Professional organizer here. One mistake you didn't mention is not accounting for your personal organizing style. I know that you, Daniel, are the sort of person who likes very clean, uncluttered surfaces, and that's definitely a valid way of organizing! But some people (visual organizers) need their tools and items to be visible -- if they're out of sight, they're out of mind. For people like this, even the most well planned cabinet and drawer system isn't going to work, because they won't put things in the cabinets and drawers! For people like this, clear / wire baskets, open shelving, hooks, and large labels can be extremely helpful. For people who don't like taking the time to put things away, having large, lidless bins or baskets can reduce the friction of "putting things away." Finally, look for areas where you ALREADY have clutter as a place to put your storage solutions. If you have a side table that gets cluttered, put a basket or drawers next to it -- you're not going to walk across the room to put something away just because that's where the chest of drawers happened to fit.
Thank you for this comment! It took me years, and the channel clutterbug to realise it is OK to have stuff out! And that there are different organising styles for different people! Which are all valid!
My Girlfriend has a saying "nie leer laufen" which means "never walk empty" from her time working in Hotels and Restaurants. So when you want to walk to the kitchen for an coffee or something, is their anything you could take with you what belongs to the kitchen. You have to do it anyway and with this "system" its done without extra effort. Simple combining Tasks.
YES. If I'm going down to the garage to get something, I take the recycling down. If I'm coming home and up through the garage, I bring up the next bag of TP or 6-pack of beer or whatever.
@@WDX666 as a former waitress, I also use this tip. Another thing I do is use the 2 minutes while the kettle is boiling for tea, to do little bits of housework. Never just stand there waiting! In those 6 minutes a day I can put on a load of washing or hang clothes out, start or empty the dishwasher or put some dry washing away.
I try to do the same in my home. I committed to doing this every time I arrive home and get out of my car, too. I grab any trash, drink bottles, and anything else that doesn't belong. It's working so well in keeping it clutter free!
Hoarding: One trick for clothes in a wardrobe is to pick a date like new year to put all cloth hangers on the hanger bar with the hook coming from the back, like you usually wouldn't do. If you use those clothes during the year, you'll be putting them back into with the hook from the front in the "normal" way. That way, after one year, you can just check the orientation of your hooks to find out if you've used that piece of clothing during the past year.
My trick is to make a basket/bag/… with items I wouldn’t miss twice a year. If I notice after 6 months that I have forgotten I even had them, it means I don’t need them and won’t miss them. It makes it very painless to get rid of stuff.
Yep! I've been doing this every January for a few years now. Also, because I buy a lot of my clothing from thrift stores and the financial investment was low, I don't feel too guilty donating them back.
My cluttered surface, untidy life was completely changed by a 5 day challenge - Clean the surface bothering me most and keep it clean for the duration of my choice. So I did the 2'x2' landing space/counter top in my kitchen for 5 days. Over the course of the last month since I started this one thing, declutttering has become my daily lifestyle. I'm confident that I will meet my new goal of going through every space and drawer that I own within this year to remove trash, find misplaced things, and donate items that are easy to give away.
I had 3 girls in 3 years, and when they were little, and getting lots of toys as gifts, I would keep the most used toys of the day on the small open shelving, and keep others in large bins in a top shelf of a closet, every three months or so, usually around season change, I would put the shelf toys in the bin a rotate out others. It was like Christmas morning, with them delighted to see the NEW/ old collection. They would say, “I remember this!”
Also, note (especially if you can't stand to waste anything by trashing it) that you can save space , money and reduce land fill by repurposing that old shirt. [As an example.] Instead of trashing shirt use as a cleaning rag or mop head, which means you don't need to buy rag (saving money) and since you didn't buy rag and bring it home ( save space) then dispose of rag when used (reduce land fill) it results in multiple savings. Repurpose anything but don't become so obsessed that you hoard things to Repurpose and cause more clutter. Think of repurposing as leftover food - reuse and keep for short while but, too much or too long, and it rots, stinks, and makes a mess that causes illness. So, if you picture a pile of rotting food, you'll get rid of it and down size.
