A Pro Organizer Shares the Secret to Decluttering Every Room In Your Home

Eliza recommends going against our natural inclination to place a horizontal surface in our entryway. She says, "do not [do it] — it will become a catch-all! It is much better to place small hooks for keys and a boot tray in this space, and train your housemates to walk their coats and bags further on to the coat closet."

And as for our other shoes and miscellaneous items? "Use an over-the-door clear (very important) shoe organizer on the inside of your coat closet. Shoes aside, it's great for holding goggles, sunscreen and bug spray in the Summer . . . And hats, gloves and rolled up scarves in the Winter!"

For living rooms, Eliza subscribes to the belief that less is more. And with so many open spaces to house decorations, such as mantels and bookcases, we need to be careful not to clutter these areas up with too many items.

She says, "pick five or less very special decorative items for your fireplace mantel. Any more than this, and it starts to detract from the meaning of each item. Less is always more, and the more we own, the less we highlight the things that matter most."

As for book shelves, Eliza also suggests to "pull the books toward you until all of the spines line up. This will reduce the "busy-ness" that so many book shelves have. I see some people flip their books around so that they all look uniform. While this does look a little calmer, it makes it more difficult to pinpoint what you are looking for, which is the antithesis of organizing."

Bedrooms are another area in the home prone to clutter and build-up, but Eliza suggests really focusing in on your bedroom closet in order to guarantee a more harmonious space overall. One nifty trick Eliza swears by is having a designated hamper or bin marked "donations" in a corner of the closet. "When you try something on and you just don't feel in love with it any more, drop it into the hamper. Too often I see clothing that my clients feel mediocre about get put back on the rod (nooo!) because they didn't have a designated Donation Station. When the hamper is full, bag it up, and place it right into your car. Drop it off at the next clothing drop box you drive past."

Bathrooms can be another tricky area in the home when it comes to organizing, between all of the products we use to get ready in the morning as well as preparing for bedtime.

To eliminate clutter, Eliza advises to "use a decorative tray to corral the items you use every day (sunscreen, deodorant, night cream, etc). If it doesn't fit in the tray, it has to be put away in the drawer or under the sink!"

And when it comes to those tricky smaller items, like bobby pins and hair clips, Eliza says to "put adhesive magnets on the inside of your medicine cabinet to hold [these smaller items], or grooming tools like tweezers and clippers. These tiny things tend to grow legs otherwise."

And lastly, no more worrying about what to do with that big clunky hair dryer! She says, "I use an over-door hair dryer holster to maximize space under the sink. I tie up the long cord with a velcro tie so that it doesn't get caught in the bottom of the door."

For kitchen decluttering, Eliza says there are only a few things you need to do to ensure a completely organized oasis. For one, "don't let condiments and other small bottled items touch the back of the fridge. Use a clear bin or a Lazy Susan to instantly bring the way-back things forward." This way you won't have to deal with any unwanted surprises during your fridge clean out session.

On another note, Eliza recommends freeing up storage space by "pair[ing] down your oven mitts to two, or just one really excellent one. Many people designate an entire drawer to these, but unlike dish cloths, you really just need one or two. And then you've got the better part of a drawer free, [where you can] place those long kitchen utensils instead of in that pot on the counter! Less stuff on the counter means a more relaxing kitchen."

And lastly, the kitchen pantry! We all know this space in our homes can get messier faster than almost anywhere else. Eliza's expert tip for pantry organization is to "store food only between the heights of your belly button up to your eyes. The lowest and highest shelves should house appliances and other non-edibles. Always keep the perishables in sight . . . or else they tend to sneakily expire!"