

Even if your wardrobe doesn’t have roomy drawers, you can maximise storage space with this hack by storing clothes like T-shirts, shorts and jeans vertically in storage bins within its shelves. You can even use bookends as dividers to keep regular vertically-stacked piles of clothes from toppling over.

4. Organise your bikes on the wall

Image credit: Tern

One of the best ways to enjoy Singapore’s many cycling trails and green spaces is on wheels, but storing bicycles safely indoors can be quite the feat especially for smaller homes. A great way to free up floor space is by using a bicycle wall mount, which also does double duty if you’d also like to display your ride for guests to admire.

There’s a wide variety of wall mounts for bicycles, such as the Bicycle Rack Hanger (from $68.90) and Bicycle Wall Mount ($115.43). But even with this home organisation tip, bicycle storage can be rather bulky – so smaller homes with a fleet of bicycles for each family member can keep them with 24/7 access at self-storage facilities like StorHub.

5. Attach magnetic bars inside kitchen cupboards to organise kitchenware

Image credit: OISHYA 

Cooking enthusiasts know that no matter how hard you toil to restore order to your picture-perfect kitchen, shelves and cupboards will in no time heave again with utensils and appliances you’ve “accidentally” amassed.

To avoid having an unsightly bunch of kitchen tools just sitting on your countertop, simply attach magnetic bars on the inside of cupboard doors to stow all your cooking tools out of sight. Not only will this unlock extra space in your kitchen and keep it looking orderly, you’ll never have to rummage in drawers and risk hurting your hands in that sea of metal ever again.

Buy magnetic knife rack on Shopee

6. Organise TV console cable clutter with a pegboard

Image credit: Data Centre Cable Management

Not only is cable clutter unsightly, the tangled nest of wires is the perfect spot for dust bunnies to accumulate and multiply – especially in hard-to-reach spots like behind your TV console. If you’ve got a whole living room set-up going with cables for the big screen, sound system, and gaming consoles, keep a handle on the chaos with a DIY pegboard cable organiser.

In addition to the pegboard, you’ll just need a handful of cable ties or velcro wraps to get started. Simply affix a multiplug to one side of the grid, and lay out all the cables, adapters, and transformers before cinching them down. To keep all the cables tidy and taut, loop them tightly before securing the bundles to the pegboard.

Buy pegboard on Shopee

7. Use dividers to organise your handbags

Image credit: amazon.sg

There’s no such thing as too many handbags – except when you’ve run out of places to store them. To ensure your prized purses don’t get creased, discoloured or misshapen, use wardrobe dividers to give each of them ample breathing space.

Image adapted from: Shopee

For long-term storage, you’ll want to ensure that the shelves are adequately spaced so they don’t press on the handles and straps as that can cause sagging. You’ll also want to stuff handbags with bubble wrap to help it keep its silhouette. For a fuss-free and more affordable add-on, hanging wardrobe organisers can also help to store your handbags safely.

Buy acrylic dividers for wardrobes on Shopee

8. Stores shoes & bulky items in an ottoman to reduce clutter

Image credit: homebnc

Larger pieces of furniture like beds and sofas can offer large caches for hidden storage, but items can be a little hard to get to. For the perfect mix of accessibility and aesthetics, multipurpose furniture like storage ottomans are a flexible way to stow bulky but often-used items like sewing machines, weights and magazines around the house.

As they’re highly portable, these cushioned stools can hold different cargo depending on the location in the house. Use it as a storage bin for toys in the kids’ room, or keep spare cushions close by in the living room. Larger bench-type ottomans can even double up as a hidden shoe rack when placed by the entryway of your home.

9. Use mini lazy susans in cabinets organise sauces & condiments

Image credit: @thewholepackageorganizing via Instagram

When it comes to sauce jars and condiments, displaying them all out in the open can be quite an eyesore. But keeping them hidden in your kitchen cabinetry means you tend to forget what you have. Enter mini lazy susans. These rotating platforms help to ensure you’ll be able to reach that bottle of oyster sauce that’s usually placed all the way at the back of the cupboard.

Buy mini lazy susan on Shopee

What’s the difference between self-storage & a traditional warehouse?

Self-storage facilities are usually more flexible in terms of their commitment period and sizes offered, which is great for individual use. Traditional warehouses are more often used by manufacturers to hold inventory.

Since self-storage facilities are mainly for individuals, there are restrictions on what you can keep there. Most places don’t allow flammable liquids, fuel, toxic chemicals, weapons, PMDs, and live animals to be stored here.

If you’re not sure how much space you need for your items, Storhub has a space calculator that will help you figure out the math to maximise your storage space.

Get your home organised & clutter-free with StorHub

Image credit: AGCDesign

All around your house, these home organisation tips will go a long way to help make your home visitor-ready. But if you’ve got a vast display of collector’s items that doesn’t quite fit in your house anymore, self-storage services like StorHub can hold on to it so you can carve out a productive spot for WFH arrangements or squeeze out extra space for your growing family.

StorHub has facilities in both commercial and residential areas like Toa Payoh for convenient home organisation.
Image credit: StorHub Self Storage 

They’ve got 18 storage facilities spread across Singapore from Hougang to Toh Tuck. That way, you can keep your belongings close and securely access them 24/7. Digital locks are also available at selected outlets. StorHub also offers 24-hour CCTV surveillance, insurance and convenient online payment via PayNow and E-AXS.

Storage room rentals start from a minimum term of 1 month, and you’ll enjoy free access to large trolleys and step ladders to help make the process a little easier. Friendly and professional staff will also be available onsite to guide you through storage unit viewing sessions and to address queries and issues that might arise.

StorHub Self Storage offers storage rooms ranging from 4sqft lockers up to tennis court-size 2,000sqft options.
Image credit: StorHub Self Storage

To help get you started on your decluttering ASAP, StorHub is offering 2 months free storage with a minimum storage period of 6 months, along with up to 30% off at selected facilities for new customers.

Check out the affordable self storage solutions at StorHub

This post was brought to you by StorHub Self Storage.
Cover image credit: homebnc, Tern
Originally published on 29th January 2021. Last updated by Syahiran Sean on 13th April 2024.