This is going to 'sound' counter intuitive to your suggestion: for those who have a tendency toward hoarding, repurposing too many things is the exact opposite of what they should do because they would most likely end up accumulating again. 😳😬 Going with your suggestion, it might be better to decide from the beginning which items to repurpose(and how many reuses), and which items to simply discard and replace(if need be). The issue with hoarding is it's a 'mindset'__some sort of emotional attatchment that requires resolution. Similarly, cluttered spaces tend to require specific organization/storage solutions, same for procrastination, due to 'decision paralysis'. I say these because I've learned from personal experience. And these 'mental patterns' are similar to other types of addictions__for example, a 'recovered' alcoholic could never be a bar tender because of the 'unintended' temptation to fall back into [their] addictive patterns. If we truly desire to 'bless' our homes with clean, neat spaces it's imperative we 'break away' from old patterns. "FlyLady" is another great source for 'repatterning'! 💖🙌😺
If one room is still overwhelming, as in the case of hoarding, try focusing on only ONE thing a day. Like a draw , closet, bed or corner of room. I had to go through this when going through inheriting my mother's house. She hoarded (meaning wall to wall and floor to ceiling) and it was sooooo overwhelming that I found the only way was to literally do ONE draw or box at a time. Once I saw i was making progress I soon moved up to two then eventually I could do a whole room.
So glad I started watching your videos before moving into my tiny home. It became a well-planned, organised and cosy sanctuary, rather than a frustrating little box…. Thank you!
This is a great list even though my lath and plaster walls laughed at me with pity at the suggestion that a drill and stud finder was all I’d need to hang things from them ;)
We did two things to help keep toys and books under control. Twice a year we would put a donation box in the hall and our children would fill it with items of their choice they had outgrown. A bit like your transition bin. We also had something called toy changing day. We would gather collections of toys and store them. We would then pull out a stored collection, think toy trains, for a month or two. It was like getting 'new' toys several times through the year.
similarly: we would limit the toddlers to however many toys they could keep neat (get it out, put it away) consistently. Starting with 5 toys. The rest went in bins for storage. Once a month, swap out: their choice which ones they kept. When they could manage 5 toys for a solid month, then they got to try managing six toys for a month!
I always use a stud finder. It’s called the phone selfie camera. Jokes aside, there IS actually an app that uses the magnetic properties of the phone compass to find studs.
I once had to move home from UK to Germany. It was clear that I couldn't move all my stuff ( I am a hoarder...) with me, it would be unnecessary expensive. To part easier with things I was leaving behind, I made an "exhibition" of them in the garden, took pictures of them and then I could easier dispose of them. 😉
My 1910's city apartment building is an exception to the rule about vertical storage. The walls are broken frequently with doors and windows in weird places, some walls are round, and all ceilings are curved. An antique home like this would look ridiculous with floor to ceiling storage. I imagine it's the same for any other home that's around a 100 or more years old, as the architectural style of designing spaces was very different than it is now or even in the mid-century era.
I dunno about the financial priorities. If I'm lying on a couch reading a book, I can accept that the bookshelves are a bit cheap and nasty a lot easier than I would accept the couch being uncomfortable. Nice shelves do look nice, but objectively when I'm "looking at my bookshelves" I'm actually looking at the books, not the shelves. Also, some of us don't have object permanence. If I haven't seen that kitchen appliance in the past few days to a week, it no longer exists. This is probably because it's been put away somewhere that with my physical restrictions I'm not going to be able to get it back out anyway.
I'd like to introduce this young man to each of the landlords I've rented from in the last couple of decades, plus the general rental agreement forms issued by the main estate agents - no, most renters can't affix any storage to the wall, no matter how dangerous it is to leave them freestanding. In fact, they give you a leaflet telling you not to have furniture against the wall (including book cases and wardrobes!) as, apparently, they are the causes of damp in these badly maintained flats, not the fact that the landlords don't spend any money looking after them. Lastly, the frequent landlord inspections mean you couldn't get away with doing anything they don't like. A rented property is rarely a home.
