Many times, we will spend the weekends tidying up our home from a crazy work week filled with practices, meetings, appointments, etc. We spend a lot of time getting everything back in its place, going from chaos to calm. However, by Monday, the clutter has already invaded yet again. Does this sound familiar?

Here are 7 easy tips to maintain a clutter-free home:

1. Have a vision and mindset.

The first step to maintaining a clutter-free home is to visualize how you want your home to look. Imagine waving a magic wand and your visions of your space become a reality. What would that look like? How would you feel?

2. Create a system.

Make it as easy as possible to put everything back once utilized. If you use an item often in the kitchen, then create an organizational system for it in the kitchen. Often you believe the item should go elsewhere in the house but ultimately it ends up on the counter creating clutter.

3. Give everything a home.

If you can easily identify where all items go back at the end of the day, it is much easier to maintain a clutter-free lifestyle because you can quickly place everything back in its home. An example is mail. Give the mail a home and you will eliminate the stack sitting on the counter getting in the way. This takes some time at the beginning to set everything up, but it will ultimately save time in the long run. This is also an easy way for guests to put items back and to get your kids involved.

A door rack adds vertical storage to your pantry or closet.

4. Vertical space is key.

A lot of times people overlook their vertical space and think of traditional storage space such as shelves, especially for a pantry. Spices quickly lose their freshness, so being able to see them and not having any disappear to the back is key…ultimately saving you money from having to toss items.

5. Keep items in categories.

It is easier to identify items when they are in categories. This is especially true for your closet and will make your morning routine much easier to grab and go. If you know you need a pair of work pants, you can simply look for that category rather that sort through all clothing. Another tip is to organize the closet (hello, ClosetMaid organizer!) based on which items you wear frequently. Those items should be placed in the easiest area to get to, while clothes that are not worn as often can be off to the side.

Wire bins can coordinate with your décor while containing your clutter.

6. Do what works best for you.

Being organized isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. If you know that members of the household will not stop to place their shoes in a neat and organized fashion on a shoe rack but they will kick them off in a basket, then that is a win. Simply place a basket by the front door for shoes. Look for a basket that can be decorative at the same time.

Fabric drawers make toy cleanup easy and fun for kids.

7. Use baskets and cubes for the win.

This is a very crucial tip, especially if you have kids or pets that have a lot of toys. By containing them in a basket, the clutter can also be contained. This is a very simple way for kids to tidy up their space. You cannot go wrong with a Cube Organizer and Fabric Drawers with fun prints.

Kim Davidson Jones is a professional organizer based in Kentucky. Her first book, The No-Nonsense Home Organization Plan: 7 Weeks to Declutter in Any Space, is available on Amazon.