If TikTok is to be believed, everyone else’s homes are organized perfectly. The reality is that even pro organizers have spots they don’t feel need to be perfectly labeled, color-coordinated, and categorized.
Whether because it’s untenable to maintain or not functionally useful, there are plenty of areas in the home you don’t need to worry about. With the help of a few pro organizers, we’ve rounded up the top places and ways you can (and shouldn’t) waste time organizing.
Meet the Expert
- Diane N. Quintana is a professional organizer and the founder of DNQ Solutions organizing company.
- Lauren Saltman is a professional organizer and founder of Living. Simplified. home organizing services.
Closets Full of Matching Containers
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Keeping your closets and cupboards in order is helpful, but as pro organizer Diane N. Quintana points out, you don’t need to invest in a matching set full of cute, coordinated organizers. Instead, she says to focus on creating a system that allows your belongings to fit in the space, and are easy to find and identify.
Quintana notes the linen closet as a great example of this. While linen holders might look lovely, they’re often overpriced and impractical.
“It’s possible to neatly fold sheets so they fit inside a pillowcase if you want to contain them,” she says.
If you truly care about the aesthetics of your linen closet, she recommends color-coding them for easier access and storage.
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A Color-Coordinated Refrigerator
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It’s a great idea to organize your fridge to maximize functionality, but professional organizer Lauren Saltman noticed some people have a tendency to take it a bit too far.
“Although the idea of color-coding your refrigerator may look really appealing online, maintaining a rainbow system for our refrigerator can be very time consuming,” she says.
Instead, Saltman says to spend your time thinking more about what’s in your fridge and encouraging good habits rather than prioritizing the beauty of your refrigerator’s interior. This includes bringing old items to the front so they are seen and used in time, using the door to store the most popular items as opposed to condiments untouched, and only putting items in drawers if you know you won’t forget about them.
The Perfect Paper Organizing System
In a dream world, there would be no random papers to accumulate on our countertops. But in the real world, that’s hardly possible. Rather than amass junk mail and paperwork with the hopes of sorting it later, Saltman says a good solution might be better than the perfect solution.
With how many things are digitized these days, your best bet is to toss most of it. But if you do have any loose papers you want to hang onto, create a good-for-now system of either filing or tossing immediately.
Decanted Pantry Items
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By now, we’ve seen plenty of beautiful pantries without any packaging in sight because everything has been decanted into matching containers. While this might have some functional benefits, it’s really not necessary and takes a lot of time.
Quintana notes that many people decant cereal because it lasts longer in a sealed container—but it’s hardly necessary.
“I use a chip clip to close the interior bag,” Quintana says. “It works just as well.”
Any Free Countertop Space
You might think the key to clutter-free counters is with the perfect organization system, but Saltman says it’s better to be realistic. Kitchen and bathroom countertops are tricky to maintain.
If you can’t figure out an organizing system that works, create a decluttering system instead.
“When you see it starting to build up it’s time to tackle the mess,” says Saltman. “With just 15 minutes each day, you’ll find that it will be easier to maintain these high-clutter areas.”
The Junk Drawer
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If you think pro organizers don’t have a junk drawer, you would be wrong. It’s perfectly fine and normal to have places in your home that hold a variety of things jumbled together.
But even if you have a drawer that’s not beautifully organized, that doesn’t mean you have to hang onto unwanted or unused items.
“I suggest intentionally going through all the spaces in your home at least once a year,” says Quintana. “When you actively explore all the nooks and crannies of your home with the intention of keeping the things you want, need, use, and love, clutter does not take over.”