I had the same thought when he said that about landlords. Pretty much every landlord I’ve ever had would require you to fill in the hole AND repaint the entire wall because trying to just spot paint over the filled in hole (even when you use the original paint color) will always show up as a slightly different color splotch. And if you don’t do all of that, then they’ll withhold a portion of your damage deposit
@@ellielong7067 I’d be concerned that it’s more an issue of what the landlord chooses to do. Most tenants try to avoid anything where you’re potentially going to have to start arguing law with a landlord, who has all the power and can abuse the process regardless of the law or likely final outcome of such a dispute
Big, deep, kitchen drawers!!! Once you switch you'll wonder why you ever thought storing stuff in cupboards with doors, where you can't actually see all the items, was a good idea. I can see all my plates, dishes and mugs just with the simple action of opening a drawer... there they are... no bending, dark corners, hunting, nor moving stuff around, and then I just lean on it to soft close. Even better are all the different size pantry items that are displayed in front of me to pick out when I open their drawer. I've lived with drawers for over a year now and they still fill me with joy every time I open them. Why didn't someone tell me this years ago!
I love the idea of a transition bin! I usually have transition bin bags (lol) in hard-to-reach places, but having a bin in a relatively visible location would probably persuade me to part with things much more quickly.
I designed my 2 sons bedroom closets to be combined & connected to the shared bathroom and all their closet is there including washer/dryer, too. One-stop shopping. I wanted to make a big room off garage entry id call The Brain where everything is stored ... everything! Nothing comes further in house unless it's being used.
Re wall fixtures: every time I tour a potential new home, I ask if I’m allowed to hang things on the walls. The answer could be yes, the answer could be no, but no matter the answer the tour guide always looks like I’m stupid because they can’t imagine anyone ever answering any other way.
Anxiety is your teddy bear it always comes with you. But get your answers and don’t worry about others. They probably would like to ask the same question. If they had thought of it.
I like also spending on not that first sight crusial things. Giving an IKEA furniture a real wood surface, budget on good switches, good handles of a door. All the stuff you interact with. Natural Materials. Gives you an stirdy, wealty impression.
One of the reasons why I struggled with my storage is that when we migrated, my first bedroom was bigger than a normal single bedroom. When we moved to another rental house and bought our own, my room was much smaller. It was a struggle having to find where to store the stuff that I accumulated over the first two year in the country. 😅
I have these in my low income building where I live, but the pantry is right when you walk in the door so its weird, but I'm thinking of changing it around some, also I don't have a dishwasher...I'm going to get rid of my toaster as it has too many carbs as I'm diabetic...
Those aren't mistakes, those a choices made following a budget. A kitchen with drawers/pull out shelves is literally 3x times the price of simple cabinets. If a kitchen has simple cabinets its bc ppl didn't have the budget for it. I'm surprised so many ppl aren't aware.
It cost me $45 to put three drawer units made of metal mesh into a base cabinet. That was a lot less expensive than what I was quoted by a company that puts in drawers. In another base cabinet, we added a couple of shelves from IKEA and some command hooks on the sides. Nearly everything down there can be easily pulled out, or put away with one movement. Again, a lot less expensive than custom cabinetry. In another cabinet, I put a file sorter at the bottom and it holds cutting boards very nicely. Someday I might add another shelf so that the things on the half shelf pushed to the back we’ll have a more accessible spot to live. Drawers are not always ideal for lower cabinets because things like my Vitamix don’t fit easily into a drawer without taking up a lot of space, because I have to take the blending container off in order to fit it into a drawer. Are used more expensive mesh drawers in the bottom of my pantry and labeled those drawers nicely for things that would be wasting a lot of space on the shelf. I saw no reason to bother with pull out shelves underneath the sink, because they are just in the way when the reverse osmosis got serviced, and it made it hard to clean the base of the cabinet if there’s a leak. So I use simple plastic baskets or totes down there, and it takes a couple of seconds to pull them out for the plumber, or when I feel like Wiping out the bottom of the cabinet. And everything looks very organized in between time. I use a big clear tote on the top shelf of one of my upper cabinets that’s really deep. I put lightweight takeout containers there, so when I make bone broth for us, or for my daughters dogs, or when we have potlucks and people are going home with other peoples food, we have plenty of options for them. It’s like having a drawer at the top cabinet and it is very lightweight to grab and lift out… And it was free because it was just something I had been using before and the lid had gotten damaged. I think it’s lovely to have a kitchen with built-in drawers, but I wouldn’t have them in every base cabinet, and if you don’t have the budget, there are other ways to Create great function in the base cabinets!
