Sort, Declutter and Clean Your Home With My Organizing Challenge

At the beginning of the year, I introduced my Just Jill Organizing Challenge as a stress-free way to get your house in order. 

Starting fresh is always a good feeling, but completing all those organizing, sorting and decluttering tasks can be overwhelming if you try to tackle everything at once. 

That’s why I challenged myself (and each of you!) to finish one small task each day. When you space them out, they seem much more manageable. Agree? 

If you want a little recap of everything we’ve covered, I listed each organizing challenge below. 

Take a close look, write down your to-do list, and share this blog with your friends so they can be on their way to an orderly home in no time!

Just Jill Organizing Challenge

Here are all of the tasks we covered during my organizing challenge.

If you’d like to see the blog or the original post, click on the blue highlighted headline for a detailed description of the organizing challenge.

Organize Your Purse and Wallet

The first challenge is to organize something you use almost every day… your purse!

Mine doesn’t always look like it’s in tip-top shape. But when it is clean, it’s so much easier to find what I need in a hurry.

Learn how I organize my purse in my blog HERE.

Home Safety Measures To Incorporate In Your House

While this task might not strike you as “fun,” it’s incredibly important.

Before we dive far into this organizing challenge, we’re going to make sure we’re up to date on our home safety measures.

There are the obvious things… like making sure to lock your doors and changing the batteries in your smoke detector.

But other home safety steps, like installing outdoor motion-detecting lights, might surprise you.

Take a look at the other steps you can take HERE.

Organize and Clean Your Refrigerator

Next, we’re headed to the kitchen to organize our refrigerators.

If you’re like me and have a lot of leftovers and produce piled up on your shelves. This will certainly clear up some space!

Some of my favorite tips include using charcoal sachets to get rid of odors, and labeling all leftovers so you know what you have on hand (and when to toss your old meals).

You can check out more of my tips in my blog HERE.

Helpful Toy Organization Tips

This is a new task we added to the Just Jill Organization challenge this year but you all found it helpful.

We’re organizing toys!

My kids are older now so they don’t leave their toys lying around the house. But when they were younger? You bet I spent some time wrangling up action figures, dolls, and Legos.

HERE are some ways you can organize toys at home.

Tackle Your Linen Closet (and fold a fitted sheet!)

Between a bunch of towels and sheets, my linen closet is far from orderly.

So, I’m getting rid of all those old items and making sure every pillowcase and sheet has a matching set.

I also want to show you how to properly fold a fitted sheet. You’d be surprised how much it can save space!

Clean Your Medicine Cabinet

Onto the bathroom! Who’s with me?

For this task, I’m organizing my medicine cabinet because it’s filled with random q-tips, old toothbrushes, and expired pills.

I can’t be the only one who struggles with a messy cabinet, so I’d love if you’d take on this organizing challenge with me.

Below, I outlined a few steps I’ll be taking to get mine in order.

• To start fresh, take everything out and clean the inside of the cabinet.
• Place your most-used items on the most accessible shelf.
• Set less-used items on a higher shelf.
• Find any loose items and put them in a cup or a mason jar.
• Place an adhesive magnet on the door for any random bobby pins.
• Toss any old medications and sort them by person/use.
• Use labels to keep everything in order.
• If you have two half-used bottles, combine them to save space.
• Add a pocket or bag on the door for hair ties or small makeup items.

Organize Your Sock and Garment Drawers

I’m convinced that there’s a little elf that runs around my house, stealing single socks.

No matter how hard I try to keep them together, one always seems to go missing!

What I’m trying to say is that my sock situation is a little out of hand… which is why I’m hunkering down to organize my sock drawer.

I found some neat ways to fold socks, cool products to keep them in order, and even some DIY projects you can do when you’re left with single ones laying around your home.

You can find all my ideas in my blog HERE.

Tidy The Space Under Your Sink

Your countertops and drawers might look okay, but can you say the same for the area under your sink?

If all those cleaning supplies and kitchen tools come tumbling down every time you reach below your sink, this organization challenge will help you out.

I recommend taking everything out and wiping down the interior before you start organizing.

Follow by combining any half-filled bottles of the same product into one container, and using those empty wipe containers for extra plastic grocery bags.

You can also do this for those dishwasher pods—just remember to keep them away from kids and pets.

As simple as that. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Tips for Tidying Your Pet Toys and Supplies

For as long as you’ve known me, I’ve always had a dog around the house. And recently, we adopted a new family member… Minnie!

And while I love Brosky and Minnie’s sweet faces, what I don’t love is all of the pet toys that contribute to our household clutter.

