The 3 Best Home Organising Products to Start From Scratch
If you could only have three home organisation products to rebuild your entire house routine from scratch, what exact items are you grabbing?
This is such a hard one for a professional organiser! But if you took everything away and told me I had to start again, I'd grab uniform hangers, clear storage tubs in a few key sizes, and a label maker.
Uniform Hangers
First: uniform hangers. This is probably one of the simplest and most affordable wardrobe transformations you can make. When every hanger is a different colour, shape and height, your wardrobe immediately looks visually cluttered. The minute you replace them with one consistent hanger, everything sits at the same level, you create more usable space and suddenly your wardrobe feels calmer and more organised. You don't need an expensive custom wardrobe to make a huge difference.
Clear Storage Tubs (10L, 30L and 50L)
Second would be storage tubs in approximately 10L, 30L and 50L sizes. I use tubs throughout the entire home because they allow you to categorise, contain and protect things rather than having loose items floating around. The smaller tubs are brilliant for smaller categories, the medium ones for everyday storage, and those larger 50L tubs are fantastic for things like keepsakes, memory boxes, seasonal items and things you don't need to access every day.
10L storage tubs, The Reject Shop
Label Maker
And finally, a label maker. Because an organised home isn't just about putting everything away once — it's about creating a system that everyone can maintain. A label removes the guesswork. Mum shouldn't have to be the only person in the house who knows where something belongs!
My philosophy has always been a place for everything and everything in its place. These three products allow you to create exactly that without spending a fortune.
Best Affordable Organising Item: The Lazy Susan
What is the absolute best affordable organising item available at everyday stores right now?
A Lazy Susan (turntable), hands down.
You can pick them up incredibly cheaply — Kmart has extremely affordable options — and I use them everywhere. Most people associate a Lazy Susan with the pantry, but don't stop there!
I use them in pantry corners, underneath sinks, in laundry cupboards, bathroom cupboards, offices and anywhere you have a deep shelf where things disappear into that dreaded black hole at the back.
Instead of pulling five things out to reach one thing, you simply spin it around and bring the back of the cupboard to you. That is what good organising is about for me: making things easier to see, access, use and put away.
They're also what I call an "evergreen" organising product. You're not buying something that's been custom-made for one particular cupboard. If you move house or reorganise a room, you take it with you and find another use for it.
For a few dollars, the amount of function you get from a Lazy Susan is incredible.
Best Airtight Pantry Containers for Decanting
Pantry decanting can get expensive fast. What airtight container system — brand, line and shape — do you use in your own kitchen that actually keeps food fresh without costing a fortune?
For me, it's LocknLock pantry containers & cannisters.
LocknLock pantry containers & canisters
I love a beautiful pantry, but I'm always reminding people that decanting shouldn't just be about aesthetics. A container has to actually do a job. Otherwise we're just taking food out of one container and putting it into another one!
What I love about LocknLock is that the containers are airtight and liquid-tight, they're durable, and importantly, they're clear. You can see the contents through the sides and from the top, which makes such a difference depending on how your pantry is configured.
If your pantry has drawers, you need to be able to look down and immediately see what you've got. If you have shelves or cupboards, you need visibility from the front. They're really versatile for different spaces.
They also stack beautifully, which allows you to use vertical space instead of spreading everything across a shelf.
I look at pantry containers as something you should be able to take with you from home to home. Kitchens change, shelves change and pantry configurations change, so I would much rather invest in a versatile container system than something that only works in one particular space.
How to Save Wardrobe Space: Vacuum Storage Bags and Shoe Storage Ideas
Wardrobes are a universal battleground. What product saves the most space for bulky items like winter coats or shoes?
Vacuum Storage Bags for Winter Coats and Bulky Items
For bulky seasonal clothing, vacuum storage bags are my absolute go-to.
Winter coats, puffer jackets, spare doonas and blankets contain so much air, so storing them at their full volume when you're not using them is wasting incredibly valuable wardrobe real estate. Vacuum bags compress everything down and make seasonal rotation so much easier. I particularly love hanging vacuum storage bags for coats, because you can compress those bulky jackets while still keeping them hanging neatly in the wardrobe.
Extra Large Vacuum Storage Bags
6 pack Hanging Vacuum Storage Bags
My biggest tip is to think seasonally. You don't need every piece of clothing or every pair of shoes you own competing for prime wardrobe space 365 days of the year. When winter finishes, clean everything properly, make sure it's completely dry, pack it away and give that valuable accessible space back to what you're actually wearing.
Wardrobe Shoe Storage Ideas
For shoes, I have a few solutions I absolutely love, depending on your wardrobe and the space you have available.
Under-Bed Shoe Storage Organisers
For seasonal or occasional shoes, under-bed shoe storage organisers with individual compartments and a clear top are brilliant.
Under-bed shoe storage organiser
You're taking advantage of otherwise wasted space underneath the bed, but because you can see through the top, you don't have to rummage through a giant box every time you're looking for a particular pair. I especially love these for shoes you don't need every day — winter boots, heels, special-occasion shoes or seasonal footwear.
