How to Organize Your Home While Living With Roommates
Shared living made simple.
Living with roommates can be a fun new experience, but it can introduce a host of challenges when it comes to organizing your home and keeping it clean. Here are some easy tips for how to set up your shared living space to maximize efficiency and minimize roommate tensions for a happy, healthy home.
Tip!
Moving in with roommates for the first time? Consider splitting the furniture expenses! Read New Home Checklist: What You Need Before Moving In to help you set up your new space.
1. Start a Shared Calendar
A household calendar is a necessity in any shared living situation. Hang the calendar in a common space and mark key dates like trash pickup, rent payments, and utility bill due dates to serve as a reminder for everyone. Use the calendar to map out a monthly chore chart and ensure cleaning responsibilities are shared equally. Memo boards can also be used for a communal shopping list to track essentials like dish detergent, hand soap, paper towels, trash bags, and toilet paper.
Living with roommates means multiple people coming and going on different schedules. Having an organized entryway can make your welcome home feel a bit more peaceful. Consider getting a hall tree or coat rack where everyone can drop their outerwear, and ensure ample shoe storage to keep shoes from cluttering the floor. It might be helpful to designate shelves or drawers to each roommate to keep your belongings separate.
Tip!
Check out our related guide Entryway Storage Ideas to Make Your Home More Welcoming for more ideas on how to make the most of your entryway space and keep your doorway clear.
3. Divide & Conquer Mail Deliveries
Do you have a constant flow of envelopes streaming through your mail slot? Make sure you never miss a letter or important notice by establishing a mail organization system by your front door. Use a wall organizer or place a desk organizer on your entryway table and sort your mail into assigned slots as it arrives.
Keeping the kitchen tidy when living with roommates is easy when you have color-coded dinnerware. Assign a color to each roommate to help everyone stay on top of their dishes. It adds accountability as well as a fun, personal touch to at-home dining. Gone are the days of overflowing sinks and crammed drying racks!
Whether you have a full closet pantry or a few kitchen cabinets, dividing food storage space is important in a shared kitchen. Designate a shelf, cabinet, or drawer to each person living in your home so everyone has a place to keep their dry goods. Consider adding cabinet organizers to keep your food separate and reduce pantry clutter. If you need more pantry space, you may want to invest in a freestanding pantry cabinet to increase your kitchen’s storage capacity.
Tip!
Read Pantry Organization Ideas for Spaces of Every Size to help you and your roommates come up with an effective organizational system in your kitchen.
6. Share the Refrigerator Space
Just like your pantry, refrigerator space is a coveted resource when you have multiple roommates. Since buying a larger appliance is rarely an option, try getting creative with how you divide the refrigerator. Transfer your food from grocery store packaging into stackable food storage containers to save space. Also consider using clear bins to organize your space and never forget about food in the back of your refrigerator again.
When you live with multiple people in an apartment, the space can quickly start to feel cramped with everyone’s belongings. Reduce everyday clutter with multifunctional storage furniture such as a storage ottoman, bench, or trunk to keep miscellaneous items out of sight. Cleanup has never been easier!
Tip!
Interested in learning more about storage furniture and other types of multifunctional fixtures? Read What Is Multifunctional Furniture? to discover more space-saving solutions.
8. Make Baskets Your Best Friend
Keeping your personal belongings organized in common areas is a key to being a good roommate. Use storage bins to separate your items in shared closets, cabinets, and shelving units. Decorative bins and woven baskets will be your new best friend – they keep your items organized and out of sight while adding a stylish touch to your home.
Shower storage space is always limited, but if you share a bathroom with roommates, you know just how tight it can be. Consider getting a shower caddy or shelves to add functional storage for your soaps, shampoos, and scrubbers. They come in a wide range of configurations and mounting options to meet your storage needs and fit the layout of your shower.
Whether you have a medicine cabinet or a few bathroom shelves, ensure you and all of your roommates have a designated spot for personal items such as toothbrushes, floss, and skincare. If you need additional bathroom storage, consider investing in a freestanding cabinet for a little extra room.
To encourage everyone to keep up with cleaning, store all cleaning supplies in a central, communal area for easy access. A rolling utility cart can be a useful accessory for organizing your cleaning supplies – plus, you can wheel it around for easy cleaning. You should also keep larger appliances like your vacuum and mop easily accessible too – like in a coat closet or the laundry room.
Having a communal laundry hamper for shared items like dish cloths, hand towels, and bath mats can be helpful. Since these everyday items are likely used by everyone, they should be washed regularly. Keep your hamper in a common space to encourage everyone to share the responsibility of doing communal laundry.
When living in a shared space, storage can be hard to come by. Get creative with your storage solutions and make the most of unused space in your bedroom by using under-bed storage. Whether you opt for a storage bed frame or under-bed containers, this is a great way to maximize your personal storage space and keep spare bedding, pillows, or clothes handy.
Tip!
Looking for ways to maximize your bedroom storage space? Check out Under-Bed Storage Ideas for a Clutter-Free Bedroom for more space-savvy tips.