@@abijahdixon2771- getting rid of your toaster is brilliant if it’s the kind that pop up the toasted bread! If you have type two diabetes, you can probably get rid of it on a carnivore diet. Not that would go back to eat the carbs, but it’s fixing a lot of health problems. Going to a modified keto diet and keeping an eye on your blood sugar is also possible Depending on your unique body. Going 100% carnivore got rid of so much pain and inflammation in my body. I’m thrilled about it. Then I went off of it due to some stressful life events and the diet has done a number on my well-being. Getting back on now. Starting to feel better again.
Actually laughed out loud at the "ten T-shirts" comment. I must have a hundred and still miss some of those I got rid of. And I know I'll buy more this year 😂
My grown daughter took her favorites (and even bought a few at a thrift store) and made a quilt. The very large squares made it simpler and she used a stabilizer to keep the jersey from stretching.
Excellent video, Daniel. I love how you address organization straight and to the point. I have been obsessed with organizing when I first had my own room at age ten in the mid nineteen sixties.
Liked cz the initial input changed my approach in life by 180degrees. As someone with a new home in construction, I thank you! Sofa and TV later, first storage!
I'm a big proponent of ziploc storage for little bits & bobs, and to contain cords that would otherwise tangle. Being able to label those containers but still see their contents makes a search quicker. I store all my electrical bits & cords in one canvas tote, all my hardware/repair bits in another. The container-in-container method allows larger items like shelf brackets to be kept with the smaller necessary bits. The canvas totes can be hung or placed on a shelf as the current domicile's storage spaces provide. Specialty cords and other tech paraphernalia are held in a decorative storage boxex attractive enough to be on display. (FWIW, all my occasional-use items and holiday decorations are also stored inside storage trunks and boxes that serve as furniture pieces.)
There are also Velcro closures in different colors that fasten to the cord so they don't get lost. I use them everywhere. Extension cords, curling iron, blow dryer, you get the idea.
I write what’s in the ziplock on a colored 3”x3” stickie and put that inside the baggie. Looks better than the markings outside which sometimes fade off.
Very nice video! I’d also love a special for students and similar who can’t choose their own furniture, only extras/accessories, and don’t have a high budget :)
Sometimes I use a method, believe hearing about it from KonMari is one touch rule, meaning to immediately put things at its "home". For example upon arriving home immediately put a jacket or a bag in it's place instead of a chair/counter top...
I also love making the homes for my items easy to access and see. I use little soap dishes for my keys so they’re always home just by dropping them on the tabletop
It's a good goal, but for some of us it's almost impossible to achieve every time. You walk inside juggling too many things, and have to put some stuff down to be able to put other things into their homes. Add in the frustration of getting smacked with problems the second you walk in the door (I once got confronted by a series of cat poop markings on the floor because a room mate didn't know he'd stepped on a poop.... EW!) and sometimes everything you brought in has to be dropped to deal with the emergency.
@@katarh When I come home in a messy place (like your cat issue), my rule is: first get rid of your coat/bag etc, then solve the problem. It's been there for a while before you got home, so it can wait a second. Except water issues. those first, then bag/coat etc.
Some of us (especially the elderly or infirm) arrive home too exhausted to keep moving. Then there are the neurodiverse ('on the spectrum' or ADHD) who need a little time to transition from Outside to Inside, then a moment to plan the next move. (Hint: it's function, not choice.)
