An expert has revealed the five most common mistakes we make when organizing ourselves at home and how to avoid them.
The video was shared on TikTok by a New York City-based home expert. Carolina Solomonwho often shares it tips, tricks and tricks to put your house in order.
This time was no different, as she shared the five organizing mistakes to avoid: Starting off strong with oversight number one, which was trying to declutter your home in just one day.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was your home,” Solomon said.
“Instead, focus on decluttering one drawer, cabinet, or even closet at a time and don’t be afraid to space it out by setting a timer for fifteen minutes,” she suggested.
New York City-based home expert Caroline Solomon has revealed the five most common organizational mistakes to avoid in a new video posted on TikTok.
The next mistake people make is when they just move piles of stuff around without sorting or organizing anything.
“It’s very important to put everything away first and then put everything back together,” he explained.
Similarly, her third tip involved another crucial faux pas: not carrying a large bag or box while organizing.
He recommended that bags and boxes can also be used for different reasons.
“Have a box on hand to hold clothes to sell and then a bag on hand to donate,” Solomon shared.
And finally, the last two tips involved overanalyzing certain aspects of the cleaning process.
The expert advised people not to rely too much on a certain Instagram aesthetic and do what’s best for you and your space, as well as using broad categories instead of “hyper-specific” categories when labeling and organizing certain areas of your home.
“It’s important to choose broad categories that set you up for success and make it really easy to deposit items,” Solomon said as she showed off some labeled bins in her bathroom.
Her third tip involved another crucial misstep, which was not to carry a large bag or box with you while organizing.
Since her video was posted, it has received more than 16,000 views.
However, Solomon isn’t the only person who has valuable organizing tips to share.
Last year, professional celebrity organizer Lisa S. Jacobs, founder and CEO of Imagine It Done, shared some tips for making your closet look like a star.
Jacobs follows his signature ‘five-step process’ with all of his clients, starting with what is called the ‘edit’.
“The editing process is essential to a successful organization,” Jacobs, who founded the company in 2004, told DailyMail.com at the time.
“For a successful edit, you need two different types of bags: clear (for donations) and black contractor bags (for trash).”
“Be sure to label these bags so you don’t confuse the trash with the gift, donation or items to be consigned,” he continued.
‘Classify and make decisions for everything. Remember that the mirror reflects who you are today, not who you used to be or who you wanted to be.’
The professional organizer added that this step is crucial, as it will allow you to find items that you may not have seen in a long time.
“Think of this as a shopping experience in your own closet,” she said. ‘If you haven’t used it, now is a good time to change the style. Ultimately, this review and editing phase saves you time and money.’
Then move on to categorize, contain, curate and personalize.