Get Organized the Martha Way—See All Her Best Tips From Over the Years

A well-kept home isn't just for looks—Martha believes life is infinitely better and easier when your rooms are organized and tidy with the right systems in place to keep them that way. An orderly kitchen makes busy breakfasts easier and helps get dinner on the table faster. A tidy closet with a place for accessories, clothes, and bags eases the task of putting together an outfit, and an orderly entryway welcomes you home at the end of a long day.

"When everything has a spot in your home, it lets you and your family go out into the world feeling ready and prepared," Martha says. "When you return, it will be a more delightful place to live, work, and entertain in."

We've gathered the best tips from Martha and other experts into one space to guide you through all of your organizing projects from start to finish. For even more ideas, check out Martha Stewart Organizing, a special print issue focusing on all things organizing.

Pare Down for a Clean Slate

Before you even get to the stage of organizing your items in containers or implementing a lasting organizational system, start with an evaluation of your current items. You probably don't need to keep the bridesmaid dress you wore once, all the free tote bags you've received at events, or every receipt floating at the bottom of your purse. Aim for each item you keep to have a specific purpose in your home to serve you where you currently are—not where you were 5 years ago or hope to be in the future.

Our expert-backed tips will show you exactly what to get rid of in each room of your house, like storage containers with no lids and old utensils in the kitchen, expired beauty products in your bathroom cabinet, clothes that don't fit in your closet, and the old phone charging cords and unused exercise equipment floating around your bedroom.

Smart Solves for Every Space

It can feel overwhelming looking at your newly pared-down space and trying to think of the best way to use each nook and cranny for maximum storage. Get creative in your space and go for the unexpected—add hooks to the back of a closet door for easy mop and broom storage, fit in a shelf above the bathroom door, use your vintage serveware collection to display jewelry, and place a tray on an entryway table to smartly corral keys, wallets, and other items you need to quickly grab as you run out the door.

Take some inspiration from Martha's copper cookware collection; while it may look like a lot of items, all of the pieces are artfully displayed utilizing every inch of her kitchen. The display looks clean and intentional, rather than crowded, and the pieces are within easy reach for cooking or entertaining.

We've gathered experts' best tips for clever and functional ways to organize common problem areas in the home.

Lasting Solutions

After paring down your items, organizing with matching bins, and maximizing every inch of your space, you need a plan to keep it that way. Write down tasks to do each day, week, and month to keep your space in order, and commit to making it happen (write it on your calendar!). Do quarterly audits of each space to see if you need to get rid of anything or if a system isn't working—refine it until it makes sense in your home.

If you still need help figuring out the best systems for you, try the popular Swedish death cleaning method, or try an organizing method based on your personality. Most importantly, keep trying until a method becomes sustainable so you don't have to start from scratch each time.