Shoe Storage Totes with Dividers
Another favourite is a shoe storage tote with individual dividers and a clear lid.
Shoe storage tote with dividers and clear lid
These are fantastic if you have some floor or shelf space in the wardrobe because every pair has its own little home. The clear top is important to me because I'm a huge believer in visibility: if you can see what you own, you're much more likely to use it.
Over-the-Door Shoe Organisers
And don't forget about the back of the wardrobe door! If you're lucky enough to have a cupboard-style wardrobe door that opens outwards, an over-the-door hanging shoe organiser with clear pockets is such an affordable way of creating storage out of completely unused vertical space.
You can see every pair at a glance, nothing is piled on top of anything else, and you've barely sacrificed any wardrobe space.
Look for the Dead Space in Your Wardrobe
That's really the secret with wardrobes: look for the dead space. Under the bed, behind a door, above your hanging rail or unused vertical space. Before you decide you need a bigger wardrobe, make sure you're actually using all the space you already have.
And, of course, declutter first. No shoe organiser in the world is going to solve the problem if you're storing 15 pairs of shoes you haven't worn in five years!
How to Organise a Linen Cupboard Like a Hotel
Linen closets almost always devolve into a messy pile of fitted sheets and rogue pillowcases. What baskets, tubs or shelf dividers do you use to keep them looking like a hotel?
I can tell you that my linen cupboard is probably better organised than a hotel! And these are the same solutions I recommend to my clients and use in my own home.
Learn How to Fold Linen Properly
But before we talk products, there's one thing I always say: you still need to learn how to fold your linen properly. You can buy every organiser under the sun, but if you're shoving unfolded or badly folded sheets into them, they're not going to fix the problem.
Learning how to fold a fitted sheet properly is honestly like riding a bike. It might take a few goes to master it, but once you've got it, you've got it. Your sheets take up less room, they stack properly, and you can actually see what you have.
Linen Cupboard Organisers I Recommend
Once you've nailed the folding, there are a few organising products I absolutely love.
Clear Acrylic Shelf Dividers
These are fantastic if you like keeping your linen folded directly on the shelf. They create boundaries between stacks so your fitted sheets, flat sheets and towels don't slowly topple into one another. I especially love that they're clear because they give you structure without creating visual clutter.
Stackable Pull-Out Baskets
For open shelving, I also love stackable pull-out baskets
They allow you to use the vertical height between shelves and essentially create extra drawers where there weren't any before. They're particularly useful for towels, smaller linen, pillowcases and other categories you want to be able to pull out and access easily.
Sheet-Set Organisers
Then there are dedicated sheet-set organisers, which I think are brilliant if you're someone who struggles to keep complete sets together. Your fitted sheet, flat sheet and matching pillowcases can all live together in one neat organiser, and you can label the front by size, room or even person — Queen, King, Joshua's Room, Guest Room — whatever makes the most sense in your home.
Budget Option: Kmart Ribbed Baskets
And you absolutely don't have to spend a fortune. A simple 18L ribbed basket from Kmart can work beautifully. At around $8, you can create individual categories for Single, Double, Queen and King linen, label each basket and immediately give everything a designated home. It's affordable, accessible and incredibly easy for the whole family to maintain.
Store Linen Where You Use It
But here's something my almost 13 years as a professional organiser has taught me: not everyone's linen needs to live in the linen cupboard.
When I first started professionally organising, I believed all the household linen should be stored together in one central place. After years of organising real family homes — and raising four children with different-sized beds myself — I've changed my approach.
If a set of sheets is only ever going to be used on one particular bed, sometimes the most functional place to store it is in that bedroom. Keep the spare set in an under-bed storage container, in a labelled basket on the wardrobe bulkhead, or somewhere else within that room. When it's time to change the bed, everything you need is right there.
Ultimately, the product is only half the solution. Fold properly, categorise your linen, label where necessary, and then choose the organiser that suits the way your family actually lives.
Because I'm not interested in creating a linen cupboard that looks perfect for an Instagram photo and falls apart a week later. A beautifully organised home should be functional, easy to maintain and make everyday life easier.
Best Stain Remover and Cleaning Products I Refuse to Live Without
What is one stain remover, cleaning spray or utility tool you refuse to live without in your routine?
Can I have three?!
Homemade Stain Remover: Dawn, Bi-Carb Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide
For stains, my homemade combination of Dawn dishwashing liquid, baking (Bi-carb) soda and hydrogen peroxide is one of my absolute favourites. I make it into a paste and use it on really stubborn stains — oil, grease, tomato sauce and even stains that have already been washed, dried and put through the dryer.
Those are the stains most people assume are permanent, but I'm always up for a stain-removal challenge!
The Pink Stuff
For cleaning, I also absolutely love The Pink Stuff
It's brilliant for those stubborn scuffs and marks around the home, particularly on suitable hard surfaces such as tiles.
Diggers Vanilla Surface Spray
And for an everyday surface spray, I love Diggers Vanilla Surface Spray. I like supporting an Australian brand, it smells great and it's one of those products that's easy to incorporate into your everyday cleaning routine.
