You're doing home organization WRONG.

okay don't get me wrong i find this brand of medical grade pantry organization to be just as sexually satisfying as the next guy okay i get it i like it however this brand of home organization is never going to give you an organized home not only is it expensive but it usually doesn't even fix the real problem when i have an interior design client who has a messy home the problem isn't usually that their m ms aren't color coded the problem is that we all have a ton of stuff and we don't know how to get rid of it we don't know what to get rid of and we don't know how to arrange the things we actually keep and you can spend all the time in the world pinning images on pinterest and trying to design the perfect space but if your floor is covered in clutter then it truly doesn't make a bit of difference what rug you end up buying i'm gonna tell you which organization products are worth getting which are not and more importantly the organization design principles that will keep your home organized and running smoothly my name is caroline and this is home organization from an interior design perspective [Music] every home organization video on youtube is pretty much telling you the same thing buy this buy this buy this hack buy this gadget buy this product consume home organization is about more than just products and gadgets and hacks it's about systems that make your life work better and great home organization has to meet three requirements visual declutter ease of access and ease of maintenance and we're going to get into all three with 10 tips to keep your home organized tip number one corral your crap this blows people's mind if you're looking at your nightstand or your kitchen counter or your coffee table and you're like ugh it's just a lot of stuff it's visually busy corral it just place things on a tray it will it will blow your mind at how quickly it solves the problem of visual declutter and it doesn't have to be a tray you can use a book you can use a cutting board you can use a stack of magazines something that takes a bunch of individual items and then instead of five items you just have one item it sounds like semantics but it makes a huge difference and group items in groups of threes even without a tray this can make a huge impact varying the height of those items so they they kind of become it's kind of like uh transformers or the power rangers or what's the ones that they all come together and they make a new thing yeah you group things together in groups of threes they become a new item a single item and it minimizes the visual business corral that's it that's it tip number two is another gadget that i fully endorse in fact i insist upon it velvet hangers for your closet don't talk to me about other kind of hangers these are the only hangers i use clothes never fall off the velvet hanger normal hangers non-velvet hangers are just another form of misogyny trying to punish women for owning camisoles don't let them stop you buy the velvet hangers it's an investment you invest once you keep them forever and yes it's nice to just get all one kind of hanger in your closet that's already like the visual declutter satisfying you'll feel a little bit high but the difference is that if i fill a closet with wire hangers or plastic hook hangers and i fill a closet with velvet hangers only the velvet hanger closet is gonna stay that way okay i don't i don't have the seconds to put the spaghetti straps into the little hooks and the clip in the i have a life to live i'm a busy lady make it as easy as possible to get those clothes put away and they'll stay put away end of discussion end of discussion [Music] this is a big one drop zones creating intentional drop zones where are the keys going where's the coat going where's the bag going sounds simple enough but the way you create these drop zones is extremely important and that gets us into home organization requirement number three ease of maintenance and this one is the most important because if it's not easily maintained by everyone in the home then it's not going to work there's nothing more impossible than changing human behavior it's hard to create new habits for yourself let alone for me to create new habits for my pretend partner or my pretend kids and if they can't uphold my new organization system then i'm left doing it all alone and that's not why i got pretend married the best way to create drop zones is to watch how you your roommates your family watch where you are naturally dropping your stuff when you come home and then put the drop zones there and just make it intentional if all the keys are always going on the table put a freaking bowl on that table if the coats are always going in that corner put a hook in the corner if the bag is always being dropped there put a table put a chair put a stool good design and good organization systems are not about making people adhere to your system it's about making the system adhere to the habits people already have it's about making the system adhere to the habits people already have that's the way they get maintained so if we don't consider ease of maintenance then the drop zone could easily be on the other side of the room would it take you four steps to get there and put your coat down easy access it's not hard to access that but it's hard to maintain it if it's just a little inconvenient it's not gonna happen tip number four is one of the very few home organization products that you i highly