My Biggest Home Organizing Mistakes (So You Don’t Have To Make Them)

Living in a bustling city like Chicago, keeping your home clean and organized can feel like a second job. Between work, family, and trying to enjoy the city, who has the time? We get it. Sometimes, the best cleaning service near me is the one that handles the mess for you, so you can focus on what matters.

I’ve been a self-proclaimed “super slob” my entire life. On my long journey to becoming a (somewhat) organized person, I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes—and wasted a lot of money. I’m sharing my most embarrassing organizing fails today, not to shame myself further, but to hopefully save you time, money, and frustration. Remember, the goal is a functional home, not a photoshoot-ready one.

1. The Pinterest-Perfect Fridge Fiasco

Inspired by gorgeous social media feeds, I went all-in on fridge organization. I bought the fancy containers, the bulky lettuce savers, the color-coordinated stacking drawers, and even tried the mason jar trend. It was an epic fail. Why? Because I’m not a “fancy fridge” person. All those organizers left no room for actual food, like leftovers or a full grocery haul. I even turned my crisper drawer into a salad bar, which became a part-time job I wasn’t getting paid for. The lesson? Don’t organize for aesthetics; organize for your actual life. If you need deep cleaning help to tackle the fridge you’ve been avoiding, it’s okay to call in the pros.

2. Honeycomb Drawer Dividers & The Marie Kondo Dream

Those little honeycomb dividers for socks and underwear look so satisfying. Every tiny garment has its own little house! Except, I put my laundry away by gently… chucking it into the drawer. The result? A crushed organizer buried under a pile of socks, and a constant feeling of guilt for not using the “perfect” system. I’ve learned I don’t need my underwear drawer to look magazine-ready. Sometimes, a simple basket works better than a complex system.

3. The Pantry Decanting Disaster

Watching shows like The Home Edit made me want a beautiful, decanted pantry. I bought expensive containers and went nuts. I freed the Oreos from their package! Then my kids ate most of them, and I was left with a huge, nearly-empty container AND the original package. I doubled my clutter and created more work. Now, one wall of my pantry has gorgeous jars of untouched quinoa and pasta—it’s just for looks. When I need pasta, I grab it from the basket. The takeaway? Don’t decant high-turnover items, and don’t organize just for the ‘gram.

4. Buying Planners & Menu Boards (When I’m Not That Person)

Every New Year, I’m convinced *this* is the year I become a planner person. Maybe I need stickers! A bullet journal! More highlighters! The truth? I forget to use it, lose it, and end up with a drawer of 17,000 old planners. The same goes for menu boards. I want to be that person, but I’m not. And that’s okay. If elaborate systems don’t work for you, a simple notepad or digital note is fine. Your professional home cleaning team won’t judge your planning style, they’ll just appreciate a clear counter to clean.

5. The “Fancy Jar” Trap

I once bought beautiful, solid ceramic jars with bamboo lids. They were $40 each and made my heart swoon. I thought they’d be perfect for my pantry. Reality check: nobody wants to use an opaque jar for food. You can’t see what’s inside or how fresh it is. They felt weird and unappetizing. Now they hold dog treats. Expensive, beautiful, and utterly useless for their intended purpose. Lesson: Function over form, always.

6. Over-Engineering Storage Solutions

At my old house, we had a closet nobody used—we just piled stuff in front of it. My genius solution? Demo the closet and install cabinets with doors. Surely, we’d open the doors to use the hooks inside! Nope. We just piled everything in front of the new cabinets. We are a family that will not take the extra second to open a door. Now, we have simple wall hooks and open cubbies. It’s not fancy, but it works. Don’t replace a broken system with a slightly different version of the same broken system.

7. Micro-Organizing with Acrylic Drawers

I once turned my tiny bathroom closet into a detailed, acrylic-drawer masterpiece. I had a perfect slot for every razor, floss, and sample. It looked incredible for one day. The problem? I organized for the exact amount of stuff I had *that day*. A week later, items were used up or new ones were added, and the perfect system was suddenly useless. It left no room for life’s natural flux. Now, I use a big basket labeled “extras.” It’s flexible and forgiving.

