7 Organizing Mistakes That Tip the Balance From a Home Looking Beautiful to Messy (Again)
The line between a beautiful home and a messy one is thinner than you think, so steer clear of these pitfalls if you want your space to stay organized
We tend to believe that organizing our homes will automatically make them look better. Give everything a designated space, and our interiors feel more streamlined, spaces work harder, and clutter stays under control — at least, in theory. In practice, a few subtle organizing missteps can quietly undo all the hard work, turning what was once a beautiful space into one that feels messy again.
The reality is that organization always starts with the best intentions. We introduce new storage solutions, rethink systems, and rearrange our belongings, but sometimes the result is the opposite of what we intended. What should improve a home's look and flow can end up working against it.
Wondering how to declutter your home successfully and organize in a way that's actually effective? I asked organizing experts to reveal the common mistakes that tip the balance from a home that looks considered to one that looks cluttered. Here are seven subtle mistakes that can push a space over the edge, often without you even noticing.
1. Not Decluttering Before You Organize
Before we dive in, it's important to understand the difference between decluttering vs organizing. Decluttering is the process of slimming down your stuff, while organizing involves creating functional, accessible systems for storing the items you keep. Every organization expert will tell you that these two jobs have to work in tandem; if you try to do one without the other, you can actually finish with more chaos than you started with.
According to Sue Spencer, founder of A Life More Organized, not decluttering before you organize is a common misstep. "There's no point in storing items that you don't need or use," she says. "When you declutter first, you make more space in the cupboards for the things that you actually use." The bottom line? Organizing clutter simply creates organized clutter. Whether reordering a bookshelf or organizing your desk drawers, it's vital that you dedicate time to culling unwanted items first.
2. Decanting for the Sake of It
Influencers on social media have had a huge impact on the world of organization in recent years. You've likely stumbled across satisfying videos where users decant the likes of cereals, flour, sugar, and snacks into matching jars, but don't fall foul of pantry organization mistakes. Aesthetic though these containers may be, this sort of task needs to be done with intention, otherwise it can just make your home look messier.
"The issues that normally come up are what to do with the leftover ingredients in packets that don't fit in the jars, and how to keep track of best-before dates," explains Sue. The most likely scenario is that you'll end up with a row of beautiful containers, but a host of half-opened packets alongside them.
To keep your pantry looking stylish as well as functional, only decant ingredients if they'll truly improve how you use your home. You may find that one or two baskets actually work better instead. "I use a 'stock' basket on the bottom of the pantry for any leftover product, but in reality, if decanting doesn't fit with your lifestyle, don't bother doing it," says Sue. "Buy some attractive baskets to keep things grouped in your kitchen cupboard and store the packets in them." These pantry storage bins from Amazon might just be a better bet.
3. Over-Specific Labelling
Another fad driven by social media, labelling is only useful on very few occasions. "It can help everyone get used to any new organizing systems you've put in place, but it can be restrictive if your labels are too precise," says Sue, not to mention the fact that boxes or containers with worn, semi-peeling labels can end up looking more of a mess than they were to begin with.
"Typically, we only use labels on items that are permanent," explains Ben Soreff of House to Home Organizing. "Labeling a shelf in the pantry or dresser drawer works well to keep up a habit, especially for other members of the household, but labeling everything is over-organizing." If you want to properly label your pantry storage or laundry room, stick to the most essential containers or boxes only, and invest in beautiful labels as opposed to cheap printed ones that won't last.
After transforming her own home with the KonMari Method® in 2017, Sue discovered how decluttering does more than create space, it transforms the way you live. Based in Winchester, Sue helps families, busy professionals, and home movers across Wiltshire and London create calm, organized homes that support their lives. With over 20 years in corporate marketing, she understands the challenge of balancing work, family and home life. She specializes in rightsizing, helping clients adapt their current homes to suit their life stage, whether they're growing a family, empty nesting or downsizing.
4. Open Shelving for Everyday Items
Open-shelving has enjoyed a huge resurgence in recent years. It offers a great way to curate a personal vignette, adding character and charm to your home, but it isn't always a sensible option for organization, especially if you're relying on it for the more mundane things in your home.
"Open shelving can be really attractive, but if you're using it for everyday items like plates, bowls, or mugs, it's never going to look as good as when it's styled because most of the time those items are in use," explains Sue. What could be a beautifully styled kitchen shelf becomes an unsightly mismatch of kitchenware instead.
Whether you're dealing with a living room unit or a kitchen shelf, think carefully about what you put on display to make open storage look better. "I would put everyday items away in cupboards and use open shelving for less-used pieces and decorative items that will stay nicely styled for longer," suggests Suzanne.
Ben Soreff is a professional organizer and partner of House to Home Organizing. He is originally from Portland, Maine and used to work in film & TV Production. Ben graduated from Skidmore College and has experience with Level 5 Hoarders.
5. Failing to Review
Whether you're organizing a closet or reordering your entire home office, proper organization should always start with a review of what you already have. Consider this the step before you declutter — what do you already have in your possession, and how can you introduce a system that organizes what's there effectively?
Ben says the review is the most important part, yet most people skip it. He uses a handy anecdote about putting away socks to explain. If you neatly put away some brand new socks, ordering them all by type, you might feel like you've successfully organized your sock drawer, but there's probably a host of worn ones lurking at the back. "We want to take out all the socks, review, and put back based on how often we use them," says Ben. "A drawer divider may even be helpful to keep the categories clear and also create a limit on any one item."
6. Making It Too Difficult to Put Things Away
The whole point of organizing your home is that it should streamline your life. Things should be easier to find, stuff easier to reach, and storage simplified. It's important to maximize all available space, but if certain things are too hard to reach or difficult to access, you will have defeated the purpose entirely. Before you know it, you'll give up returning those items to their dedicated space, and clutter will prevail.
"I've learnt through years of working with clients that it's really important to make it easier to put things away than it is to get them out," says Sue. "When you want something, you'll put in the effort to go and get it, but after using it, it sometimes isn't worth the effort to put it away. If you make it super easy to do this, the clutter is less likely to creep back."
7. Worktops That Are Too Empty
We all want a clutter-free space, but there can in fact be such a thing as a space that's too tidy. If surfaces or countertops are too empty, they're actually more likely to be overrun with clutter before you know it.
Sue says she's witnessed kitchen countertops becoming clutter magnets many times before. "As soon as something is left on them, it seems to invite everyone else to leave things there too," she explains. "Placing a large vase or decorative ornament in the space can help to keep it clear: once you've made a conscious decision to make the space look nice, you're less likely to leave other stuff around it."
The trick is to have an option for storing common clutter culprits; a catchall for keys, for example, or a basket for letters and paperwork. "Often clutter is just delayed decisions that happen when we're all living life at such a fast pace," says Sue. Instead of ridding a surface of stuff entirely, you need to include simple systems to corral your stuff.
Ultimately, a beautiful home isn’t defined by how perfectly it’s organized, any system you do introduce should support everyday life. The most effective organization works almost invisibly, adapting to habits rather than forcing them.
When homes slip from polished to messy, it’s rarely because there’s too little effort being made. More often, it’s because systems have been overcomplicated, poorly placed, or designed for an idealized version of how we live. By rethinking those choices, steering clear of organizing products that make homes look worse,m and avoiding common organization mistakes, your home will stay effortlessly organized forevermore.