recommend you should definitely get this there's a bunch of versions of this tiered lazy susan that you get online i got mine off amazon i'm using two of these in my tiny little linen cabinet it holds all my toiletries all my medical stuff all my travel products this product gets us into organization principle number two ease of access so yes we want to visually declutter and we want to find a place for everything we want everything to have a place but if that item cannot be easily accessed when you need it then it's never going to go back there it's never going to go back to that place this is why just getting a box for everything just getting an expensive container store container for everything doesn't solve the problem it's how you organize it before i bought these lazy susans i had to pull out five drawers and a bunch of stacked shelves and i couldn't get to the things and then not only by the time i'm going to get my tube of toothpaste i'm furious first of all i'm pissed off and it's probably not going to get back in that place either if it's too hard and i have to pull everything apart to get it out this tiered lazy susan makes so many things so many items accessible there's a bunch of versions of this but this is the best version in my humble opinion because there's no wasted space you can adjust the shelves and the shelves don't get too compartmentalized it's one thing you have to look out for sometimes this they get too divided and it limits what products you can put in there it's pretty enough that you can display your makeup on it you can display your perfumes on it i personally i like to just leave my perfumes out on the vanity or in the bathroom because they're kind of they're little statues they're little pieces of art themselves so i don't really like to squirrel those away this tiered lazy susan makes so many items accessible without you having to touch anything do it i recommend if you're like me and you're trying to save money so that you can blow it all on home decor upside is one of the easiest ways to save money it's a cash back app that basically sounds too good to be true but it's not i'm a pretty skeptical person i've used the app myself and i'm here to spread the good news bless me anytime you make gas grocery dining purchases you get cash back it's super straightforward and that's probably why they have a 4.8 star rating on the apple store recently i found myself cringing at gas prices you may relate and god forbid those gas prices keep me from buying yet another vintage vase off of etsy god forbid to get started you just download the free upside app and use code caroline it's me to immediately get five dollars back on your first purchase of ten dollars or more then next you show up at the place that you're doing groceries dining gas whatever you check in at the business on the app you pay as usual with a credit or debit card and you get paid it is super simple instead of losing my entire life savings at the gas pump i've now started using the upside app and you can cash out at any time to your bank to paypal to amazon gift card whatever it's very convenient i'm gonna be buying gas i'm gonna be buying groceries it's a no-brainer to me to go check in on the app and get cash back the very first time i used it i checked in at a gas pump i got cash back in my account the next day it's super simple super easy to use highly recommend checking it out it's a no-brainer and thanks to upside for sponsoring today's video [Music] tip number five active zones versus passive zones we gotta define them active zones are the areas in your home where you're moving stuff all around you've got your entryway maybe your living room kitchen stuff's coming in and out we're dropping stuff we're taking stuff we're really living in those spaces passive zones are maybe your guest bedroom maybe parts of your basement maybe that you know back closet we never really access whatever that is for you we got to define those areas because not all storage areas are created equal a lot of people make the mistake of putting items that they only need to access once a month or so in an active zone don't put your spare light bulbs that you only need to change out once every few months in an active zone it's just taking up space put it in a passive zone in your bathroom let's say you got a bunch of shelves that first shelf that you can easily reach without standing on your toes or pushing up on the counter or moving much stuff that's got to be your everyday use item that lotion that you use every day don't make yourself stand on your tiptoes to get it if possible don't make yourself do that when you're doing that every day you're gonna be just a little bit annoyed and it's gonna impede and slow down your wait i was gonna say breakfast routine that's not the word your morning routine just a little bit more every time that you do that all those little speed bumps we gotta create flow so the everyday items boom boom boom we can reach them not only is it easy to get that lotion down that you're gonna use first thing every morning but it's easier to put away if it's on that top shelf and you have to get up on your toes to put it away guess what it's probably gonna stay on the bathroom sink most days in your kitchen if you're crammed for space don't be putting your melon baller in the forefront drawer or cabinet unless you're melon balling every day get it out of here put it away we can use that space for something else so it's prioritizing ease of access