3 Experts Share Their Top Tips For Creating an Organized Drop Zone

18.11.2023 - 11:33 / thespruce.com

We all have that one spot in our house that tends to accumulate random clutter every single day. Normally, that’s the spot near the front door—but really anywhere can become a dumping ground, including the garage, kitchen drawer (aka the junk drawer), dining table, and living room sofa. 

If your current drop-spot looks like the aftermath of a tornado, it may be time to do some re-organizing and pick up some new household habits.

If you don’t have an “official” drop zone in your house, this is your cue to make one. You can thank us later when your daily routine becomes more streamlined than ever.

Follow these six golden rules from professional organizers to create the ultimate drop zone and keep the space in tip-top order.

A drop zone is basically wherever you “drop” incoming items—think: mail, packages, dirty shoes—and store on-the-go essentials like your keys, coat, and dog leashes.

Consider it a catch-all for those odds and ends that you don’t want to keep elsewhere, whether because you want these items to be readily accessible or because you have nowhere else to stash them.

Believe it or not, having a designated drop zone comes with its benefits. One: there’s the perk of having all your daily items in one easy-to-access place, saving you time and stress headaches when you’re rushing out the door. And two: it reduces the spread of clutter in other areas of the home. 

The catch is that a drop zone can quickly go from useful to chaotic without a proper organizational system in place. Before you know it, your keys are lost in a pile of mail and you’re tripping over backpacks on the floor. 

Here’s what you should do:

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For Jamilah Lang, the face behind Style and Order, the first step to