We’ve all been through that. Look for an item like a box of pasta in the pantry or an extra bar of soap under the bathroom sink, only to discover a mess of clutter. Even the most organized people have areas that they neglect in their homes, especially those who live in apartments and condos where storage space is very important.
When you are looking for a more organized space, keeping hidden and unexpected areas neat and tidy is crucial. Sometimes it’s obvious what disturbs the peace, like the oodles of cosmetics on display, but sometimes you can’t quite pinpoint what makes your home special feel overloaded. So I spoke to professional organizers to learn exactly which places their clients tend to forget when organizing, and how to sort them out and keep them that way.
Whether you’re just getting a studio or tackling a larger rental with roommates, there are loads of cute home organization products available right now to help decluttering be done as quickly as possible and with your home’s aesthetics in mind.
1. Junk drawers
Ah, the junk drawer – we all have one. Those catch-all spaces that store everything from pens to vitamins that we no longer take, unused kitchen utensils and other small items. Junk drawers are designed to be filled with items we forget to clear out. But instead of neglecting these spaces, we need to tackle them before doing anything else, explains the professional organizer Shantae Duckworth (opens in new tab). “This process usually takes about half an hour and, most importantly, gives you the boost you need to conquer the other areas of the house.”
Much like organizing kitchen drawers, Duckworth suggests starting by removing everything from the drawer, removing what you no longer use, cleaning it, and then measuring to organize bins. Make sure you have your favorite eco-friendly cleaning products on hand before you get started! Remember that anything you find aesthetically pleasing can be moved upstairs and flaunted with a cute tray or colorful storage container.
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2. Pantries
Most people go in and out of their pantries so often that those spaces just seem to attract clutter. Regular pantry processing and maintenance is important because you don’t want to accidentally eat or serve expired food. Duckworth notes that “pantries tend to have deep cabinets, so we tend to forget the groceries we’ve already bought, and we go out and buy the same items again,” and recommends getting everything out and checking the expiration date to make up for it see which foods are still good to keep and what should be composted or thrown away. If you have roommates, set up an organizational date night to make it more “fun” and then sift through all of your food to do so everyone can agree on what to do go.
To maintain a neat pantry, Duckworth recommends checking your pantry to see what you have before your next trip to the grocery store. “I started my organizational journey when I couldn’t tell you how many cans of tomatoes I had in my pantry that we kept running out and restocking.”
3. Linen closets
Who doesn’t have a couple of old towels to save for the beach or to dry off the dogs on a rainy day? While many of us go to our closets regularly, we also forget to organize them. “I think the linen closet is more of a place for people to put things that don’t fit in a garbage drawer,” says Duckworth. “The linen closet should be organized with items you use like towels and linens, maybe cleaning supplies. It’s usually where people drop a whole bunch of random stuff when companies drop by or when they don’t have a specific home for stuff.
Start the cleaning process by removing everything from the area and then processing. If you have torn or soiled sheets or towels, dispose of them or try donating these items to a local animal shelter. Alternatively, soiled towels can find a new purpose as cleaning rags. Duckworth recommends keeping two sets of linens per bed and three towels per person in each household.
“Most people will find items and bedding they haven’t seen in years. To organize the space I would definitely recommend getting some clear acrylic containers so you can easily see everything in each container and there’s a sense of formality,” adds Duckworth. Note that woven trash cans are cute, too.
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4. Under the sink
Under the sink is usually a black hole of cleaning supplies and unused personal care items. What makes maintaining these areas even more difficult is working around pipes. “When it comes to these areas, I always advise my clients to carefully analyze what they want to keep in the spaces, as these are valuable properties. This is also a great time to look at your cleaning supplies and maybe invest in some all-purpose cleaners. That way you don’t have to buy a whole bunch of different products when you could just buy one product and save some space and money,” says Duckworth.
For these areas, the organizer suggests using lazy susans with multiple compartments. “So you have space for your cleaning supplies, your garbage bags, sponges and other utensils. It’s also great to invest in handy storage for storing towels or sponges to save space.” These work well for organizing kitchen sinks, but also in bathrooms.
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Clear lazy susan organizer
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How to keep these rooms clean
“I find the best way for busy people to manage clutter is to set up a non-stop appointment with themselves,” says professional organizer Marcia Sloman of Organize under control (opens in new tab) tells me. “Choose a small area to start (like a drawer) and set a timer for 30 minutes. Sort things into defined categories. See how far you get (in your allotted time frame), then clear it all away for another 30 minutes. The key to success is allowing enough time to clear the deck.”
Sloman also recommends cleaning up when new things come into the house. “When a new item comes in, one or two go out. This is especially true for new clothes, accessories and cosmetics, think ahead about where they will be stored.”