That’s why I’m organizing their toys with these helpful tips HERE.

Organize Your Makeup and Skincare Products

I adore home essentials, decor, and fun recipes, but I also love my beauty products… maybe a little too much.

I already have a collection of makeup and skincare items, but I’m hoping to try some new products in the coming months.

With that said, I can’t grow my collection without cleaning out my current assortment.

You can find some of my best sorting tips and information about tossing expired makeup in my beauty organization blog.

Find all my tips HERE.

Clean Off Your Desk

Now that more and more people are working remotely, a home desk is more relevant than ever before.

Some people have their own office while others turned their kitchen table into a makeshift workplace.

But no matter what your desk looks like, it’s important to keep it organized to decrease stress and increase productivity.

I put together some of my favorite decluttering tips in my desk organizing challenge blog HERE.

Car Safety Essentials to Have on Hand

This challenge isn’t necessarily an “organizing challenge” but it is something that will help you feel prepared.

I visited Hoda and Jenna on the TODAY Show to share a list of products that will help “save a life” in case you run into an emergency.

You’ll find things like a first aid kit for your car and a window ladder for your home. I even showcased a neat lightbulb that stays lit when the power goes out!

You can find those recommendations and more in my blog HERE.

Declutter and Sort Through Your Spice Drawer

Got spices? A lot of them? If so, this organizing tip is one for you.

I keep my spice drawer fairly clean but it wasn’t always in great shape.

To get it to look even mildly decent, I followed some easy tips and think they’ll be helpful for you as well.

I created THIS BLOG to help you out. I also included some must-have spices that I keep in my kitchen!

Organize Your Laundry Room

In the past, I was invited to the TODAY Show to discuss some “Simple tips to relieve laundry room stress.”

It was such a hit that I wanted to share a few of my recommendations with you!

To get you started, I created a blog with some simple and helpful laundry room organization tips HERE.

From using a salad spinner to dry your delicates to buying mesh bags to keep your items separate, I hope my advice will help.

I also included a neat trick for folding… and it only requires two steps!

The Easiest Ways to Organize Your Closet

Ahh… the closet.

I’m guilty of just tossing my clothes in there when I’m in a rush. So it’s no surprise that my wardrobe can get a little out of wack.

Luckily, I finally learned some helpful hacks to keep my clothes, shoes, and accessories in order. Want in on my secrets? Check out my blog HERE.

Tidy Your Pantry In No Time

For this organizing challenge, we’re heading back into our households and cleaning out our pantry.

Mine is cluttered with expired canned goods and far too many ingredients I don’t even use. Sound familiar?

Well, if you’re dealing with the same thing, you’ll love some of my decluttering tips in my pantry organization blog.

I discuss everything from using vertical space to sort your spices, to actually scrubbing those sticky shelves.

Want more tips? Check out the full blog HERE.

The Easiest Ways to Organize Your Bakeware and Cookware

And while we’re in the kitchen, we’re going to organize our bakeware and cookware!

Newsflash… I love to cook! Meaning I have a bunch of dishes and pans that have piled up over time.

In my blog HERE, you can find some tips to organize that clutter along with some of my FAVORITE bakeware and cookware items.

Clean and Organize Your Car

Not all of my organization tips occur inside the home. This one takes place in your car!

I can’t stand driving in a cluttered car but it’s so easy to toss trash, grocery bags, and receipts into the glove box.

So instead of cringing every time I open the car door, I decided to write a blog filled with car organization tips.

In addition to some of these tricks, I found some products that will help you keep your car in order for weeks. See the blog HERE.

Declutter Your Household Junk Drawer

We all have one (or a few). You guessed it, a junk drawer!

While I typically know the contents of my drawer, it’s getting to be a bit overwhelming, so I’m tidying it up for today’s organizing challenge.

Here are a few steps to help you organize yours:

• Clear out everything from the drawer and put it in a bin.
• Vacuum or wipe down the inside of your drawer.
• Recycle or toss anything that’s broken or that you won’t use.
• If you don’t reach for something regularly, put the item where it belongs (in the bathroom, laundry room, etc.).
• Find organizers or small bins to sort the rest of the things in your drawer.
• Give yourself a pat on the back!

You can also find a short video of me organizing my junk drawer HERE.

Get Your Nighttime Routine In Order

This challenge looks a little different because it’s not about organizing your home.

Instead, it’s about organizing your sleep routine.

In MY BLOG, you can find a bunch of tips that will help you get a better night’s sleep.

I dive into steps like setting a schedule, creating an ideal sleep environment, and even giving yourself a little pampering.