Or make considered purchases. For example, if you think having a coffee making machine at home ,means you will take coffee to work instead of buying it.. think I'll have to wake up earlier so will I use it??
The phrase I think of as creating I'm organizing systems is "It should be easier to put away than to put down". In my daily life if I find I'm parking rather than putting away, I may need to make more space where they belong. It was revolutionary for me to hear that high use storage spaces work best if only 75% full!
Our "transition bin" is called the "garage sale pile". We have a table in the garage where stuff gets piled all year. We always SAY we'll have a sale, but when the table is full it all just gets hauled to Goodwill.
While I enjoy your videos very much, discounting a comfortable couch, chairs and beds may be a bias of yours due to your age. Starting at around 50, I was no longer willing to tolerate uncomfortable furniture which exacerbates sore muscles and bones. You too may appreciate a comfortable oversized Lazyboy lounger like we do at 70. Furniture makers could make beautiful and comfortable furniture but they rarely do. I also agree with the “out of sight, out of mind” organizational mindset. If I can’t easily see it, I can’t find it and I’ve always been that way. 😂
Yep; age resets your priorities. My futon has a 3inch memory foam pad on the mattress, and my kitchen has anti-fatigue floor mats in front of the base cabinets. As you get older, all the fat and cartilage padding disappears. Your bones become the foundation of your body's weight and the bone in your heels rest on the hard floor mitigated by paper-thin skin.
Love your videos, maybe not implementing everything but inspiration to do it my way in the end I get from you! Happy to have found you since you talk from your own experience and you have a passion for what you do 🙂Thank you!
When it comes to the baggies, I encourage using a sturdy piece of cardboard or card stock, and it’s easy enough to print onto the card, or onto a piece of paper, in BIG print, what the thing is. Make it just a little bit smaller than it needs to be to fill the square inches of the bag. Slip it into the beg with the screws or special Allen wrench, etc. And then you can keep reusing the bag forever, while also having a bag that sits up nicely and you can “file” These baggies in a drawer because they sit up nicely. You can print onto regular paper and put it inside of clear boxes as well as using a labeler. (I do love my labeler, but I like this idea better for Clear boxes). You can make the font big enough to see at a glance across the room what’s in each box!
I’m trying to use items up to increase space volume . Twice yearly going through cupboards does help . Trying not to buy anymore storage solutions because it can usher in more stuff I one in one or two out is a good strategy. I put things in online baskets for up to a year to reduce impulse buying. I did try with out of sight decluttering but ended up getting stuff to fill the spaces . My personal solution is to have useful quality items on show and in good abundance bordering maximalism but not a hoarder either. Moving many times can cause buying the same item three times over if not careful ( screwdrivers , hammers and drills) Helpful as usual
in regards to chapter 6, labels, techy homeowners might want to consider digitizing their inventory as well. Using cheap RFID stickers with your preferred Note taking app is worth gold. If you really want to take it up a notch, the self-hosted open source software homebox is amazing.
I think people also don’t install high (full wall) storage is because it’s daunting to effectively shave a full foot off of room dimensions, e.g., making a 12’x14’ room only 12’x13’ after a full wall of storage is added.
9:45 Literally all but one rental contract I've signed had a clause about not putting blutac on the walls without permission. If I start fixing things to the walls then I'm gonna be blackballed for future rentals.
@@Alicia-ij6gt Those hooks were put on the bathroom wall by a previous renter and when I pulled one off it peeled off the ancient paint underneath and left the edges peeling too. Hopefully the landlord is as lax in charging us as they are in everything related to maintenance.
I asked explicitly to attach exactly one taller bookshelf to the wall because my son was reaching a climbing age. The landlady said no because “those are nice walls…” in an apartment where she didn’t care to address the openings through which mice had free access, the window frame was dry-rotting, and etc. In such a tight housing market you’re stuck with what you get and have little room to negotiate. The other two rentals I’ve had in this town have turned out to have immense mold problems because landlords don’t bother to keep up with roofs… just patch inside and outside for years on end, putting off the proper maintenance, and bring in a new tenant who doesn’t know better when you get too insistent that something needs care. It’s not that we’re renting on the cheap end either. It’s just how it is. Literally every friend who rents and pays attention deals with major maintenance issues, including a lot of dangerous ones. Those who can afford to move over and over again and find themselves in the same situations.
