8 Features Every Well-Functioning House Needs, According to Experienced Household Managers

You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to ensure your home runs like a professionally managed estate.

A few simple and affordable features and upgrades can make it easier to complete everyday tasks, reduce clutter, and help your household thrive. 

“Making your home efficient is not about strict rules and pretty bins that make everything look neat. It’s about a setup that works well for the people inside it,” explains Ashley Torres, cleaning expert and team leader with Karen's Green Maids in Chicago.

By focusing on how you and your family actually use your home, you can create a functional space you’re proud to call your own.

What makes a home run smoothly

Heather Snaman, president and co-owner of Queen of To Do, a luxury personal assistant and professional organizing service in Austin, TX, polled her team of household managers to uncover exactly which features can make everyday life at home easier.

Here are eight of their top picks:

1. Coffee station

Your coffee station should include a coffee maker, mugs, spoons, and everything else to make a cup of joe in the morning or any time of the day.

“This way you don't have to bumble around before you're really awake,” says the Queen of To Do team.

2. Under-cabinet lighting

Under-cabinet lighting can be a real game changer at night. It can illuminate your countertops so you can cook or grab something without turning on the bright overhead light.

According to Snaman, you can add them to your cabinets yourself easily and affordably.

3. Space for stuff to land when you walk through the door

 Ideally, this would be a coat closet or mudroom with hooks as well as a bowl for keys, wallets, etc. 

“As someone whose front door opens directly into my living room, having a designated drop zone is a must,” Snaman explains.

4. 'Elsewhere basket'

Put things you need throughout the day in a basket instead of making the trip to individual rooms a million times a day. 

The Queen of To Do’s household managers suggest you empty the basket once a day and then put everything where it belongs.

5. Flat hangers

Flat hangers—like the velvet ones—are worth the investment as they can prevent clothes from slipping off the hanger and save a great deal of space. 

“They’re flatter than normal hangers, and you can fit quite a bit more in your closet,” the team explains.

6. Closet organization system

Implement some type of closet organization system so you can find things quickly.

The Queen of To Do’s household managers recommend sorting first by clothing type (pants, shorts, tanks, T-shirts, etc), and then by color. 

7. Air filter subscription service

Air filters need to be replaced every few months, but most homeowners forget about them.

That’s why Snaman and her team like to promote an air filter subscription that ships air filters to you on the set schedule that you need to replace them.

8. Keyless door lock and video doorbell

A keyless door lock lets you unlock and lock your door without a physical key. Pairing it with a video doorbell can make life so much easier.

“You never have to dig your keys out or wonder who’s at the door,” say Snaman’s household managers.

A few bonus items that the household managers at Queen of To Do love include robot vacuum cleaners, outlets with USB and USB-C ports, pot filler over the stove, and trash cans in every room.