Organize All Your Cleaning Supplies

It might sound ironic, but cleaning out your cleaning supplies is necessary.

So take a look at what you have at home, toss your expired items, and clear out those barely-used spray bottles. Trust me, I have quite a few on hand.

Find all my tips (and my favorite cleaning products) in my blog HERE.

Sort Through Your Paper Piles

I wanted to cover this one since a lot of you asked about it on National Clean Off Your Desk Day.

Do you have a lot of paper piles lying around? You’re not alone. In this challenge, we’re going to tidy them up a bit.

Follow some of my tips to keep all those loose papers organized:

• Go paperless! Opt for digital bills and statements instead.
• Make an “important” pile for things like bills, checks or things that need to be dealt with quickly.
• Create a binder for all your coupons.
• Keep a recycling bin in a heavy-traffic area of your home.
• You’ll be more likely to get rid of something if you can toss it without hassle.
• Designate a place in your home for mail.
• Shred important documents that contain personal information.
• Use a file folder to separate everyone’s letters.

Hopefully, this challenge will take some weight off your shoulders — and off of your countertop!

Sort Through Your Utensil Drawer

Bonus challenge! I didn’t include it this year, but you might find it helpful!

The good ol’ utensil drawer. You know how much I love cooking and baking, so mine is filled with all types of kitchen gadgets.

While they’re helpful for putting together some delicious recipes, digging through them time and time again is frustrating.

Instead of fussing with a cluttered mess, I’m taking some time to organize my utensil drawer. Sort through yours with me by following these steps.

• Start by emptying out the drawer and place items on your counter.
• Vacuum and wipe down the inside of your drawer.
• Separate items into categories. Try to only keep one of each item!
• Find small bins or a utensil organizer to keep everything in its place.
• Put everything on the counter back into the drawer (keep them in their categories).
• Set your most-used items toward the top or front of the drawer.

Super Simple Shoe Storage Ideas

Do you consider yourself a shoe hoarder?

I do too… But today we’re going to organize all those pairs lying around.

If your boots and shoes are worn out or damaged, toss em! Too small? Donate them to a local shelter. Have some that are barely worn? Consider whether or not you need them in the first place.

In addition to these steps above, I outlined some ways you can sort your shoes HERE.

Clean Your Household Appliances

If something is made for cleaning, you might not know it needs to be cleaned.

But something like your dishwasher (and other household appliances) needs cleaning just like anything else!

Now, you can tackle the task of cleaning your household appliances with a few of my tips.

I shared them with Hoda and Jenna last summer and thought they could be of use for the Just Jill Organizing Challenge.

To see all of my appliance cleaning recommendations, you can watch the segment HERE. You can also check out more tips HERE!

Detox Your Routine

Have a bunch of tasks on hand that you’re trying to juggle? I’m sure some of these tips will help.

I helped a few ladies stay on track when cleaning their space, complete a digital detox, and more.

Check out the segment HERE.

My Most Popular Cleaning Hacks

We’ve been doing a lot of organizing, but if you really want a tidy home, you’re going to have to clean as well.

In my blog, you can find my most POPULAR cleaning hacks of all time.

From laundry room hacks to tips for getting that grime off of your microwave, THIS LIST will give you have a clean home in no time.

How To Organize Your Jewelry

This organizing challenge wasn’t in the lineup this year, but a few of you asked so I wanted to put a little something together.

If you catch yourself wearing the same earrings every day because your other pairs are missing, I have a task for you. We’re organizing our jewelry.

Here are some helpful tips you can follow:

• Sort all your jewelry by type and place them in piles.
• Remove anything that is damaged or without a pair.
• Clean any tarnished jewelry with polish or cleaner.
• Find a compartmentalized organizer to keep everything in order.
• If you don’t wear something but want to keep it (like a family heirloom), keep it in a separate place out of the way.

Now, you can look stylish without hassle!

Clean Your Fan and High Places

Cleaning eye-level surfaces is challenging enough. Trying to clean ceiling fans and hard-to-reach spaces? Even more difficult.

That’s why I avoid this task for longer than I should… which leads to a major build-up of dust.

While this challenge isn’t my favorite, I have a nifty tip to help you complete it with ease!

I shared the trick on the TODAY Show a few months ago. All you have to do is use a pillowcase to clean the blades of your fan.

That way, the dust will fall into the pillowcase instead of on the floor.

Find the video of the segment HERE.

---

That was quite the month! I hope all these tips were helpful. Congrats on finishing strong!

From my organized home to yours,

Jill