18 Smart and DIY Mail Organizer Ideas to Reduce Clutter

If you strive for a clutter-free existence but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of physical letters, bills, and junk mail that flow in and out of your home, don't despair. There are plenty of ways to get a handle on all of that paper correspondence so that it doesn’t end up piled in the entryway, lost under a mountain of files in your home office, abandoned on the kitchen counter, or anywhere in between. From affordable storage to easy DIYs, here are some simple mail organizer ideas to help keep your house in order.

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Back Door Mail Basket

Thistlewood Farms

Blogger KariAnne Wood of Thistlewood Farms hung a simple labeled wire basket on the laundry room back door that helps keep outgoing mail organized. Impossible to miss before walking out the door, the open wire basket is an ideal spot to keep outgoing letters visible or to temporarily store small items you might otherwise forget to take with you.

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DIY Magnetized Fridge Mail Holder

A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess created this simple and colorful magnetic DIY mail organizer that lives on the side of the kitchen fridge, keeping it visible and accessible in a convenient and well-trafficked spot.

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Closet Office Mail Organizer

Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona

Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona added a small tiered mail organizer to the left of the computer monitor in this stylish home closet office that keeps incoming and outgoing mail organized and in sight.

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Mudroom Mail Organizer

Mindy Gayer Design Co.

Mindy Gayer Design Co. added a corkboard to this bright and sunny mudroom that is styled with kids' drawings but can also be used to tack up outgoing mail that you haven't processed yet but need to deal with ASAP.

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Console Table Mail Organizer

Design by Martha O'Hara Interiors / Photo by Spacecrafting Photography

An organic wood bowl that is shallow and large enough to accommodate any size envelope placed on the entryway console table of this home Martha O'Hara Interiors creates an easy landing spot for incoming or outgoing mail and looks great empty, too.

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Mudroom Mail Station

Design by Crisp Architects / Photo by Rob Karosis

If you're designing a mudroom, consider a more permanent mail organizer solution, like the built-in mail slots in this mudroom mail station from Crisp Architects.

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Metal Tray Mail Organizer

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Zeke Ruelas

This home office desk from Emily Henderson Design has both a small silver metal letter holder and a shiny brass tray for incoming mail on the desktop to make it easy to process mail and stay organized.

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Home Office Mail Organizer

Fantastic Frank

This hallway home office from Fantastic Frank has open shelving with storage for paperwork and incoming mail.

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DIY Desktop Letter Holder

A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess made this DIY wood and brass letter holder that sits on the desktop and keeps mail organized and in plain view.

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Woven Basket Mail Organizer

Mindy Gayer Design Co.

Mindy Gayer Design Co. added a shallow woven basket to the surface of this kitchen desk that can be used to store mail on its way in or out of the door.

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Wire Basket Mail Organizer

Design by Living With Lolo / Photo by Life Created

A shiny gold metallic wire basket sits discreetly on top of this home office desk from Living With Lolo for incoming and outgoing mail, while an adjacent wall of file folder storage is ready to store anything that needs to be saved.

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Vintage Style Mail Organizer

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Styling by Hilary Robertson / Photo by Erin Kelly

A simple tiered metal vintage-style organizer for mail and paperwork has a permanent place on this home office desk from Leanne Ford Interiors, making it easy to keep track of letters that need to be opened or mailed.

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Designated Mail Spot

Design by Calimia Home / Photo by Jeanne Canto

You don't need a mail organizer if you have a designated spot to hold and sort the mail when you come in the door, like this entryway console table from Calimia Home that includes a woven basket beneath so you can instantly recycle anything you don't need before it makes it farther into the house.

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Bulletin Board Mail Organizer

Alvin Wayne

In this apartment bedroom office from NYC-based interior designer Alvin Wayne, a bulletin board is a convenient place to tack up mail that needs to be dealt with or saved, keeping it visible and off the desk until it can be recycled or filed away.

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DIY Thrifted Mail Organizer

Casa Watkins Living

Casa Watkins Living repurposed some thrifted Thanksgiving place card holders into a DIY mail organizer to make incoming mail in the entryway. The simple project required nothing more than spray painting the place card holders, then gluing them together, and finishing the bottom edge with decorative ribbon.

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Gold Wire Letter Holder

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Christy Q. Photo

In this Scandi-inspired Sunnyvale, CA home office from Cathie Hong Interiors, a gold metal letter holder stands ready for incoming or outgoing mail, and practically disappears when not in use. A row of simple file folders is lined up on the desk to hold magazines or catalogs until you're ready to read through them.

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DIY Wood Cut Organizer

Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona

Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona made a letter organizer from a wood cutting, a simple project for DIYers with woodworking skills. The finished product was made to live on the primary bedroom nightstand alongside a framed monthly calendar marked with sticky notes.

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Small Space Mail Organizer

Design by Caitlin Higgins for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

In a small space, a little wall-mounted shelf near the door where you can store outgoing letters does the trick, like this entryway designed by Caitlin Higgins for Emily Henderson Design.

How can I organize my mail at home?

The best way to organize your mail is to come up with an easy system that works for you. Choose a designated spot for holding unopened mail such as a tray on the entryway console table that includes a place to recycle things you don’t need or want to keep, such as a woven basket. And be sure to have a designated place to file mail you need to hold onto once you’ve sorted it.

How do you keep mail tidy?

You can keep mail tidy by creating a designated spot for incoming and outgoing mail, with a nearby recycling bin to prevent paper clutter. And be sure to create storage for paper documents or sentimental letters and cards that you need or want to keep, such as a file folder in your home office or a hall closet. Be sure to regularly process mail so that it becomes an automatic habit and you stay on top of important notices and bills.

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