Sarah Baeumler's 5 Brilliant Ideas For Keeping Your Home Organized

HGTV fans will be familiar with Sarah Baeumler, who has appeared alongside her husband Bryan Baeumler in shows like "Home to Win" and "Island of Bryan," as per HGTV. The two have a great rapport on screen — they are married, after all — and luckily for the viewers who love their shows, they have complementary skill sets.

Bryan is known for his prowess with serious renovations, tearing down walls, and completely reimagining spaces — something he's developed expertise in thanks to his many years as a contractor, as his website, Bryan Baeumler, highlights. He has even helped well-intentioned homeowners get their renovations gone wrong back on the right track on his show "Disaster DIY."

Sarah Baeumler, on the other hand, brings a decor-focused approach to the table. While Bryan is busy worrying about the foundation and structure of the home, Sarah prefers to focus on the details. As per her Sarah Baeumler website, her design aesthetic prioritizes unique details, calm color palettes, exciting patterns, textured fabrics, and natural materials.

Given their expertise, it makes sense that Sarah would be the authority on how to keep a home looking incredible, not just when you're staging it for the cameras but when you're living in it day-to-day. Here are five of her tips for keeping your home organized so that you feel like you're in a peaceful oasis rather than a cluttered, chaotic mess.

Start simple -- declutter what you don't need

No matter how many brilliant organizational systems you put in place, if every single drawer, cupboard, and closet is overflowing, it'll make your life a whole lot more difficult to keep organized. That's why a fantastic first step for anyone looking to organize their home is decluttering, as Baeumler told HGTV. You'll be able to eliminate some items you don't need, and your organizational efforts will be more streamlined once you're done.

If you're at all interested in organization and decluttering, chances are you've heard of Marie Kondo's KonMari Method, which involves approaching decluttering by category rather than by room, with the goal of only keeping what "sparks joy." However, you should select the decluttering approach that works best for you. Becoming Minimalist has a few great tips to get started, from setting a timer and decluttering for just five-minute bursts to giving away a single item every day — these may seem like tiny steps, but they'll add up over time.

When your home is organized and clutter-free, it can have benefits beyond just the aesthetic of a tidy home. As Everyday Health explains, being in a cluttered, disorganized space can drain your ability to focus and cause you to feel more stressed, depressed, or anxious. All the benefits of decluttering make it a great candidate for step one in your home organizing journey.

Have a place for everything

There are two key components to organization. You want your home to be visually clutter-free and tidy, and you also need to know where everything is. It's important to keep both in mind when organizing your space — after all, it won't make your life much easier if you tuck everything away in boxes and bins and then forget what system you used, leading you to dig through each one every time you need something. That's why Baeumler suggests having a place for everything is crucial for an organized home, as HGTV reports.

Rooms Need Love has three easy tips for this process — first, you want it to be efficient. It makes no sense to be traipsing across the house for an item you always use in another room — just keep it near where you're using it. You might also want to rework certain areas that can get cluttered, such as where you store your keys and shoes. If your current system isn't working, you may need to consider tweaks. Finally, having a few "catch-all" storage solutions can help corral those random bits and pieces so even they have a dedicated place.

Ultimately, it's a matter of what serves you best and what makes the most sense to you. However, knowing where everything is will make your life a whole lot easier on a daily basis — and will avoid any messes that come from being unable to find something in a hurry.

Consider open shelving

When you're trying to keep your home looking organized and tidy, it can be tempting to prioritize storage solutions with doors. After all, if you can simply close a cabinet door, no one will be able to see if things get a little bit untidy on the shelves, right? Well, Baeumler tells HGTV that those in search of an organized space may actually want to give open shelving a second thought.

As she explains, the mere fact that everything on those shelves is visible will likely encourage you to keep things tidy at all times. Rather than tossing that item into the cupboard or closet and closing the door, you'll take the extra five seconds to place it in its proper spot. This is a quick and easy way to give yourself some accountability for keeping your home organized.

While you may be worried about dust and grime, especially in areas like kitchens, Organized-ish says that's likely less of an issue if you're incorporating open shelving in areas with items you frequently reach for. This means it's actually a great pick for high-traffic areas where you're storing items you use on the regular. Plus, as per Get Organized Wizard, you'll be able to see everything at a glance rather than digging through endless bins, boxes, and drawers in search of that item you need.

Revamp your closet

One of the toughest spots for many people to organize is their primary closet. Whether it's because you're working with a tiny space and have a ton of clothes, you hate hanging things back up, or your organization system just isn't working for you, closets can quickly become disaster zones. That's why Baeumler recommends investing in some type of closet organizer, as HGTV reports. In particular, she suggests something that provides shelving, drawer space, and hanging room, so you'll be able to store everything appropriately.

And even if you purchased a great closet organizer, there are always tweaks and additions you can incorporate. For example, Pods Blog suggests using dividers to create zones in your closet. Adding wall-mounted storage options can also help store things like jewelry and accessories.

While it may be a bit of an investment at first, RealSimple suggests that uniformity also goes a long way in making your closet seem less visually cluttered — this means matching hangers, containers, or whatever else you incorporate into your storage system.

For those with small closets who really can't seem to fit it all in, you should also think outside the box — or the closet, as it were. If you have a bit of extra space in your bedroom, you could add a dresser, take over a nook, or utilize spaces like underneath the bed.

Manage those pesky junk drawers

No matter how organized you are, many people end up with at least one junk drawer in their home — that spot where you toss all the miscellaneous items that may not have a place elsewhere. If you have the storage available to have a few of these drawers throughout your home, that's fine — however, as Baeumler suggests via HGTV, you may want to invest in some drawer organizers.

You see, the problem isn't necessarily that you have a mix of different things in your drawer — it's likely that you're storing it in a less than optimal way, where you have to search through all the clutter to find what you need. A drawer organizer will give everything in that drawer a designated place, so you'll be able to quickly see what you have and where everything is. Even if it's a random mix of things, it'll be far more organized with a simple drawer organizer. Oxo recommends sorting items into categories to determine what needs to be stored in the drawer and what may make more sense elsewhere in your home. Even better, there's a huge range available, from fabric-covered models to wood to clear plastic, so you can find whatever best fits your home's aesthetic for something that's organized and beautiful.