Like With Like: Organizational Categories For Every Space In Your Home

Posted by admin on May 05, 2022

Stuck on how to group things together? Coming up with categories can be tricky. So when organizers say “group like with like”, what does that even mean?

I am breaking down home organization categories for every space in your home, so you can group like with like and not worry if you are “doing it wrong”. Which you aren’t! But sometimes having a list helps us feel better!

Kitchen

I always recommend storing kitchen items together in one of two ways. The first way is store the items together based on how you use them. If you bake a lot, store all the baking items together like rolling pin, egg separator, and other baking tools with your baking flours. It just makes it easy to grab and bake.

The other way to group items is based on what that item is and store those similar items together. All cooking utensils can be stored together. All mixing bowls can be stored together. This helps keep the entire kitchen organized if you have many people using the space.

Some of my favorite organizational categories to store like with like in the kitchen are listed below.

Tupperware
Cups/Mugs
Water Bottles
Bowls
Silverware
Serveware
Plates
Pots
Pans
Towels
Vitamins/Medications
Spices
Meal Prep
Strainers
Hot Pads/Kitchen Mitts
Cooking Utensils
Baking Utensils
Measuring Cups/Spoons
Baggies + Storage Containers
Mixing Bowls
Small Kitchen Gadgets
Large Kitchen Gadgets
Baking Dishes
Cutting Boards
Baking Trays
Serving Dishes/Trays
Placemats
Formal Place Settings
Lunch Boxes

picture of kitchen cabinets with doors open and shelves beautifully organized

Pantry

When grouping items together in the pantry, try to group like with like based on how you prepare the meals. Below are some of my favorite ways to group pantry items together.

Meal Prep
Pasta
Spices
Breakfast
Chips
Cereal
Baking
Dinner
Cooking
Grains
Snacks
Rice
Seasonings
Flours
Mixes
Treats
Sweets
Cookies
Fruits
Veggies
Crackers
Extras
Kids
Nuts
Oats
Overstock

Clothing

When creating home organizational categories for clothing, I highly recommend looking at how you like to see your clothing. Sometimes it is easier to group clothing by how you wear things. While other times it works best if you color-coordinate your clothing.

Either way, you will be able to find the clothing you want once you get things organized. Below are ways I like grouping like with like for clothing.

Accessories
Hats
Sweaters
Scarves
Socks
T-Shirts
Long Sleeves
Winter
Summer
Leggings
Belts
Swim
Travel
Shoes
Bags
Purses
Shirts
Seasonal
Pants
Shorts
Bras
Underwear
Undergarments
Athletic
Tank Tops
Lounge
Pajamas

Office

Every office space is different. So when you are thinking of categories for grouping like with like, start with how you use the space. Then create categories based on how you use your office. Below are some of my favorite home organizational categories for grouping like with like in the office.

Pens
Pencils
Scissors
Hole Punchers
Paper Clips
Binder Clips
Files
Technology
Chargers
Batteries
Travel
Lights
Manuals
Gadgets
Electronics
Stickie Notes
Notepads
Notebooks
Label Makers
Mailing Items
Interview Items
Receipts
Art Supplies

If you are looking for more paper storage ideas, The Foolproof Plan To Paper Clutter is the best resource for grouping like with like in your filing cabinet, along with specific ways to sort paper into different piles.

Garage

Depending on how you use your garage, you can find many ways to categorize the items. Below are some of my favorite ways to store like with like in a garage.

Sports
Pets
Car
Outdoor
Seasonal
Holiday
Lights
Kids
Dining
Entertaining
Yard
Gardening
Paint
Storage Covers
Ladders
Cleaning
Supplies
Tools
Hardware
Utilities

Bath

Bathroom home organizational categories can also be used in your linen closet or linen cabinet. Use the space you have to create a grouping that makes sense to the space you have using the categories below.

Bath
Body
Make-Up
Beauty
Cosmetics
Teeth
Face
Eyes
Hair
Lips
Travel
Shaving
First Aid
Masks
Lotions
Lady Stuff
Bath Bombs
Daily
Towels
Medicines

Two shelves in a linen closet with marble shelf liner and labels of extra, teeth, travel, and towels #linenclosets

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous items are anything that is left over. So the like with like groupings is even more important to these categories. But they can also be super random when looking at these groupings. Below are some miscellaneous categories you might want to find a place to store within your home.

Pets
Cleaning
Gift Wrap
Home Decor
Frames
Books
Manuals
Vases
Craft Supplies
Tools

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