8. The Allure of Cheap, Tiny Bins

Dollar store bins can be great, but I made the mistake of buying tons of tiny, colorful ones. They were cheap, but they couldn’t hold a towel or four rolls of toilet paper. They didn’t fit shelves properly. I wasted hundreds of dollars on bins that ultimately held nothing but guilt (and one dead spider). I also bought different colors for each room, which backfired when I needed to reorganize. Now, I stick with white or clear, substantial bins I can move anywhere. Spending a little more upfront saved me money long-term.

Rapid-Fire Mistakes & Quick Lessons

• Fancy Charging Stations: Bought one for the kitchen to collect all devices. Lasted 3 seconds. We all charge in our bedrooms.
• Filing Cabinets & Folders: I am not a filing person. No system with tabs will change that.
• Laundry Sorters: Bought multiple hampers for whites, darks, colors. I have never sorted laundry a day in my life.
• Under-Sink Stacking Bins: If it has a lid and requires stacking, I won’t use it. I need simple, open solutions.
• Digital Planning Apps: Fell for every “life-changing” app ad. They became a part-time job to maintain and were quickly abandoned.

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The #1 Mistake I Truly Regret

All those other mistakes? I wouldn’t change them. They taught me I don’t do “fancy” and that fast, simple solutions work best for me. But my biggest regret is not renting a dumpster at the very start of my decluttering journey.

I tried to get organized *before* I decluttered. I bought all the bins and systems while I was still drowning in stuff. It took me years to finally let go of enough to see a real change in my mood, my time, and my home. I missed out on time with my family and spent too long disliking my space. The moment I dramatically removed about 80% of the clutter, everything shifted. If I could go back, I’d rent that dumpster on day one, fill it, and start fresh. It’s the fastest path to a home you love.

Sometimes, the best first step isn’t another container; it’s letting go. And if the task feels too big, getting help cleaning my place from a reliable home cleaning service can provide the fresh start you need.

