While organizing your home is an everyday chore, it can be harder than it seems. Here’s some advice on how to avoid organizing mistakes. 

Most of us don’t think too much about organizing our homes. We’ll buy a few storage containers, tuck away some items into our closets, and leave it at that. However, putting a bit more thought into your organizing habits can help maximize space in your home and make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

If you’re struggling to fit your items into your storage spaces or have trouble keeping your home from becoming cluttered, you might be making some organizing mistakes. Don’t fret, we’ve got some tips to help you identify mistakes and implement more effective organizing strategies! 

1. Not Measuring Your Space 

Measuring your space is an important step in the process of organizing and decorating your home. If you don’t measure your space, you’re far more likely to buy furniture or organizers that are too large (or comically small) for your home. Measuring will help you find items that are the right size for your home. It can also be helpful to measure pieces of furniture that you already have. Doing so can help you ensure that any other furniture or items you buy are proportional and will look nice together.  

2. Impulse Shopping for Home Goods 

Buying furniture, organizers, decorations, and other home goods on a whim is a bad idea. Impulse buys can lead to you cluttering up your home, which makes it harder to tidy things up. In addition, when you buy organizers that you haven’t thought through, you’re unlikely to be able to implement an effective organizing system. Think about how you want to organize, your aesthetics, and whether you want something or not before you buy it. Reducing impulse buying can also help the environment, as impulse buys are often discarded or replaced later. Taking the time to find items you truly love and find useful will help the planet and your wallet. 

3. Not Decluttering 

Even if we make efforts to stop impulse buying and start only purchasing the things we want or need, we can still end up having things we don’t use anymore in our homes. An important part of organizing is decluttering. In fact, it should be one of the first things you do. After all, it’s easiest to implement an organizing system when you know exactly what items you need to square away. When making any major changes to your home, start by decluttering unneeded items. When possible, try to find a new home for them. You may be able to give them away to friends or family, donate them, or sell them. Check out thrift stores and recycle shops in your neighborhood, as well as Facebook groups and other sites that let you sell used items. 

4. Not Labeling Storage Containers 

Skipping out on labeling storage containers will make items harder to find, especially if you have a lot of them. While it’s probably not necessary to label containers that you use every day, doing so can make your long-term storage easier to navigate. You’re probably not going to remember which box you tucked your sweaters and coats into next winter. Label your storage containers so it’s easier to find them! You don’t need a label maker or anything fancy. Just handwriting on label stickers will do. Of course, feel free to DIY or purchase cute labels if they make you happy. 

5. Not Using What You Already Have 

Just because you’re struggling with staying organized doesn’t mean you have to go and buy new containers and organizers. Sometimes, it’s best to figure out how to use whatever you already have. You may also be able to repurpose items, for instance, the jars that pasta sauce comes in can be used to store food or small items. Figuring out how to best use the items you already have can help save you money. It’s also better for the environment since you’ll be throwing away fewer things, as well as not purchasing as many new items. 

6. Not Maintaining Your Organization System 

While there are many efficient and easy organizing solutions out there, every system needs to be kept up with. You’ll have to tidy up and reorganize your items here and there. Take some time to regularly straighten up anything that’s become a bit messy. It’ll make it easier to find anything that you’re looking for and help you avoid large organizing system overhauls.