to find your zones [Music] maximize your weirdo spaces if you're living in especially like a small apartment like i am and you're looking at some weird little corner alcove and you're like that's a weird space guess what that space is going to be for one of two things you're either going to make it into a cute little designed vignette or it's going to be storage and to capitalize on your weirdo spaces you are going to want a couple great organization gadgets for example in my own apartment in my bedroom there is this bizarre like 10 inches of space to the side of my closet feels like that could have been more closet space but okay i decided that space is gonna hang my purses it's gonna hang my backpacks and all the bags i have this is one of my favorite tools you can buy it's pretty heavy duty it's like very nice quality i got mine offline you can get a chrome version you can get a white version not only is it a wall hook that can go into your wall but you can lift it up and out to tilt it this way and extend out this way these are actually intended to go in your closet like a little extend a hook i think they're called um i don't know you can put this in your closet to hold belts to hold purses and then you can extend it out in your packing or you're trying to like look through a bunch of items hang a bunch of hangers here it's very helpful what is the word what is the word closet um pull out rod a valet rod it's called a valet rod when people do really fancy custom closets they get these valet rods built in oftentimes but what's nice is that i can fit like a bunch of purses on here if you just have the small wall hook it's kind of hard you know they just start piling up this way anyway love this product i'm linking everything in the video description okay another weirdo space in my apartment is my little laundry closet it's also the only closet space in my entire apartment it's the only like storage closet so i need to make the most of it there's about a one foot eight inches of space that's where i'm putting my broom my vacuum my what's it called dustpan that space is gonna be chock full of these little dingle dangles it attaches to the wall with a command strip and then you can hold your broom just like that and it like clamps it everything is being held up it's getting up and off the floor um in those tight little spaces it's made it so much tidier so much easier to access stuff these are a must for me another weirdo space under your sink what a weird chaos of a world that always is it's organization hell maximize that weirdo space there's some great products i like to do just an over the cabinet door i found this specific combination of this paper towel holder and this over the door rack that can stack together i have them on two separate doors you can put your paper towels on this holder but you can also put a roll of your trash bags put all your storage stuff in the door maximize that space these ones very worth it side note i also keep my magic eraser in there the magic eraser if there's nothing else you buy the magic eraser i mean i don't want to over hype the magic eraser but there's nothing else that i believe in as much as this product it gets all of those fingerprints off your wall all those scuff marks i clean my white sneakers with them i have removed stains from marble this is not sponsored i can't tell you i hope the guy who invented this the magic eraser is living a good life i wish him all the happiness in the world for the way that he has changed my life if i have something that is scuffed up before i get rid of it try the magic eraser on it i don't care what the damage is it probably helps it's amazing it's amazing okay the end that's the end i'm not i'm no association with the magic eraser lobby i'm just a very big fan [Music] closed storage closed storage this is so important when you're buying piece of furniture you're buying storage items for yourself just give yourself a break you make your life a little bit easier i usually opt for the clothes storage now there's some open shelving it's really beautiful and nice and it looks great on the instagram photo but it's not usually actually great for storing stuff we end up putting like the wooden beads on there or we buy a vase just to go on the shelf because there's nothing we already own that we would be visually happy with storing on the shelves i don't know it's a weird thing that being said open shelving can be really nice sometimes in your kitchen to break up too much cabinetry to give the eye a break but usually if you have open storage open shelving and you're really using it to store a lot of stuff if i can if i can afford to go the closed storage route i do the clothes storage give yourself a break put your batteries and your electronics and all that stuff in organized baskets but then close the door so you don't have to think about it i think that like the open shelving is great for storing things that are easy to look pretty your glassware your dishes your books but if you're getting a credenza you're getting a sideboard or something i would just go the closed storage route as much as you can just give yourself a break yeah you know i don't have time to make home organization my entire identity i don't have time to make storage containers my whole personality so if you feel the same way remember to like the video subscribe for more stuff like this it's a good time on here i'm all about making organization or design accessible and realistic to real