I’ve been chronically disorganized my entire life. And on my journey from super slob to someone who has their life together, I’ve made a lot of organizing mistakes, like so many. So, I’m going to share them with you today. My personal organizing mistakes, and I’m starting with the most embarrassing fridge organization. I feel like my attempt to organize my fridge is like in grade six when I followed that drop crotch pant trend, you know, MC Hammer, just as embarrassing and worked out just as badly. Everybody else was organizing their fridge on social media and I was so jealous because it looked gorgeous. So, I tried all the things. I bought the fancy containers. I bought the food savers that take up a ridiculous amount of space for your lettuce. And I tried the stacking drawers. And I tried to make everything all colorcoordinated. I even did the mason jar thing. All of these were big giant epic fails. Why? Because I’m not a fancy fridge person. I want to be a fancy fridge person. Except all of those organizers meant there was no room for actual food. I eat more than just lettuce and berries. Where did the leftovers go? There was even a moment where I turned my crisper drawer into a salad bar. Seems great in theory. like it was it was really cool for about 2 days except cut wash lettuce doesn’t last long and now I have a part-time job refilling this salad bar and I’m not even getting paid for it. That was a hard no, friends. So, I’m not saying that organizing your fridge like this is a mistake. I’m saying this was my personal mistake. Wasted money, wasted time. I have an entire room dedicated to where I throw organizing products that have not worked for me. That’s like my shame crypt. And it is mostly filled with expensive fridge organizers. I’ve told you multiple times I’m going to declutter these bins and yet they’re still there. They’re like $40 each. Okay. I The money’s been spent, Cass. The money’s been spent. My second biggest mistake was those little honeycomb dividers for inside your drawers, you know, for your socks and your underwear. And it looks so Marie Condo. And every tiny panty has a little house that it lives in. Sounds cool, except I put my underwear away by chucking it in a drawer. So, what happened was I just was piling socks and underwear on top of this cool honeycomb organizer, crushing it underneath, which means I wasted time and money. And every time I went to like find something, I just felt bad that I wasn’t using this product. Dumb, silly. It doesn’t work for me. And that’s okay. I do not need my underwear drawer to look like it came out of a magazine. I’m saying this for me and you, but mostly for me. If you like that, do it. Doesn’t work for me. I’m just going to say what I’m going to say. The Home Edit is like organizing porn for me. I watch the Home Edit and I’m like, that’s nice. It’s so beautiful. And part of me wants this in my own home. So, I went out and I bought all these expensive paw containers and these like decanting containers and I decanted everything. I went nutso buto. I thought this package of Oreos, it needs to be freed from its home and put in a jar or container. Except then my kids would eat almost all the cookies and now I have just this huge container taking up the space and I’m not really even sure what is left. And the craziest part is when you decant stuff like this, the decanters never have enough room for the entire package. So now I have the package with six Oreos left in it plus the container and I’ve taken one thing and doubled the room and created work for myself. Stop the madness. Okay, so I’ve learned I can’t decant hightra things like snacks. And if I’m being really honest with you, if you were to walk into my pantry right now, the one wall is filled with gorgeously decanted quinoa and colored pastas, and I’m pretty sure there’s chia seeds or something in there. None of that has been touched in 2 years. It just is for looks, I guess. What a waste. Because when I go to need pasta, I don’t even want to go to the containers because they’re so pretty. I just get it out of the pasta basket. I got to just declutter all those jars. But they look nice. Organization is not about looks. Organization is not about looks. Anyways, moving on. If you like decanting your stuff, cuckoo cool, bro. But for me, big old fat waste of time and money. Just a waste all around. Why do I want my pantry to be sexy? Stupid. Make it make sense. All right, we’re moving on. Before you fight me in the comments, again, this is like my mistake, not yours. And that is buying planners. Man, I always every year, every new year especially, I’m like, I just need a happy planner. You know what? I need a planner with stickers. Nope, it’s got to be a bullet journal. Maybe I need one where I can colorcoordinate everything. Maybe I need more highlighters. That will definitely solve the problem of me not ever using a planner. The truth is, I forget to use my planner. I forget where I put the planner. I forget I even own a planner. most of the time. And then I look and I have a drawer with 17,000 old planners in it. I’m not a planner person. I’m also not a menu board planning person. I want to be so badly, but I forget to use it. And I’m just it’s not my jam. This is the first year in all these years that I have said no, Cass. And every day I’m fighting the urge because it’s okay if you’re not that person. If you are that person, man, I’m jealous. And good for you. But also, if you’re not, it’s okay. The Container Store had these beautiful solid jars. They were the Marie Condo line. They were ceramic, gorgeous, with a bamboo lid. They were $40 each. And yet, I bought them. Why? Because they made my heart swoon. And I thought