@@lasdamaichonThis recently happened to me too and I pulled up the peeling paint in a solid square foot area. I did sand the edges down and applied spackle to the area where the paint peeled away so it was level with the rest of the paint. Anyway, sticky hooks can be more damaging to a wall than a nail.
very nice and smart. I like your videos. But :), can you advise something also for a roof apartment with sloping walls? the rough construction is over and I'm waiting for the design and purchase of furniture from the kitchen to the bedroom. I can send you photos of the space if you want.
Budget friendly... shelves with fabric like curtains to hide them. A wall of shelves using up the entire wall, floor to ceiling, and a ladder. If every room had one... voila... very inexpensive. No big ass doors in the way. Also a shelf that wraps around room up by the ceiling for less used/seasonal items.
I chose the smallest drawer in my kitchen for my junk drawer, it’s not pretty but I need that bit of chaos as I grew up in a hoarder household, and as an adult am trying very hard to not fall into that habit.
I’ll add another strategy for when you cannot put things away when you put them down: cooking is a great example. Times of stress might be another one. At those times, I play the game where I put away twice as many things as I get out during the time I’m in that room, and at least I’m going to put a few things away even if I don’t get anything out. So while a pan is soaking or I’m waiting for the water to get hot, I can put away clean dishes or new groceries or go take my purse to my desk and get the receipts out for processing. But obviously, I’m not ready to put away the pot or the pan that I just cooked with because it’s too hot to be plugged into water or some other reason. We can create little challenges to do at least SOMETHING when we are exhausted And things are getting out of control. Even when we are ill or injured and recovering. There’s usually something we can do.
9:38 Your advise on this video is awesome but I have to disagree here: where I live it's common for rental agreements to prevent you from choosing what pictures or paintings you have up on the walls or moving furniture about if they're furnished, nevermind drilling holes in the walls! A lot of rental agreements can be ludicrously restrictive!
I have this chair. I wear clothes once and they are NOT dirty enough to wash, but not clean enough to put back in the drawer... so I might wear them in a day or two to get them dirty enough to wash... so onto the chair they go. Then, about once a week, I assess: have I re-worn them? If so, they are now dirty enough to wash. If not, they tend to stay there until I do re-wear them. The messy chair DOES bother my eye. I wish I had a better solution than a chair. Anyone?
@ Get an over-the-door hook hanger for the interior-facing side of the door to your bedroom. They come in single hooks, double (forked) hooks, or sets of four to six. Your choice to hang your set-aside duds on the hooks or put them on clothes hangers and hook the clothes hangers on the hook.
Personally I think the main reason people avoid putting storage on walls is that it has an impact on how big you perceive your room to be. Even if you have low level storage against thew wall that takes up the same footprint, the room feels bigger if it doesn't extend full height.... of course having a cluttered and busy floor/room also makes it feel smaller :-D
I think in most cases having storage that really goes from floor to ceiling (especially closed storage on the full extent of a wall) actually makes a room feel cleaner and bigger than multiple units of lower storage. Those create more visual clutter for less storage space.
I understand what you are saying - but please show pictures of homes that does not look like hotels or public settings. We are talking about a HOME. With personal belongings and signs of someone living there. And I could keep your rules if I lived by myself. But I dont...
One trick for small items like screws, buttons, etc.: placing them on a zip bag or small is great, but keep in a masking tape and a pen. Stick all the screws together leaving a flap, and write down what's for. Otherwise you end up with a box/bag of useless items. Also helps when selling second hand with all components!
