Green Organizing Tips to Clear Clutter

Last Updated on November 1, 2026 by Ellen Christian

If you’re looking for green organizing tips, you don’t need to buy a collection of plastic bins or expensive storage systems to get started. Organizing your home sustainably is about reducing clutter, reusing what you already have, and choosing practical storage solutions that last.

Whether you’re organizing a closet, kitchen, or home office, a few simple changes can make your space easier to manage without creating more waste. These eco-friendly organizing ideas will help you clear clutter, save money, and make better use of the space you already have.

Green Organizing Tips

Every year, I make a promise to myself that I will be more organized.  I will deal with the clutter in my closets and the piles of paperwork that take up almost every flat surface in my office.  

Then, I will schedule my appointments so that I spend less time running around.  I will spend more time in my garden and less time working in my office and looking out the window at the garden.

So, I have the best of intentions, but sometimes I have a problem following through. This year, I am taking steps to make sure that I do follow through with my goal of reorganizing.

5 Ways to Organize Your Home Without Buying More Storage Containers

Before purchasing new organizing supplies, look around your home for things you can reuse.

1. Repurpose glass jars. Clean jars can hold buttons, craft supplies, small office items, or other household essentials.
2. Reuse sturdy cardboard boxes. Cover them with leftover wrapping paper or fabric to organize drawers, shelves, and closets.
3. Try the one-in, one-out rule. When you bring home something new, consider donating or recycling something you no longer need.
4. Organize with baskets you already own. Move unused baskets into closets, bathrooms, or entryways instead of buying new ones.
5. Donate usable items responsibly. Give unwanted clothing, books, and household goods to local organizations that can put them to good use.

The most sustainable organizing system is often the one that makes better use of what you already have.

 I have realized that part of my problem is clutter.  Whenever I think about organizing, my first thought is to buy new containers to put the clutter.  

After all, fifteen books in a pile are cluttered.  Fifteen books in a cute basket is organized, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t.  You will have those fifteen books taking up space.

You still need to dust around those fifteen books when you clean.  If those fifteen books are not books you need or will refer to again, why keep them?

As I go through the process of decluttering and reorganizing, I’m trying to make eco-friendly choices.  

What is the best way to organize?

Tossing a houseful of stuff into the landfill and running to the store to buy new containers, boxes, baskets, and organizers doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Here are a few green organizing tips that I am trying to keep in mind.

Repurpose

Use baskets, containers, jars, and other items that you already have to organize. Many organizing books I have read encourage you to go out and buy new container systems to organize things.

While I agree that using containers to help group things together can be helpful when reorganizing, it’s not necessary to run out and buy new ones.

Look at some of the containers you already have in your house and think outside the box. Can you prevent something from going to the landfill and instead use that to organize?  

I needed a container for all the Washi tape that I have been collecting. Rather than buy something new, I repurposed a Mason jar I had.

If you’re looking for a small project to start with, try my tips for decluttering a junk drawer without buying organizers. It’s an easy way to put these green organizing ideas into practice using things you already have.

How can I organize my house quickly?

Don’t tear your entire house apart trying to accomplish this all at once. You’ll just get frustrated, and the task probably won’t get done. Start with one shelf or one bookcase or one room. 

I am organizing our living room since it also serves as my office.  As much as I’d love to snap my fingers and have it done in one day, I know it won’t happen.  

I’m beginning with our entertainment center since it holds the most clutter.

As I decide there are things I do not want, I am offering them on Freecycle.  Freecycle helps keep things out of the landfill and passes them onto people who might need them.

As I cleared off a section of our entertainment center, I recycled what I could and offered several books on Freecycle.  

I then repurposed a basket I had to hold coasters. I’ll continue working on the entertainment center this week before I move to another area of the living room.

Clean green

As you are clearing off surfaces and reducing clutter, give everything a good cleaning.  Choose eco-friendly cleaners rather than those containing toxic chemicals. You can even make green cleaners.

I always try to use green cleaners. When I do not have the time to make my own, I purchase eco-friendly cleaners at the store.  I don’t like the idea of exposing my family and our pets to the chemicals in traditional cleaners.

Buy green

If you do need to purchase a new container, look for an eco-friendly option. There are so many things that are made of recycled materials like plastic bottles that you can find them just about everywhere. Make sure that you recycle your products to help make this possible.

If you need additional storage after reusing what you already have, consider sturdy fabric storage baskets that can be used in closets, on shelves, or throughout your home. Choose a size that fits your space and a neutral design you’ll be able to reuse for years.

Once you’ve cleared the clutter, keeping your home organized doesn’t have to take hours. My 15-minute daily reset is a simple routine that can help prevent clutter from building up again.

Do you have any other green organizing tips to share?

REPREVE is a recycled fiber that helps turn plastic bottles you recycle into cool stuff you can wear and use every day. Now there’s no excuse not to recycle! The U.S. plastic bottle recycling rate is less than 30 percent—so less than one-third of all plastic bottles get recycled.

Most people don’t think about what happens to plastic bottles after you recycle them. So Repreve is on a mission to get the word out: Just recycle more and buy REPREVE products.