in theory, I’m a ladybug. I don’t need to see my stuff. These gorgeous, berry breakable jars are going to be perfect in my pantry with a bunch of teenagers using them every day. Did some break? Of course, absolutely. But even more than that, nobody wants to use a solid jar for food. I don’t know if it’s some psychological thing, but as soon as I put cookies in there, even if I labeled it, I was like, “Are those even fresh?” And you can’t really see them. And it wasn’t appetizing. It felt like weird. So then I just had jars sitting on a shelf for looks. So dumb. I’m sad about it because I think they’re beautiful. So gorgeous. I wish I could love them. Now they just have dog treats. Big mistake. We just keep going. We keep going with my sucking. All right. Oh man. At my old house, we had a closet in like a room we used as an entrance way. and nobody put anything in this closet. We piled everything in front of the closet. So, my genius brain thought, “We need a new system.” We demoed the closet and we installed cabinets with doors. And yes, there was hooks and cubbies in the middle. But on the outside, I thought cabinets with doors, as long as I open them up and put hooks inside, would be cool for my kids coats and backpacks. I don’t know why I thought if the closet’s not working, let’s just spend a bunch of money to replace it with a smaller closet system. No, friend. We just piled everything in front of those cabinets. What a waste. We are a family who just will not take those one extra seconds to open closet doors. And that’s okay. Now, we just have hooks on the wall and cubbies to kick our shoes into. We will never open a closet door. And there’s no shame in that. So, if you are like, I need a new system, don’t replace an old system with like a slightly different system that’s the same system. You probably would never do that. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was dumb. It looked gorgeous, not functional. Detailed acrylic drawers. I did this video a while ago where it was like one closet, four ways. So, I bought all the organizing products I would need for each different style, including these really cool pull out drawers for bees. Everything was microorganized. Every drawer was super detailed. And somehow in my brain, I thought, I should use these in my own home. I already bought them. Look how gorgeous it looks. I could do the home edit. And I turned my bathroom closet, which was like really tiny, into this elaborate bee drawer system. I had the perfect drawer for the 15 razors I had that day and the 10 little dental flosses I had that day. I microorganized for my stuff, not my space. And here’s the issue. Like, a week from now, I had less razors and less dental floss. And a month from now, I didn’t even have any at all. And I had a bunch of extra shampoo I bought because it was on sale, but I had no place for that. The issue with organizing for the things you have today and finding the perfect container for the amount of stuff you have in this moment is that you’re never going to have the exact amount of stuff ever. It’s always in flux. things come in, things go out, you use things up. And so I felt like now I have to constantly restock these things and it left no room for flexibility. It looked great for the first day and then it was just a waste of space and honestly a huge waste of money and my time and everything else. And again, if this works for you, I’m not saying it’s a mistake. It was a mistake for me to try to force myself to use a system that is the complete opposite of how my brain works. I need a big old basket called extra products where I just toss everything in. I love watching those videos of people restocking and making everything beautiful. But in real life, no. This mistake requires a demonstration so I can really explain. And the big mistake is Dollar Tree bins. Not all Dollar Tree bins, because I still buy dollar store bins all the time and love them. But the bins that are this size, they’re so teeny tiny. They’re like big enough for some things, but not big enough for most things. You can’t even fit four rolls of toilet paper in here. It’s not going to hold a towel. I was like, “This is cheaper. It’s $1.50. This is $3.” And yet, the difference is this is usable, whereas this just isn’t. spending a little bit more and getting a more substantial bin ended up saving me money in the long run. Do you know what I’m saying? I wasted so much money on these ones that they just they’re so small they don’t quite fit on a whole shelf. They’re not high enough to really store anything. What are they for? All that’s in there right now is one dead spider. Also, second mistake that I made was getting these gorgeous colors. Look at it. It’s beautiful. So, every room I would get different colored bins, except organization is always changing and you’re swapping things around because things are coming in and going out and different seasons of life. And now I have two extra maybe teal bins that don’t work where they used to and no place else to put them. So now I just get white or clear so I can swap them around the house and they’ll work anywhere with any system. just for me. These mediumsiz bins in colors, huge waste of money. I’m not even exaggerating. I’ve probably wasted $500 over the years and just ended up donating them. I could have went on a trip. Charging station. I’m embarrassed because all of these things I also told you to do. And um yeah, so I bought a fancy charging station from Amazon that was on the kitchen counter and I thought at the end of the night we would all put our devices here, our phones and our iPads and no one would have them in the bedroom. That lasted about 3 seconds. We all just charge