10 Common Mistakes When Organizing Your Home

You have surely read countless articles with "simple but genius" tips on organizing your home and maintaining that order. However, not all of them work, and some even turn out to be harmful misconceptions that bring chaos into your home. We will help you understand what is what.

1. Plastic Containers on Open Shelves

The Problem:

Clear plastic containers are only suitable for student dormitories. They look unattractive and expose even the most intimate clothing items.

The Solution:

Neat wicker baskets and dressers with sliding drawers look much more appealing.

2. Too Many Shelves and Boxes

The Problem:

Using more and more shelves only worsens storage problems, because the more shelves you have, the more items they hold. It also doesn't look particularly tidy.

The Solution:

First, get rid of unnecessary items; additional shelves and storage boxes won't be needed. A perfect shoe shelf will look cluttered if you don't organize its contents wisely. So, good furniture alone isn't enough: you need a system for organizing the items you store.

3. Poorly Concealing Problems

The Problem:

Using curtains to hide cluttered open shelves (even if they look cute) is a bad idea. It's only a temporary fix and doesn't look particularly modern or elegant.

The Solution:

Before masking issues, ask yourself if you want guests to eventually see that you're trying to hide things. So it's better to spend time tidying up the open shelves in your wardrobes.

4. Shelves Placed Beyond Reach

The Problem:

You have many wall-mounted shelves above wardrobes and doors—great, you can store many items out of the way. But someday you'll need them, and you'll either have to use a ladder or jump around trying to reach them...

The Solution:

Highly mounted shelves are only suitable for items you use a couple of times a year.

5. Storing Cleaning Supplies in One Place

The Problem:

Storing all cleaning supplies, mops, buckets, and brooms in one place sounds good but is actually not such a great idea, especially if your apartment has multiple rooms or even floors.

The Solution:

It's better to distribute all necessary cleaning items across several rooms or at least have extra cloths and containers with household chemicals in the bathroom and kitchen. This way, you can deal with fresh stains on the fly instead of waiting for a deep clean.

6. Choosing Non-Functional Furniture

The Problem:

Some people often prioritize aesthetics over functionality. The more furniture you buy, the less space you have in your apartment, and thus, it becomes more cramped and cluttered.

The Solution:

When choosing furniture for your home, focus on pieces that are not just beautiful but also functional, and the more functions they have, the better. Dressers with sliding drawers and sofas or chairs with storage underneath are excellent solutions for small spaces. Before shopping for furniture to store things, make a list of what you truly need so that everything has its purpose.

7. Too Many Wall Hooks

The Problem:

You can't argue that wall hooks and hangers are a good way to keep items within reach and organized. However, if too many things hang on them, your home will look cluttered. Multiple scarves and coats hanging on the wall in July won't make your interior neat.

The Solution:

Instead of adding more hooks, ask yourself if everything currently hanging on the existing ones is really necessary.

8. Storing Seasonal Items in Opaque Bags

The Problem:

Of course, it's better to store summer clothes away in winter and vice versa. Usually, we pack them up and hide them: for example, in a storage room. Later, we spend hours rummaging through opaque bags and boxes looking for that suddenly needed item.

The Solution:

Purchase transparent bags or large storage containers so that their contents won't be a "black box" for you.

9. Ignoring Family Members' Preferences

The Problem:

You've organized the closet, and it seems like you're done. But after a few days, you find the chaos again! It's not surprising since family members also use the contents of the closet and might not be aware of your storage system.

The Solution:

Don't forget to consult with your cohabitants and involve them in your organizational efforts so they can support your initiatives.

10. Confusing Order with Cleanliness

The Problem:

Certainly, both aspects—cleanliness and order—are important for a home. But one doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with the other: cleaning the kitchen to shine but leaving kitchen utensils scattered in disorder won't give you the desired result.

The Solution:

Don't forget to pay attention to both cleanliness and proper organization of items in your apartment, so it will look truly perfect.