8 Telltale Signs Of A Tidy Home, According To Pro Organizers

With the average American home containing around 300,000 items, it's no surprise that lots of people struggle to find space for all their stuff. Many of us become acclimatized to mess in our home and don't even notice it from day to day. But perhaps you think you live in a tidy and neat home? Well, here's your chance to prove it to yourself as we look at the telltale signs of a tidy home according to professional organizers. From neat and tidy entryways, down to only necessary kitchen appliances on show, there are various signs that point out how your home will be perceived. 

Professional organizers know all the strategies that work best for decluttering your home and keeping things organized, so even if you think your home is tidy, they might be noticing things that have passed you by. And, if you want to start looking at ways to have a tidier house, many of the things pro organizers notice are small changes you can easily make to your home.

Entrance halls can become a dumping ground for shopping bags, mail, and other detritus as you enter your home. But a tidy home doesn't have anything lying around in a messy pile. Instead, everything is neatly stored away, often using creative storage ideas to ensure a clutter-free entryway. Professional organizer Beth Venable says via Instagram, "The entryway is the first thing you see when you walk in — and the last when you leave. If it's cluttered, chaotic, or crammed with stuff that doesn't belong, it can throw off your whole day."

Tidy drawers and cabinets make sense. And they're one of the things that a professional organizer will spot, even if they have to open a kitchen drawer to see it! Laura Cattano, a professional organizer, advised The Spruce that you should keep items in drawers accessible at all times. "This way, you'll be able to clearly see what's inside and access things without things falling out or having to rearrange the entire shelf or drawer to pull something out or put it away."

Decent closet organization is key to keeping a tidy home. Pro organizer Lauren Saltman told Homes & Gardens that, "Clothes on the floor usually mean there isn't an easy system for deciding what's dirty, clean, or 'worn once but still okay'." Avoid the dreaded 'floor-drobe' by keeping everything hanging up neatly and investing in a decent laundry basket to put all your dirty clothes into once you remove them. That's what you'll find in a tidy home.  

Tidy homes don't necessarily have completely matching hangers, but they do have the right hanger types needed for every item of clothing in your closet. "While I don't believe that all hangers should match, I believe they should be the right ones for what you're hanging," explained Laura Cattano to The Spruce. A mishmash of hangers made from different materials and colors quickly puts a closet into visual disarray, with the wrong hangers also having the potential to damage or stretch out fabrics. 

A neat and tidy home doesn't have piles of clutter sitting under the bed, and you shouldn't think of this area as a place to dump items from all over the house. If you must utilize this space, make sure you maximize it with suitable under-the-bed storage solutions that are specifically designed for the space. "Use the space intentionally with under-bed storage, like bins or drawers", pro organizer Di Ter Avest explained to Living Etc. "Store off-season clothes, spare bedding, or keepsakes in labeled containers so they stay organized." 

"Decorative pillows and extra blankets look great at first, and can even make a bed look more expensive when used correctly, but often end up on the floor," explained Lauren Saltman to Homes & Gardens. Knowing how to decorate your home with blankets, throws, and decorative pillows can add charm, but too many of these lead to clutter on the floor when people just can't be bothered to rearrange everything each day. Instead, keep only a few items on the bed that you'll actually utilize overnight. 

A tidy kitchen doesn't buy into every kitchen trend going. Instead, only kitchen appliances that are used and needed are given counter space, helping to utilize space more effectively. There are plenty of kitchen appliances that seem handy but aren't worth buying, and a pro organizer can spot these at 50 paces. "I'm not into collecting every trendy gadget. Instead, I make sure my kitchen flows — things I use often are within reach, categories are grouped logically, and I don't let unused tools take up prime space," explained pro organizer Sarit Weiss to Good Housekeeping. 

Few things make a home look more untidy than mountains of tangled cables and cords connecting your TVs and sound systems. There are plenty of gadgets for neat and tidy cords around the house, and you can also use cable ties and wraps to keep cables bundled together for an overall neater outlook. "My advice is to take a little time to sort through and keep only the cords you actually need", explained pro organiser Di Ter Avest to Living Etc. "Store them in a labeled cord box, pouch, or even a small organizer with compartments."