Every day I come across new articles and adverts telling me about the ‘perfect’ storage solution that will help me declutter my home. Or how this (insert the latest product here) storage solution will solve all of my home organising problems.
No doubt you’ve seen them too. They share the fantastic storage products that will give us beautifully organised and Instagram-worthy cupboards or help ‘declutter’ our homes.
And who wouldn’t love that!
But it’s not true and it’s makes me so frustrated.
There is no ‘perfect’ storage solution or product that will make your home free from clutter and disorganisation. Because products can’t do that!
Buying more, won’t help you declutter
Mess, clutter and disorganisation are a feature of life, especially if you have a busy household, are juggling lots of priorities and have other people living with you. Our homes are for living in and supporting our families. And they can get messy sometimes but that’s part of the cycle of life.
It worries me that we are constantly told that we can simply buy another thing to make our home feel better.
And it’s so tempting to buy storage with the intention of using it to solve a clutter problem. The problem is, often the storage product becomes clutter itself.
I’ve worked with so many clients who bought storage containers when out and about or in sales, or saw the latest promotion and brought storage with all good intentions, then forgot what they bought them for, found they didn’t really fit for the space or work for the items they intended them for.
Tidying Solutions
There are many tools, products and systems that can help you to be better organised, tidy quicker and help you keep clutter at bay (note to self: write a blog about these!). But there is no one size fits all product that will magically keep your clutter away.
You need to be intentional about what you want keep in your home, do the work, and find habits, systems and appropriate storage solutions that work for your particular household, in your current phase of life…
… then maintain it from time to time (sorry!).
Why There is No ‘Perfect’ Storage Solution (And What Actually Works Instead)
How many blogs have you read with adverts for stylish storage containers, matching boxes, clear pantry bins and beautiful baskets with a caption declaring ‘Buy these baskets and your life will be clutter-free forever‘ (or some other appealing claim)!
Say you do… you order the baskets, decant the pasta, label everything like you’re running a small supermarket. And for about… 48 hours… it’s gorgeous.
Then real life turns up. School letters breed on the sideboard. The pretty boxes overflow. The snack drawer becomes a crisp graveyard. And you’re left thinking Why can’t I make this work?
Let me re-assure you – it’s not you. It’s the myth.
There is no storage product on earth that can magically organise a home without careful consideration of what you really need and a system behind it. Your home isn’t a showroom, it’s a living, breathing place, full of changing needs, tired brains, busy schedules and a lot of stuff.
So let’s replace the fantasy with something far more helpful (and far less expensive).
The Truth: storage doesn’t solve clutter
Storage is a container. It can only do three things:
- hold what you already own
- make it easier (or harder) to find
- make your space look calmer (reduce visual noise)
(Don’t get me wrong: I am a huge fan of storage. Suitable storage, for the purpose and the location.)
But what storage can’t do is reduce the amount of stuff you own (e.g. declutter), make decisions for you or maintain itself when you’re tired and don’t use it where it is useful.
And this matters, because clutter isn’t just ‘visual noise’, it can feel genuinely stressful. Research has linked ‘stressful’ home environments (described with words like messy, cluttered, unfinished) with less healthy daily cortisol patterns in women. That doesn’t mean you need to live in a show home; it means your nervous system likes a bit of order and to feel things are finished.
If storage solutions are your only plan, you’ll keep buying ‘hope’ in plastic form, find it doesn’t quite work and still feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Why blogs make storage look ‘perfect’ (and why it rarely is)
A few reasons those pantry and basket posts feel so convincing:
They’re often designed to sell products
Lots of ‘best storage solutions’ posts actually contain affiliate links. The authors are rewarded if you make a purchase, not concerned with whether it actually fits your home, your habits or meets your needs.
They show the after, not the maintenance
Anyone can do a perfect reset once. But it will get messy so will need to be maintained. The real question is can you maintain it on a Tuesday at 7:10pm when the family is hungry and your brain has logged off?
Your home isn’t static
Seasons change. Your family grows. Work routines shift. Your responsibilities flex. A ‘perfect’ solution assumes your life stays the same but it doesn’t. What works for you in this phase of your life, may need to be adapted in the future.
One-size-fits-all doesn’t exist
A toy system for a toddler won’t suit a 9-year-old. A gorgeous open shelf looks lovely until you live with someone who puts things away by popping them on the nearest shelf. Your preferences, style and needs are very different to your friends or neighbours. And your home is used very differently too.
It’s important to consider factors such as how you use the space, individual preferences and what works for each member of the household.
What to do instead: build a system first, then buy storage (if needed)
Here’s something I advise all my clients when thinking about storage solutions to help organise their home.
