Do you ever have the feeling, even when your house is clean, that it feels cluttered? You’re not alone. There are several common home organizing mistakes that make your home feel cluttered. Do you know what they are so you can fix them?
Home Organizing Mistakes
The Fridge
When you make your fridge your home memo board, you risk allowing clutter. Instead, use a magnet board for invitations, announcements and your child’s art work. You will love the look and feel of a clean fridge front!
Do You Have Too Many Piles?
Piles can take over a home. It’s true that an “organized” pile looks better than a messy one, but even a nice pile is still clutter. Implement a filing system for all the paper that comes into your home. Make room in your closets for “extra” clothes. Keep the kitchen counters clear. Everything in your home needs an assigned place that isn’t a pile!
Don’t Make Mistakes with Pictures
Pictures remind us of good memories, and help make a house a home. But be aware that you can have too many pictures. Limit your pictures to a gallery wall, plus a few framed pictures in each room. Switch out the pictures inside the frames every few months or so to keep them up to date. A great organizing trick is to store the photos that aren’t being displayed in the frame behind the photo that is.
Mistakes in the Entry
Your entry way is the first thing that people see in your home. It’s also where your family comes and goes, so don’t let it become a catch-all. Have a place for everything. Train your family to put things where they go. Start with a shoe basket for shoes. Have a place for coats and jackets. A console table with a tray for keys is also helpful, along with a spot to lay the mail until you can sort it.
Organizing Mistakes for Shelves
Shelves are so helpful for storage and decorating purposes. But if you aren’t careful, they can also cause clutter. The key for shelves is that less is more. Too much on a shelf distracts from the stuff that’s most important. If you struggle with arranging shelves, call a sister or friend who is good at it to get a second opinion.
Drawers Need Organization Too!
Drawers tend to be messy, simply because it is so easy to throw things in and shut them quick. Even if you’re the only one who sees it–it’s still clutter. It makes you feel so much better and in control when even drawers are organized and things have a place. So set a goal to clean out your drawers.
Closet Organizing Mistakes
Closets are similar to drawers. Don’t neglect them. Make sure that everything has a place. Organize your clothes. Get rid of stuff that doesn’t fit or is wearing out. Donate what you can’t keep. A clean closet starts your day off right!
I hope this list of home organizing mistakes helps you feel more organized in your home!
Good blog post. I absolutely love this site. Keep it up!. A fraction calculator Kudos! Fantastic stuff.
Visuals keep readers interested so include more please. There are not enough examples. Most people who need help need a picture to compare their clutter to how an uncluttered area should be. Thanks
Thank you for the suggestion!
I love how you mentioned the pile of clothes that have been worn but aren’t dirty yet. My husband and I do this all the time. Although he likes to leave his stuff on the back of the couch and I have to ask him if it is “recyclable”. So many people wear things once then wash them. I don’t see the point. It is a waste of time and money. Money for the detergent, softener, dryer sheets and any other laundry products you use and not to mention the electricity that is wasted.
Obviously you don’t live in the heat and humidity of southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas, and the rest of the Southeast, where you need to change clothes after 5-10 minutes outside. Other places in the US do not have this extreme combination and you CAN wear clothes for more than one day before washing.
We need some guidance on training husbands ! A couple times a year I send everyone out of the house and clean up and organize only to be back in the same boat 2 days later!
Queenie, so what do we do with clothes that are recycled, I need to know it makes me crazy, clothes everywhere!
Clothes hooks on the back of the bedroom door are perfect for the clothes that are not yet “dirty” but already worn. This allows them to be accessible, prevents wrinkling but prevents the pile.
Gail we had this exact problem…. this change has worked for us hope it will for you….I agree with you 100% people wear a top for 30 mins. then to the “wash” it goes…First, we purged our clothing, donated those items that no longer fit etc. away to others in NEED. Then, we set an area in the center of our closet with empty hangers… there WE HANG the clothes that can be worn again. The clothing items get aired, not on the floor, bed, chair or bench…Then we set a mesh hamper in the corner so when it it ready voila it goes there. my hubby is actually helping me hang stuff, we have also a new rule we make the bed and no clothes on it…. YAY!
Love all the ideas. Built our house 20 yrs ago and shifted everything from old house straight into cupboards and garage from the old house as it was sold quicker than we thought. Needless to say that’s where it stayed. Now going through everything at the moment but it is a really big job but I am getting there. Determined to finish this in next couple of months. Thanks for your great ideas. I find it hard as I am very sentimental and if family and friends have given things to me I find it very hard to get rid of them. Also photos are the same. And I love ornaments an a lot are trophies so…..none of the family want anything. Thank you, you are keeping me motivated.
For clothes you can wear again, set aside a place for them so you’ll know they’ve been worn but are still ok to wear again. We have hooks on the back of the closet door, as well as a small section of the closet set aside. So if I have a pair of pants I can wear again, I’ll just hang them on the hook. A blouse that really needs to be out on a hanger has that bit of closet. You could allocate a drawer if you need it, too.
Awesome article, thank you!!!
Turn them inside out and hang them . Someday when you need to wash a full load you might stick some in there.
The solution I’ve come up with is a few over-the-door hooks. If it’s on a hook, it can be recycled. Could be done with wall hooks in your closet as well.
My husband’s “trick” for clothes than can be worn again is to hang them on the bed post! I don’t endorse this, but at least they are not on the floor (except his pants which DRAG there!) MY trick for clothes that have been worn but can be worn again is to hang them on a different color hanger. Except for his sport’s coats, suits and jeans, I use only the flocked hangers. I have about a half dozen of them that are bright turquoise; those are the ones I use for “clean enough” items.