We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Professional Organisers 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 organisers say it’s likely that 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 hallway or all those products balancing on the edge of the bathroom cabinet 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, organising 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 favourite methods, such as declutter by degrees or the reverse hanger method. Once you’ve decluttered the items you don’t want or need, our pros have plenty of ideas on how to organise your essentials
If you’re on a roll when it comes to decluttering, harness your momentum and declutter your bedroom, your wardrobe or your bathroom with these professional tips.
Clothing and Shoe Piles
Clothing that’s piled up on a wardrobe shelf is something that instantly makes the space look messy, according to professional organiser Allison Flinn, founder of Reclaim Professional Organizing. ‘Neatly fold items and utilise shelf dividers or bins,’ Allison suggests.
Similarly, the organiser recommends removing shoes that have piled up on the wardrobe floor or by an entryway door. ‘Put a shoe rack in your wardrobe and put a basket to toss shoes in by the front door,’ Allison recommends.
RELATED: Here’s how to organise your shoe cupboard when it’s total chaos.
Rubbish
According to Lucy Milligan Wahl, a professional organiser 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 other times, that thing is rubbish. Think junk mail, a wrapper, a broken toy,’ Lucy says.
What you end up with is rubbish mixed among everything else. ‘To remedy the situation on a one-time basis, literally grab a bin bag and start putting rubbish into it,’ the organiser says. She shares that the removal of rubbish 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 organiser 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 organiser says. Even if a space is technically clean, Heather 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,’ Heather says.
Bathroom Cabinet Overrun With Toiletries
There’s nothing that will ruin a calm and serene bathroom aesthetic like a cabinet overrun with toiletries. ‘Store items in bathroom drawers or utilise a Lazy Susan, tray or tiered riser to contain everyday items,’ Allison says. While you’re at it, declutter the cabinet and toss anything expired, damaged or not used on a regular basis.
Too Many Organised Piles
It may come as a surprise, but even too many ‘organised’ piles – whether it’s laundry or paperwork – will make a room look messy. ‘These piles may feel organised, but with them all over your house, it appears messy,’ says Jessica Litman, a professional organiser and owner of The Organized Mama.
To prevent piles of things from cluttering surfaces, Jessica recommends giving them a dedicated home. ‘Place papers to be sorted in a magazine holder or tray that is designated “‘to sort”, use laundry baskets for the laundry and try paper bags for donations to truly transform those piles from messy to tidy,’ Jessica says.
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. Jessica’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,’ Jessica advises.
RELATED: Here’s 7 items professional organisers say are wasting space in your hallway
Items That Aren’t Used Regularly
‘Another common thing that makes a home look messy is the desire to keep things visible and accessible,’ Lucy 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 organiser 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 favourite example because it’s where most people say their overflow goes – boxes pile up because the room isn’t used,’ Jessica 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 organiser shares. When that’s the case, Jessica 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, Jessica 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 an overflow of pantry items, move them out of your living or dining room and create a dedicated space in another area,’ Jessica 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.
3 household jobs you need to do to stop rodents
5 items you should never chuck in the kitchen bin
Protects your jumpers from bobbles with this trick
6 clever ways to reuse old tea bags