Get clear on the real problem (it’s usually not lack of storage)
Ask yourself is the issue:
- too much stuff for the space
- no clear ‘home’ for things
- the storage or location is hard to use
A ‘perfect storage product’ can’t fix the wrong problem. It won’t create more space, provide a better home or make a space a helpful shape, height or easier to use.
My Top action (15 minutes): set a timer, pick one hotspot (kitchen counter, stairs, the chair of doom). Write down what collects there and why. That ‘why’ is your starting point.
Always declutter before buying containers
You don’t want to store things that are no longer useful to your household. It’s unhelpful and costly (clutter needs to be dusted, maintained and moved out of the way when you need to use the area).
If you were struggling for space in your wardrobe you wouldn’t rush out and buy a new wardrobe straight away. You’d begin by reviewing your existing clothes and removing any that no longer fit or work for your current style.
My Top action (set your timer for 15 minutes): Return items that have homes elsewhere. Now what do you have left; those put-off decisions? The things that you no longer use or love but are not sure what to do with. It’s time to let them go – donate, recycle or dispose of these things and free your home.
Plan storage, then purchase containers
Once you’ve determined what you want to store in the space, measure the items, look at the shapes and how you want to be able to access the items. Can you hang items to use the wall space?
My Top action (15 minutes): Measure the space and look for containers that meet your needs in terms of size, shape and access. Also consider your preferences, such as style to match décor, and also whether you want to be able to see the contents or not.
Make it easy to put things away (your future self will thank you)
A good system is one that is easy use and you can maintain on low energy.
So aim for:
- open containers over fiddly lids for things you use daily
- broad categories ‘Batteries & bits’ instead of tiny subcategories that will be time-consuming to maintain
- point-of-use storage – keep things where you actually use them, not where they ‘should’ live
- make it one step to put something away. Avoid storing things you use often in hard to reach places like at the bottom of a stack of boxes or on a high shelf that requires steps to access.
If you need to unstack three boxes to reach the scissors, you’ll end up buying new scissors, or leaving them ‘here for now’ (you know it!).
Use containers as a boundary
Containers can be really helpful if you want to set a boundary to stop things expanding or trigger some action.
If a category of things no longer fits in the space you have available, you have two options:
- reduce the amount
- increase the space (which is rarely an option)
Buying another box will just expand the problem. So try this mindset shift: the drawer/shelf/container is the limit. When it’s full, you review the contents.
This approach can be so helpful because it gives you permission to remove some of the things that are no longer used or enjoyed.
Some examples might be: Only keep re-usable bags you can fit into 1 bag, if the bag overflows donate the excess. We’ll store the children’s artwork in the picture frame until it’s full then review and keep out top 2 favourites. When the in-tray gets full, we’ll sort the paperwork, shredding what we no longer need and filing what we need long-term.
Build a tiny maintenance habit (because systems don’t manage themselves)
This is the bit blogs skip — but it’s essential for helping your home feel good.
Pick one:
- The 15-minute reset: set a timer after dinner, do a quick sweep and return things to their homes.
- Use the ‘one in, one out’ rule: especially great for kids’ things, clothes, mugs, bedlinen and towels. When you bring something new into the home, exchange it for something that will leave the house in it’s place (ideally from the same category but it doesn’t have to be). Donate, sell (but have a deadline to donate if not sold) or recycle.
- Tackle stray bits: we all get too tired to deal with things, but making regular time to chip away at the things that need decisions will help you keep on top of it. Set a timer for 15 mins and work through the basket or pile of stray things, return items to them their homes, make a decision on what to do next, take action to resolve something; complete the paperwork, repair the toy, test the batteries, reunite the cable with it’s tech.
Small, repeatable actions will help to keep your home feeling calm, organised and clutter-free.
Storage won’t fix your clutter
If you’ve bought storage and it hasn’t “fixed” your home, you haven’t done anything wrong.
You’ve just been sold the idea that the ‘right’ product would solve your clutter problems. But the decisions, the systems, the boundaries, the routines are the things that will help you.
Storage is helpful — but it’s the last step, not the first.
And you deserve a home that supports you, not another project that makes you feel behind.
Your next step to a decluttered home
If you want help to tackle the clutter that’s draining your energy, join the wait list for my next free declutter challenge. Focus on one small action at a time and build on your progress each day. See the benefits one drawer, shelf and surface at a time. No huge impossible project. Just a calm plan to help you through the ‘where do I even begin’ to ‘wow look what I can achieve in just 15 minutes a day’!
And if you’d like a hand setting up simple systems that actually match your household (not a Pinterest fantasy), let’s talk. I’m here for you with virtual and in-person home organising support across the Midlands, UK.
