Best Organizing Products & Strategies: What Our Pros Love – Bee Organized
This NOT That: Products Our Professional Organizers Love and Loathe

This NOT That: Products Our Professional Organizers Love and Loathe

by Kristen Christian in Buzz Tips

When people are overwhelmed with clutter, they sometimes think that purchasing a set of matching crates or baskets will magically solve their problems. But not every product is worth your hard-earned cash, and not every organizing hack you see on TikTok actually makes sense in the real world.

In this blog, we’re bringing you time-tested organizing products and strategies that our Bees across the country stand by—and calling out those things that you should leave behind!

But First: PURGE!

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are tackling a home organizing project on their own is to run to the nearest box store and buy a trunkload of organizing products. Oh, honey, don’t do it! It’s a waste of time, money, and energy to buy products before you take the time to purge.

We’ve talked you through our Power Purge to help you break through the organizational paralysis that often sets in. When you are organizing any space, whether it’s your bedroom, garage, or back-yard, you absolutely must start with getting rid of the excess. Once you are down to just the items you intend to keep, then it’s time to figure out exactly what kind of storage products will best fit.

Purge first, then purchase (or reuse what you already have!).

Choose Individuals, NOT Sets

Whether we are talking about baskets, containers, organizing trays, or crates, there is virtually no chance that your home’s needs exactly match the items sold as a set. What you end up with is bins or trays that don’t line up with the shape, size, or number of items you own. You also end up with even more clutter—this time in the form of extra containers or trays from the set that you don’t actually need.

Instead of buying sets, choose individual pieces that fit the items you are planning to contain. Have we mentioned how important it is to purge and sort before you buy any organizing products?

Choose Adjustable Risers, NOT Fixed Risers

When our professional home organizers redesign a pantry, we love using shelf risers so that everything is visible—we like to call it stadium seating for cans! Cabinet risers can be wonderful, but not if you get the ones that don’t extend.

Make sure you measure your cabinets and find risers that can extend to the entire length. Otherwise you’re just creating a space where things will be harder to find as items fall off the sides.

Choose Turntables with Removable Inserts, NOT Fixed Turntables

You’ve heard us heap praise on the humble Lazy Susan in the past, but not all turntables are worth their weight. When you are selecting your turntable, make sure that if it is divided into sections, either those dividers are removable/adjustable, or you are SURE that the fixed dividers fit whatever you intend to store in the turntable.

Choose Matching Hangers, NOT Cascading Hangers

Cascading hangers seem like a great idea. People buy these to save space, but they end up causing trouble because they are bulky and make clothes harder to see. Ultimately, most folks stop bothering to hang items on them at all.

Instead of putting money into cascading hangers—or any other kind of gimmicky hanger—put your money into buying matching velvet or acrylic hangers. Not only do they save space, but they transform your closet into your own boutique with minimal cost!

Choose Single Hooks, NOT Mounted Hook Panels

When you are organizing a space that would benefit from installing hooks, we recommend that you look into purchasing single Command hooks rather than a panel with the hooks already mounted on it. That way, you can choose the numbers, style, and spacing between hooks to better match your individual needs. And best of all—they are removable if you need to edit your decision!

Choose Adjustable Drawer Organizers, NOT Rigid Trays

Drawers come in all shapes and sizes, and no two homes have the exact same configuration of spatulas, serving spoons, and random kitchen gadgets. When you think of it like that, how would it make any sense to buy a cookie-cutter drawer organizer?

There are so many great drawer organizing products and options out there that can expand and be reconfigured based on the dimensions of your drawer and the shape and size of the items you are attempting to fit inside. Did you remember to purge first? No one needs multiple potato mashers, we promise.

Choose Bins, NOT Toy Chests

Toy chests can be so darling to look at and can really tie a room together. But if you’ve ever actually owned a toy chest, you know they are a black hole for toys. Anything that sinks to the bottom of that pile of plastic is unlikely to see the light of day anytime soon. And if you’ve ever cleaned out a toy chest, you know they are a great place for dust, pet hair, and goldfish crackers to collect.

When our professional organizers tackle a playroom or child’s bedroom, we usually use open bins or cubes in a bookcase. You can divide by general categories (LEGO, Hot Wheels, art supplies, etc.) so that items are easy for kids to find but are even easier for kids to put away. We’ve written before about how to help kids develop their own organizational skills and this is a great way to start!

Choose Shelves and Dividers, NOT Hanging Closet Organizers

We’ve tried using hanging closet organizers and they rarely work for most people’s needs. It’s difficult to see into them, so items regularly get shoved to the back and forgotten. After a few months, they are still hanging out in the closet taking up space, but the owner is just using them to store the stuff they should have purged in the first place.

Instead, opt for closet organizing products with a fixed shelf (even a simple bookshelf will do) and with acrylic shelf dividers to keep everything organized, visible, and accessible.

Choose Single Hat Hangers, NOT Hat Organizer Sets

We love the look of hat organizers, but what are the chances that a panel with a pre-set number of hooks will match the number of hats you have now or next year?

Instead of hat racks and hangers, opt for packages of individual hat hooks. You can space them in a way that works for your assortment of hats as well as the wall you are placing them on, plus you can easily expand or contract the collection as needed in the future.

Choose Restockable Staples, NOT One-Time Finds

We understand the impulse to grab a couple of cute baskets at HomeGoods to help you with an organizing project at home or work. But when the Bees professionally organize a space, we try to think ahead so that the system we are putting in place will be able to adapt to future needs. Part of that is purchasing the best organizing products that we know we will be able to find again in the future if we need to add more or adjust the sizing.

We absolutely love the Everything Organizer line of products that can be found at The Container Store (and NO, we aren’t getting any kickbacks for mentioning their products by name!). They come in an extensive range of shapes and sizes, are durable and affordable, and you can clearly see what you have!

Choosing the best organizing products is an investment in maintaining the systems that you are putting into place. But for them to be effective, they need to be adjustable and individualized to suit your unique needs.

If you feel stuck in any part of the process—from undertaking the Power Purge to selecting the right organizing products, reach out for help. Our Bees are standing by to help you simplify your hive!

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