our devices in our bedroom. The only person using this was Joe. And then I had a big charging station dedicated to a singular cell phone that was only there maybe 5% of the time. And every time I looked at it, I was like, “Man, we should be using that charging station.” And man, my kitchen has no room for anything. Just that was silly. Ready for rapid fire. Okay, filing cabinets. Dumb. Why did I buy them? Why’ I try to use it? Any filing system with file folders doesn’t work for me. Laundry sortters. Do you know how many sorters I’ve bought that’s like whites and darks and colors? What? I’ve never sorted laundry a day in my life. Why did I think buying giant hampers would like What? Fancy under the sink stacking bins. I was really on a Container Store kick for a while. They were so amazing. They would send me products all the time and I was working with them and I was like, “My under the sink is going to be gorgeous. Three layers of stacked containers.” Yeah. No, I don’t do lids and I don’t do stacked containers and I don’t do fancy. I just don’t do fancy. If it looks really good, it’s pretty much an indication it’s not going to work for me. I need ugly. I need ugly organizing digital planning apps, not just Trello. I’ve fallen for every app ad that’s like this will change your life. A whole family could join and we’re all going to share our schedules and this is going to keep you organized and on track except it’s like a part-time job to fill it out and do all the thing. And then it just and it just now I’m paying for nothing. I’m just paying for no one to use the thing, including me. Finally, last but not least, the biggest mistake of all, not renting a dumpster right away in my decluttering journey. The truth is, I’ve just shared like a bunch of things that cost me probably thousands of dollars and wasted a lot of time, but I wouldn’t do it differently. Like, if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change those mistakes because I learned so freaking much. I learned I don’t do fancy, and if it’s gorgeous, it’s probably not going to work for me. And if it’s expensive, it’s probably not going to work for me. I need fast, easy, simple solutions. And all of those mistakes have made me a way better organizer. They’ve made my home more organized. They were worth the waste. Does that make sense? But not renting a dumpster was something I would change 100%. Because it took me so long to declutter my home. I tried to get organized first. I bought all those stupid things first and I slowly decluttered. But in all those times, I was drowning in stuff for so long. I missed things that really matter, like more time with my family. I missed just liking myself because I hated myself for so long because of the clutter. And it wasn’t until I dramatically removed 80% of the things from my home that I saw a real difference in everything. my finances, my mood, my happiness, the way my home looked, the amount of time I had, like all of it changed when I finally got to an amount of stuff gone that made that difference. And I wish I would have done that day one. If I could go back, that’s the one thing I would change. I would rent a dumpster and I would just fill it and I would start fresh. So hopefully this inspires you to get rid of way more than you ever thought possible to like rip that band-aid off and start fresh and have the home and the life that you deserve today. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Thanks so much. Make sure you like and subscribe and I’ll see you next time. Thank you guys so much for those of you who have stayed to the end. I’ve never been like a girly girl. I’m not I don’t even know how to braid hair. There, I said what I said. I’m not good at this stuff. What I am is insanely cheap. But I’ve learned over the years, don’t selfbox dye your hair cast. It never turns out. So, I go to the salon reluctantly once every couple of months, but lately I’ve been going to a place that’s very inexpensive because again, I’m cheap. But every time it’s bad. The last time I didn’t get my highlight bleach stuff washed out all the way and all the hair underneath here wasn’t washed out and then just like literally broke off. Like I got home and it was crusty and I did this and it was just hair, you know, because but it did I mention how cheap it was? These highlights, they were a fraction of the price. Also, I noticed that they um all the highlights then just broke off the next time I washed my hair and now they’re growing back. It’s been about two months. I’m like a chia petit. I have to hairspray my hair and flatten it down because if not, I have a halo of new baby regrowth. I mean, plus side, seven years from now, I’m gonna have thick, luscious hair. So, like, there’s always a silver lining. Also, I saved like 60 bucks to look like a Chia Pet and have all those highlights I paid for break off into the sink. I’m going to go somewhere else. I’m going to go I’m going to spend a little bit more money. It hurts. You guys, wait a dang minute before you go. The person that I’m going to is not the amazing person who did my hair for the makeover. She’s incredible and it lasted. It’s just she’s more than $40, which is why I haven’t been going to her. You guys were mean. Not all of you. Some of you were mean during that old makeover video. And don’t don’t track her down and bully her for frying my hair and making me look like a Chia pet because it was not her. And I would never mention who it is because that’s mean and I’m never going to tell this person either. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all unless it’s behind the person’s back and they can’t hear and then that’s perfectly acceptable. See you next time.