Professional Organizers Share What’s Making Your Home Look Cluttered
If your home feels messy even after you've cleaned, these items could be the culprit.
You’ve mopped, you’ve wiped down the bathroom counters, you’ve even cleaned the grease off the kitchen cabinets — yet the house still feels messy. If you can’t quite figure out why, professional organizers say it’s likely because you have items that are making the home look cluttered.
Over time, you might get used to your clutter and effectively stop seeing it. For instance, you might not consciously notice that pile of shoes in the entryway or all those products balancing on the edge of the bathroom vanity as “mess,” but some part of your brain does. Visual clutter can make your home feel messier and even make you feel more stressed or anxious.
Luckily, organizing pros are here to help identify those commonly overlooked clutter spots and suggest workable solutions. If it’s time to declutter, try one of our favorite methods, like the 90/90 rule or the 10-10 decluttering method. Once you’ve decluttered the items you don’t want or need, our pros have plenty of ideas on how to organize your essentials
If you’re on a roll when it comes to decluttering, harness your momentum and declutter your car, your closet or your bathroom vanity with these professional tips.
Clothing and Shoe Piles
Clothing that's piled up on a closet shelf is something that instantly makes the space look messy, according to professional organizer Allison Flynn, founder of Reclaim Professional Organizing. "Neatly fold items and utilize shelf dividers or bins," Flynn suggests.
Similarly, the organizer recommends removing shoes that have piled up on the closet floor or by an entryway door. "Put a shoe rack in place in your closet and put a basket to toss shoes in by the front door," Flynn recommends.-
Trash
According to Lucy Milligan Wahl, a professional organizer and the founder of LMW Edits, the primary habit that causes clutter is the pattern of putting something down when you want to move on to the next activity. "Sometimes that thing is something you need to find again, but sometimes that thing is trash: think junk mail, a snack wrapper, a broken toy," Milligan Wahl says.
What you end up with is trash mixed among everything else. "To remedy the situation on a one-time basis, literally grab a trash bag and start putting trash into it," the organizer says. She shares that the simple removal of trash from a cluttered room opens up visual space, allowing you to then deal with the rest of the room.
Surface Clutter
One of the main things that Heather Aiello, a professional organizer and the founder of The Organized You, says makes a home look messy is surface clutter. "Mail piling up on counters, shoes collecting near entryways, and those 'in-between' items that get set down but never put away are especially common," the organizer says. Even if a space is technically clean, Aiello says visual clutter will make it feel chaotic.
"When surfaces are covered, the eye doesn’t have a place to rest, and when storage is overfilled, items tend to spill out or get stacked in a way that feels unintentional," she explains. The remedy? "Creating clear zones and boundaries, editing what’s stored, using containers that fit the space, and making sure frequently used items have an easy, obvious home," Aiello says.
Bathroom Vanity Overrun With Toiletries
There's nothing that will ruin a calm and serene bathroom aesthetic like a vanity overrun with toiletries. "Store items in bathroom drawers or utilize a Lazy Susan, tray, or tiered riser to contain everyday items," Flynn says. While you're at it, declutter the vanity and toss anything expired, damaged, or not used on a regular basis.
RELATED: Things in Your Bathroom Vanity Professional Organizers Want You to Toss ASAP
Too Many Organized Piles
It may come as a surprise, but even too many "organized" piles—whether it's laundry or paperwork—will make a room look messy. "These piles may feel organized, but with them all over your house, it appears messy," says Jessica Litman, a professional organizer and owner of The Organized Mama.
To prevent piles of things from cluttering surfaces, Litman recommends giving them a dedicated home. "Place papers to be sorted in a magazine holder or tray that is designated for 'to sort', use laundry baskets for the laundry, and try paper bags for donations to truly transform those piles from messy to tidy," Litman says.
RELATED: Paper Items Professional Organizers Want You to Toss Right Now
Drop Zones With No System
The entryway tends to be one large drop zone without a functional system. Because everything gets piled up in one place, the "stuff" overwhelms the space and makes it look like an utter mess. Litman's solution is to create designated zones for everything that needs a home. "Give all papers a place, all packages a place, and all pocket material (things you take out of your pocket or purse after the day) a zone," Litman advises.
Items That Aren't Used Regularly
"Another common thing that makes a home look messy is the desire to keep things visible and accessible," Milligan Wahl says. However this inevitably results in surface clutter. "For something to earn a permanent place on a surface in your home, it needs to meet a very high bar for frequency and importance of use," the organizer shares. This is why she often tells clients to store their stand mixers away, but keep blenders out if they are daily smoothie makers.
Rooms That Don't Serve Your Lifestyle
If a room doesn't serve a practical purpose, the danger is it will turn into a messy-looking dumping zone. "The dining room is my favorite example because it's where most people say their overflow goes—boxes pile up because the room isn't used," Litman says. She explains that changing how you use the space to fit your life will shift where the excess clutter goes.
"I have also seen people not have enough counter space because they went with the design and not function in places like family rooms," the organizer shares. When that's the case, Litman suggests making adjustments such as getting an extra end table for additional storage or a smaller table lamp that frees up surface space available for necessary tasks.
Things on the Floor
When things pile up on the floor, Litman says it creates visual clutter that doesn't have a purpose. "If you have clothing on the floor because it's not dirty but not clean, give it a basket to live. If you have overflow pantry items, move them out of your living or dining space and create an overflow pantry in another area," Litman says.
Similarly, if there's a pile of books on the floor, turn them into styling props by stacking them on tables or bookcases. As soon as the items are given a purpose, they go from visual clutter to integral parts of the room.
Maria Sabella is a lifestyle writer with a passion for home and interiors — from paint colors and holiday decor to the latest design trends. Her work has appeared in outlets including Better Homes & Gardens, The Spruce, BuzzFeed and Bustle.
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