people living real chaotic lives all right tip number eight you want to subdivide this is especially important for junk drawers where there's just like a ton of stuff being held and i will say the organization product you probably don't need to invest in is a million of those clear containers from the container store they're nice but dude they're super expensive even getting a bunch of them from goodwill or a bargain store like it's a lot of stuff and it's not necessary in my home i'm using shoe boxes gift boxes to organize and compartmentalize you can do the fancy containers you can also get um like the drawer expanders whichever way you want to do it you do want to subdivide it will make a world of difference especially in those really cluttered storage areas where you gotta keep a ton of stuff [Music] tip number nine is probably the most important one purge purge your stuff declutter it doesn't matter how much you organize if at the end of motorcycle okay thank you it doesn't matter how much you organize if you just have too much stuff and if you're anything like me you do most likely the things that are over cluttering your home you don't need purging your home is not just something you need to do once a spring it needs to be an easy light lift that you can do a little bit every week every month here's some easy tips to help accomplish a declutter a purge that's not going to overwhelm you declutter for 15 minutes set a timer and do what you can do in 15 minutes put stuff in the donation pile in the throwaway pile 15 minutes that's all you got to do i heard this from another organization youtuber do it on a dime check out her stuff she's wonderful if it takes me more than five minutes to tidy up any room i need to start getting rid of some stuff five minutes it shouldn't take more than that if it's taking you more than that you gotta get rid of some stuff in that house another tip set your day of the week where you're doing that intentional home organization on sundays sundays are the day i take out the trash i vacuum i sweep i pick one thing to try and organize or declutter just have it built into your schedule you can have your kids kids freaking like cleaning stuff i don't know what's wrong with them you give them a spray bottle you give them some fancy gloves a cool broom they're into it [Music] okay so we know what decluttering and purging looks like but sometimes it's still so hard to do because it's extremely emotional for a lot of us we have sentimental attachment to items or we just feel obligated to hold on to them or even guilt over letting them go so here are some tips for managing the emotional endeavor of decluttering i think marie kondo's you know concept of what sparks joy and what doesn't you hold on to things that sparks joy you let go of things that don't it's super helpful and that's lovely but sometimes for me personally it's hard to distinguish even something that sparks joy or something that the idea of letting it go just sparks fear and i feel obligated to hold on to it or i feel guilty if i don't hold on to it it's hard to distinguish those things so here's a different tip that helps me when deciding what to keep and what to get rid of if this item was covered in red wine how hard would i work to save it how hard would i work to revive it if it's something that you're like oh man if that got covered in red wine i would be so relieved to be able to say yeah got ruined sorry i couldn't hold on to it that helps me to really distinguish what items i'm only holding on to for obligation it's easier said than done but let go of the guilt of letting go when that idea clicked it was a huge and life-changing lesson for me [Music] i'm not an organization freak i haven't made it my whole personality but it affects interior design which i love good organization should let all the beautiful items in your home shine let's let them shine let's hype them up our homes are full of real people living real lives you can build systems that make your life run more smoothly it's not just about the image you can post online it's about bringing ease to your day to your roommates to yourself to your family don't be beating up on yourself if things aren't perfect all the time remember that photos from the internet instagram pinterest wherever they cannot be our standard for happiness let yourself live and give yourself a leg up by giving yourself a couple good systems that support the way you already live your life that's all it's also important to remember that no system is gonna work forever your habits change your family's habits change your home changes the systems you build it's important to check in with them and be open to the fact that they will have to adapt and change so everybody just take a deep breath and let's just say we're doing a good job okay we're doing our most and that's great thanks for tuning in today there are definitely more organization and cleaning tips that i would love to share if you like the video let me know i can do more of them share some of your favorite tips below if you enjoyed the video and you want to support me you can like comment subscribe share it with a friend all that makes my life better and i appreciate it a lot a lot that's all i got to say okay i'll see you guys soon bye [Music] you

Channel: Caroline Winkler

Views: 7,204,742

Keywords: interior design, organization, home organization

Id: xRGXi1aTh1w

Length: 22min 6sec (1326 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 30 2022