His & hers: tips for organizing your home

Whether you live in a one-bedroom apartment or a large townhouse, two people's belongings can easily take up all the available space. Learning how to organize your home so you can accommodate all your belongings can help you both feel happier and less stressed.

• We're all guilty of owning too much stuff and, worse, of storing it in nonsensical places.
• The first step to organizing your home is for both of you to go through your belongings and get rid of stuff you don't need.
• Then, pull out the stuff that doesn't make sense to store where it is. For example, storing linens and towels in the bedroom closet takes up space where you could store your clothing.
• Check your bathrooms, too, as they are places where stuff that might not belong often gets crammed into shelves and cabinets.

• Buying his and her storage units is a great way to declutter and organize your home.
• You can buy something as simple as milk crates or as elaborate as expensive storage units, such as a wardrobe or bathroom shelving unit.
• Just make sure that each of you has the same amount of storage so there won't be any fighting about space.
• You can assign dedicated items to each storage space so you can stay organized, such as his and her sock drawers.

• If you share a dresser in the bedroom, divide it up by drawers and make sure to keep those drawers organized.
• For instance, if you have the top drawer, add small plastic containers or baskets to divide and store your jewellery, change, keys or whatever else you might need to toss into that drawer.
• You should assign a shared drawer where you keep things you both use, such as remote controls, pens, tape and other everyday items.

• If you are constantly finding their stuff in your space and vice-versa, it might be time to start colour-coding your storage.
• Assign a colour to your storage boxes and a colour to your partner's, and always remember to store your stuff in your area.
• This can help keep areas uncluttered so you can find your things when you need them.

Having a well-organized shared apartment not only removes clutter and frees up living space, it also helps both parties feel more at home. A shared home, like a relationship, is all about compromise.