If you feel like your home or office isn’t as tidy as it could be — or worse, is in a constant state of disarray — try this foolproof cleaning method. This method helps you tackle any size mess, from an unorganized pantry to an entire basement overhaul. Known as the “Core 4” Method, this clever cleaning technique was created by professional organizer Kayleen Kelly, who specializes in what she calls “chronic clutter.” She has decluttered thousands of homes during her decade of experience and has reached millions of users across her social media platforms. Thousands of families have benefited from her advice. 

Following four straightforward steps — Clear Out, Categorize, Cut Out, and Contain — many who followed her advice have seen lasting results. Kelly says this method aims to “create a functional home, quickly and confidently.” We’ve broken down the “Core 4” with some tips and tricks. Here’s how to organize any space within hours.

Before You Begin

Select a space that is most in need of some TLC. If you’re overwhelmed about where to start, Kelly suggests starting small, with a bathroom or a closet. She also suggests breaking larger rooms into sections to make them more manageable. Organizing too large a space at one time can be overwhelming and lead to an even bigger mess. You’ll need a few supplies: labels or Post-It notes, a writing utensil, storage boxes, and trash bags.

Step 1: Clear Out

Remove everything from the area, including trash. After your cabinets, closets, bins, and drawers are empty, throw away rubbish or any broken or unusable item. (Don’t throw away donateable or sellable items.) This is an excellent time to give the area a good wipe down and vacuuming. After the trash is thrown away, you’re likely left with many items strewn across the floor. Don’t worry; you’ll tackle this in the following steps.

Step 2: Categorize

Kelly suggests having your labeled bins or boxes ready before you begin sorting. Moving boxes or reusable grocery bags work well for this step.

Try to use one bin per category. For a bathroom, this might look like one bin for cleaning supplies, one for hair supplies, one for skincare, one for makeup, one for children’s items, etc. Kelly tries to stay very general with categories, only breaking them up into more detail if they don’t fit into one bin. Try not to use any “miscellaneous” bins because this will encourage disorganization in the future — everything should have a place.

Step 3: Cut Out

Now that everything is categorized, you can see what you have and better identify what you don’t need. By following the steps in this order, you might realize you can donate or sell items that you have multiple of. If you no longer need an item, ask yourself: Can I donate it? Can I sell it? Is it unusable? It’s always better to donate an item to someone in need or sell an item than to send it to a landfill (unless it can be recycled). Have a box on hand for donations, another box for sellable items, and a trash bag for anything broken or otherwise unusable.

Step 4: Contain

By now, all the belongings you’d like to keep are in bins, bags, or boxes. It’s time to move them into permanent storage bins. Kelly says to store similar items together and never overcrowd containers. This ensures that your storage system is usable. 

Choose storage containers based on the size of the category. Seeing and knowing what you have is vital to organizational success. Clear bins like these highly-rated stackable bins are often the best choice. She also stresses focusing on function, not aesthetics, and prefers simple, low-cost bins. When putting your items back in a closet or cabinet, place bins that you’ll use regularly toward the front and lesser-used items toward the back. If you need access to a bin multiple times daily, consider using lidless bins to keep things fast and easy. Labeling items is essential, especially if your bins have lids or aren’t transparent. Make labels with tape and markers, or invest in a label maker like this portable Bluetooth model.

“Creating a simple system of organization is all about ease of access,” explains Kayleen. After completing this final step, your newly contained belongings will be easier to find. Hopefully, the days of dreadful bathroom pile-ups and overflowing pantries are a thing of the past.

During the dog days of summer, there’s nothing like returning home, cranking the AC, and standing directly in front of the vent for a solid 30 minutes. But while it may be tempting to set the thermostat as low as possible during these warmer months, doing so isn’t such a great idea: Setting the thermostat too low could force your HVAC system to work overtime, which may result in lofty utility bills and, over time, a stressed system. Here’s how to set your thermostat during the summer to properly balance comfort and affordability.

The Ideal Temperature When Home

You may assume that you should lower the thermostat on hot summer days, but that’s not actually the case. According to the government energy-efficiency program Energy Star, you should keep the device set at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The hotter it is outside, the harder it is for your HVAC system to keep the interior of the house cold — so the lower you set the temperature, the more energy and money it will take to keep your home cool.

At the end of the day, though, personal preferences matter, and those who prefer colder temperatures may vehemently disagree with this recommendation. The World Health Organization (WHO), for its part, recommends keeping the household room temperature at a minimum of 64.48 degrees Fahrenheit for healthy individuals and 68 to 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit for the young, elderly, or those who have chronic health conditions. Indoor temperatures colder than 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit are associated with health issues. (WHO doesn’t have a recommendation for maximum safe indoor temperatures. Some suggest 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the hottest your house should be, while others say even 80 degrees may be too warm. This, too, may be a matter of personal preference.)

The Ideal Sleeping Temperature

The ideal temperature for sleeping, according to the National Sleep Foundation, is between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s because cooler temperatures encourage the body to produce higher amounts of melatonin, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythm and leads to a deeper sleep.

It doesn’t cost as much to keep your house cool at night: Temperatures drop outside as soon as the sun sets, so your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard to combat the heat, and energy prices also tend to be lower. But when you’re sleeping, Energy Star recommends setting your thermostat at least 4 degrees higher than its daytime recommendation, which will help save on utility bills. Whether you choose to prioritize saving as much as possible or ramping up the AC to sleep better is up to you.

The Ideal Temperature When Not Home

When you leave the house to go to work or run an errand, the Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees higher. So, if you keep it set at 78 degrees Fahrenheit, set it to 85 or 88 degrees Fahrenheit before you walk out the door. This helps you save even more on your utility bills: According to the DOE, “a higher interior temperature will slow the flow of heat into your house, saving energy on air conditioning.” Doing so for eight hours a day can save you 10% on heating and cooling costs per year. (Important caveat, though: You shouldn’t do this if you have pets — they overheat more easily than humans do. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs may overheat at temperatures above 81 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Why not leave your AC on at the lower temperature, or turn it off completely if you’re not going to be home? It’s a misconception that an air conditioner will need to work harder to cool down a hot house. Because it cools at a steady rate, it will instead need to run longer to bring your house to a lower temperature, which will increase your utility bills. 

It’s more energy efficient to set your thermostat slightly higher when you’re not home. This will make the AC turn on every so often, keeping your home at a moderate point that will be easier to cool when you get back. It will also keep humidity low, therefore decreasing mold growth and issues such as wood warping. If you and your pets are going out of town for more than two days, however, experts say you can turn the AC off completely to save as much on your utility bills as possible.

Returning to a hot home is obviously a concern, but you can alleviate those worries by investing in a smart thermostat that can be remotely controlled with your phone. Just log in to the app on your way home, set the temperature to around 78 degrees, and you’ll come back to a cool, refreshing house.

This story was originally published in 2024 and has been updated for 2026.