Living in a tiny home may come with a trade-off of less cleaning time but also results in quickly accumulated clutter. As a family of six, including four cats and a dog, we understand the challenges of keeping a small skoolie tidy and organized. Allow us to share our top six skoolie organization tips for effectively managing clutter and maintaining a clean and organized space in your skoolie.
How it started
February 6th, 2021. When I say we threw, we literally shoved everything we needed for our family in this bus. Bins and stuff littered the floor, and our kitchen table and sink were full of items. The chaos that resulted from this haphazard packing created an overwhelming and stressful environment for our family.
The chaos that resulted was overwhelming and created a stressful environment. The combination of a multitude of people in a small space, technical issues, and the mess, led to high anxiety and shorter tempers. It was at that moment that we realized we needed to take control of what we could and that was the mess and clutter.
The immediate chaos and lack of organization caused by our hasty departure in the school bus conversion created a stressful and overwhelming environment for our family. The cramped living quarters, technical issues, and clutter contributed to feelings of anxiety and frustration. It was then that I realized the importance of addressing the mess and clutter to improve the livability and functionality of the bus.
How it is going
It involved carefully evaluating our possessions and getting rid of anything that we no longer needed or that didn’t serve a specific purpose. We also implemented systems for storing and organizing our belongings, such as using designated drawers and shelves for specific items. This process wasn’t easy, and it took some time, but these six skoolie organization tips have made a significant difference in our quality of life on the road. We have more space and less stress, and our home on wheels feels more like home as a result.
Skoolie organization tips
If you would prefer to skip straight to the products that help us to keep our bus organized; then scroll now! Don’t worry, I won’t take any offense if you do this 😉
Downsize
A space for everything
Having a specific place for everything is the most important component of keeping a tidy and organized bus. This means all the way down to your bus keys. One of the benefits of a skoolie build is the ability to customize your home on wheels and create storage solutions that fit your specific needs. And even if your build is not completely finished, modifications can always be made to incorporate specific storage solutions.
For example, in the kitchen, instead of having a variety of boxes and containers cluttering a drawer, create specific storage for your pantry items and use uniform containers to make the most use of the space. This will not only make the pantry more visually appealing but also make it easier to maintain and find what you need.
Another useful tip is to have a catch-all basket for items that you need to put away as soon as you walk through the door. This could be a place for your wallet, sunglasses, and keys so that they’re not left lying around and can be easily found when you need them.
Overall, having a specific spot for everything will make it easier for everyone on your bus to know where items go and make it more likely that they will be put away correctly.
Compartmentalize
Another example would be in the kitchen. Instead of having a utensil drawer where everything gets jumbled together, use a tray or divider to separate different types of utensils. This makes it easy to find what you need and prevents things from getting lost in a mess of utensils.
By using smaller, compartmentalized storage, you can better keep track of your items and maintain a tidy space. This can be applied to any area of the bus, from clothes to electronics. The key is to take the time to think about how you use the space and what items you have, then create customized storage solutions for them.
Put it away the first time
This principle applies to everything on your bus, from dishes to clothes to tools. By putting things away the first time, you reduce the amount of clutter and the need to constantly organize and reorganize. It may take a little more effort at the moment, but in the long run, it saves time and energy and makes it easier to keep your bus tidy and organized.
Implementing this method also makes it easy to maintain the bus since everything has its proper place and is easy to locate. With this method, all members of the family, including kids, can get into the habit of putting things away, making it easier for everyone to keep the bus tidy.
Work together
It takes a village in order to keep a small space tidy and organized. In order for this to be a long-term solution and sustainable; everyone has to work together. Otherwise, you will find yourself constantly frustrated and fighting an uphill battle.
Sit down with everyone that lives on your bus, and have a conversation about your expectations and needs. Interestingly enough, even though I initiated this conversation, everyone was in agreement. By taking the time to communicate from the get-go, we eliminated a lot of frustration ahead of time. And in the end; everyone was happier and more relaxed once we were living in an organized bus.
Being that a bus is a tiny house; it tends to get messy quickly! But, working together also means it can get clean just as quickly with everyone chipping in!
Daily routine
A daily routine composed of these 6 skoolie organization tips is what helped us to maintain a tidy bus. We would end every night with a family clean-up. That meant that collectively we would pick up/put everything away, vacuum, do dishes, dust, and do a quick clean of whatever required attention. That way each day ends and begins with a spotless bus. I can’t tell you how good that feels and how much it positively impacts our moods.
When you begin each day with a clean bus, this means that the only part left is to utilize the O.H.I.O method and work together. Combined, these allowed us to keep the bus tidy and organized. But simultaneously, this prevents the feeling that all we do all day is clean.
Before we implemented these skoolie organization tips, we felt like we were always cleaning. Small spaces get dirty quickly. So every time we turned around, we were cleaning again.
Now, instead of cleaning multiple times a day; we limit cleaning to 1x a day. Then throughout the day we simply pick up. This way we really get to enjoy the entire reason we chose bus life; to be present, and spend time doing what we want to be doing.
My favorite organizational products!
I can talk and talk about all the reasons these skoolie organization tips will help you to to maintain an orgazined bus. But at the end of the day, what you really want to know is what products will help you to do that more easily:) Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered:)
Listed below are both exact products I’m using in my bus, or a similar idea if I happened to purchase something locally. While these certainly aren’t are, they are some of my favorites!
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Entryway
The entryway in a skoolie is all about containing the chaos of shoes and outerwear and keeping it clean!
Kitchen
You can never have enough kitchen organization! Don’t even get me started on all the options for drawers! However, here are a few of my favorites!
Cleaning
I love these amber bottles for the vinegar/water mixture we use in our DIY composting skoolie toilet. The metal baskets I use for all sorts of cleaning items such as Swiffer duster refills, or vacuum attachments. And this vacuum…hands down THE BEST vacuum for bus life. Cordless means it’s easy and quick to use. The variety of attachments makes it perfect for cleaning the whole bus or in small areas!
Bathroom
Kids
Organization for kids is all about compartmentalizing. I love these storage packs for separating kids’ toys. These wall hanging bags I put in the kids’ bunks to hold their tiny personal items such as glasses, the remote for their LED lights, or chapstick. Then these shelves are perfect for kids’ bunks to put books, or other small items.
Clothes
These packing cubes are the easiest method to keep clothes separated and organized in bus drawers. Each family member has a different color for all their clothes. These make it easy to find items without everything getting jumbled inside a drawer. These cubes also make it easy to do laundry and put it away again afterward.
I hope these skoolie organization tips help to give you a few ideas on how you can enjoy the benefits of bus life while simultaneously keeping your tiny home tidy and organized!
Looking for more organizational inspiration? Make sure to check out more organizational ideas below!
- DIY zippered bedding
- Organizing your kid’s toys
- The secret to organizing all your tea boxes!
- The best way to organize your laundry room
- How to keep your clothes organized in a skoolie (Coming Soon)
- The top 10 essentials you need for your skoolie kitchen (Coming Soon)
XO,
Morgan