You Don't Need 50 Cleaning Products
I'm a big believer that you don't need a cupboard overflowing with 50 different cleaning products. Find the handful that genuinely work for you and learn how to use them properly.
Entryway Organising Ideas: Stop the Morning School Bag Chaos
Front entryways and kids' school bags usually create instant clutter. What is your go-to solution to stop the morning chaos?
Why I Created the Launch Locker
This exact problem is why I created my Launch Locker.
After more than 12 years organising family homes — and raising my own family — I kept seeing the same problem. School bags were dumped on the floor, shoes were somewhere else, hats disappeared, drink bottles were forgotten, and Mum was running around in the morning asking, "Where's your bag? Where are your shoes? Have you got your hat?"
The problem wasn't the children. The problem was that all of those things didn't have one designated home.
How the Launch Locker Creates a Launch Zone
The Launch Locker creates a dedicated "launch zone" where the things your family needs to get out the door can live together. It combines hooks, shelves, drawers and storage in one system designed around how families actually live.
The idea is that when the kids come home, their belongings have somewhere to go. Then when it's time to leave again, they know exactly where to find them.
For me, this goes beyond making an entryway look tidy. Good organisation should create independence. If a child knows where their bag, hat, shoes and everyday essentials belong, they're able to take responsibility for getting themselves ready instead of relying on Mum to find everything.
It's a system I've used with my own children throughout their school years, and that's why I poured so much into refining the Launch Locker. I wanted it to be sturdy, practical, family-friendly and something that could grow with a family rather than being another temporary organising product.
Because those few minutes of chaos every morning add up. If one organising system can make getting four people out the door easier, that's an investment in everyone's sanity!
Unusual Household Items That Work as Organising Tools
What is a random household item or tool most people wouldn't think of as an organising tool, but you use religiously?
Tension Rods
A tension rod!
Honestly, I have a few! I'm constantly looking at everyday household items and thinking, "What else can I use this for?"
One of my favourites is a tension rod. You can grab them from a dollar store, DAISO or Amazon. They're inexpensive, adjustable and you don't necessarily need to drill or permanently install anything.
I've used tension rods as drawer dividers, particularly in shallow kitchen and wardrobe drawers, to create separation between categories. I also love installing one underneath the kitchen or laundry sink and hanging spray bottles from it by their triggers. You're instantly using that otherwise wasted vertical space and freeing up the bottom of the cupboard for other things.
Silica Gel Packets
Another thing I NEVER throw away is those little silica gel packets you get for free inside packaging. They're brilliant for absorbing excess moisture, so I save them and pop them into things like shoes, handbags and around leather items in my wardrobe to help reduce moisture that can contribute to mould and mildew. Just keep them safely away from children and pets, and don't use any packets that are damaged or leaking.
Shoeboxes as Drawer Organisers
And while we're talking about things that come free with something else — don't be so quick to throw away a good shoebox! A sturdy shoebox, or even just the base of one, can make a fantastic drawer organiser or drawer insert. Use the whole box for a larger category, or cut sturdy boxes down to create smaller compartments for things like socks, underwear, accessories or miscellaneous bits and pieces.
Pool Noodle
And another completely random hack I love? A pool noodle! I keep one behind my washing machine and use it to help direct water from an awkward laundry tap when I'm filling a bucket. It has absolutely nothing to do with swimming, but it lives permanently in my laundry!
Organising Products Don't Need "Organiser" on the Packaging
That's why I always tell people that something doesn't need to have "ORGANISER" written on the packaging to be an organising product.
My organising brain is constantly looking at unused vertical space, awkward gaps and things we already own and asking, "How can I make this work harder?"
Some of the best organising solutions aren't expensive at all. Sometimes they're already sitting in your home — or about to go in the recycling bin!
Is Proper Garage Shelving Worth the Investment?
What's one organising product or system that carries a higher price tag that is 100% worth the investment?
Proper garage shelving. Hands down.
If there's one area of the home where I'm happy to tell people to invest in a proper system, it's the garage.
Garages tend to become the dumping ground for everything we don't know what to do with — Christmas decorations, tools, sporting equipment, camping gear, bulk purchases, memorabilia, kids' things and all those "I'll deal with it later" boxes. Before you know it, thousands of dollars' worth of stuff is sitting in piles on the floor and the car — the thing the garage was actually designed for — is parked outside!
Good-quality, heavy-duty garage shelving allows you to get things off the floor, use the vertical height of the room and create clearly defined categories. Once items are visible and accessible, you're far less likely to forget what you own and buy duplicates. It's easier to maintain, easier to clean around and, importantly, it can make the garage safer because you're not navigating piles of things on the floor.
Pair good shelving with sturdy, labelled tubs and you've created a system that can serve your family for years.
I always say organisation isn't about buying a million containers. It's about investing in the right products in the right places to make your home function better.
And if your garage shelving means you can finally park the car in the garage again? That's a pretty good return on investment!