The 6 essential things professional organizers swear by to keep their rooms organized

Keeping a home neat is a never-ending chore, but it can be made much easier with the right essentials in each room.

But how do you work out which things every room should have to stay streamlined and tidy? Professional organizers suggest starting with six basics that fit into every space – big or small – will go a long way in setting up a successful organizing system.

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Things every room should have to stay organized

. This, in turn, dramatically reduces how often you have to declutter and tidy up, and how long you spend doing so each time.

1. Trash cans

One of the leading causes of clutter is trash. We are not necessarily talking about empty drink bottles or food packets, but those bits of packaging from online deliveries, or the empty glass jar that forms a burnt-out candle.

suggests having a trash can in every room of the house (bar the dining room, she notes). ‘Almost every room needs a trash (or waste) basket.'

, you might have three: one for recycling, one for trash, and one for shredding. It's important to have a trash basket in every bathroom and bedroom, too/

, you can have a recycling bin (sometimes several if you want to separate plastics, glass, and tin as well as paper) and a trash can, and maybe a small compost bin if you have a composting space outside. The family room also needs a waste basket of some kind.’

2. Trays with handles

, trays are not something that often comes to mind. However, a tray (especially one with handles for easy portability) is a great way to help corral clutter without too much of it accumulating.

Diane Quintana, the expert home organizer, continues, ‘A tray is a great organizer to have in a variety of rooms. It can sit on a stool in the family room to provide a stable place for drinks or snacks. It's a good idea to have a tray in the kitchen (or wherever mail comes in) to corral the mail. A tray is a useful item to carry things back to where they belong while helping to make clutter look intentional and less random.

‘You can use a basket for this but the tendency is to let things collect in a basket,’ Diane explains. ‘If you use a tray, you can't put too many things there before it becomes necessary to deliver the items.’

Head of Solved at Homes & Gardens, Punteha van Terheyden loves this and uses this trick in all rooms of her home. She says, 'I use one with handles on our dining toable so our napkins, candles and my small vase that lives on the dining table can be easily moved off for meal times without each item being scattered around.

'In the living room, I use one to house all my many candles and again, the tray there has handles to easily move it off when we have another use for the sideboard, for instance when my daughter has a playdate and I set up a little snacking station. It's really handy and looks nice too, visually reducing the sensation of clutter because the multiple items are house together in a uniform way.'

3. Multi-functional furniture

, Oklahoma, swears by for every room.

, like storage ottomans, dressers, cabinets, and beds with storage are a must. There is always an option for every room to help make storage and clutter less noticeable for streamlined home organization.’

This is particularly helpful for smaller rooms, spaces or areas that have high traffic but need multiple functions at various points in the day, for instance a WFH corner, or play area for the kids.

4. Drawer dividers

efficiently to prevent clutter.

, says, ‘Drawer dividers keep spaces streamlined. Silverware trays, mesh organizers, and divider trays group similar items while maximizing space. An organized drawer means you can find what you need quickly without sorting through a jumble of items and you are less tempted to hide clutter away when it doesn't fit into an exact category. It’s a win-win.'

in your office, or in deeper drawers. We like the varying sizes in that set.

5. Shelves

that is easily folded and moved from one room to another. It is also stackable.

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6. Baskets

to prevent a build-up of hidden clutter.

Amanda Schmitt, a home organizer, says, ‘Baskets are my go-to for every room. They are versatile, stylish, and catch all sorts of clutter. In the living room, baskets store remote controls, cords, and kids’ toys. In the bedroom, baskets neatly contain accessories, hair ties, and socks. Labels also ensure everything has a spot and stop you from putting items away that don’t belong.’

If you have a spot in your home that fills up with clutter easily, such as the top, or bottom stairs, place a basket there instead and when it's full, clear away all the items in one go. This way you have a holding vessel for all the stuff, and a formula for when to clear it to stop it overflowing or becoming dysfunctional.

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