16:30 i've spent years trying to keep the house organised. i even knocked through a covered over under stairs are and built an entire pantry and a pull out fake cupboard with tons of storage on it. Trying to keep the kitchen less cluttered. all that happened was everyone else in the house just kept buying junk that got used once and filled up all the space i made and now the kitchen is as bad as ever. Same story for pretty much everywhere in the house. having chronic fatigue, i just don't have the energy any more to bother trying.
I'm sorry to hear that you have chronic fatigue 😢. Decluttering should really have been number 1 on this list, and less buying of stuff. It's hard when the rest of the members of your household don't help with the maintenance of the space 😢.
Oof, that sounds tough. Not having control of your space is difficult. Of course you didn't create that space expecting others to fill it with things you don't need. 💜 Maybe a hard talk with them about your need for a decluttered space for your health would help.
Time to raise your voice with the other household members. Dogs and cats need to be trained to live in the house without making a mess, same applies to two legged big apes.
You've wasted years trying to force a system that doesn't work for your family. Hidden storage works for some people like Daniel (and presumably you) but for many people what's not visible might as well not exist. What you consider clutter can be the only way for them to organise - they need to SEE what's available. Stop trying to enforce your system and find something that works for them: open shelves, baskets, hanging rails, etc.
Use drywall Spackle!!Not Wood filler! Which was used as "Spackle " in the home we purchased. 😠 The previous homeowner used it liberally and everywhere!!! One wall was so bad that it had to be completely sanded back and skim-coated!
“Don’t put it down, put it away” …Ha! It’s all fun & games ‘til you spot your toddler running towards the sofa with sh*t running down their legs, I promise, you’ll drop whatever you’re holding! 😂
Oh my goodness, cranky, some friends of ours suffered with their child’s diarrhea every time their child was given goldfish at daycare or Sunday school! They worked with a functional medicine, pediatrician to get that under control, finally, thankfully, it is.
Love your vids, Daniel. Always useful, and sometimes affirming with your advice on things I was already applying. Maybe you don't have the time for it, and I'm not sure if I'm speaking for a lot of other people, but I'd love to see more bts videos or vids outside of the apartment. Maybe you could do a series where you visit people or businesses and help them redo their interiors. Whatever you do, I remain a happy subscriber 😊
8:59 Property owner is the USA. Please attach your furniture to the walls as per instructions. There are legal protections against frivolous fees or security deposits. White toothpaste also hides holes if you have it handy
Daniel, I thoroughly enjoy your videos__you have some serious suggestions/recomendations for storage and keeping our homes neat and tidy! Re: the vertical solutions, I'm all for it except, I don't dare put holes in the walls of our present rental place, as they are plaster. An ex-neighbor had to repair a huge, gaping hole in her livingroom wall after having attatched a couple of step shelves for her cats that ended in disaster after several uses. If the landlord would have seen it, her total deposit, plus additional fees, would have been taken for the damage. 😬 If the walls are drywall I always use push pins to display many items__you'd be surprised how well they work, aside from the fact they leave 'tiny' holes! 😋 I even found some at The Container Store with light and dark wood, which I've used to hang some "Native" necklaces, etc., on the narrow walls of doorways, when the pin would actually show__otherwise, clear push pins work great! 💖🙌😺
In the UK, you should avoid drilling in certain "prescribed zones" where cables are likely concealed. According to BS 7671, cables typically run horizontally or vertically from outlets, switches, and junction boxes within 150 mm above or beside them. There's also a 150 mm zone along the top of walls and within 150 mm from wall corners. Following these zones helps prevent drilling into live cables. ruclips.net/video/DZrLjl92zHE/video.htmlsi=QJh7sW3PRvc0iiPb
I mean dressers from the nineteen hundreds eighteen seventies... doesn't require being attached to the wall it's all solid wood... granted not an option for everyone. But I love having the history that comes with my furniture.
great and useful to have this addresssed before the budget is spent (especially re DONT BUY A COUCH cos people downsizing can't give them away quick enough!! second only to king mattresses for white elephant liability furniture! ), Love that your systems frustrations are so faintly veiled, - neurotype??! I wont out you! But it should really be addressed at architectural design time, eg like a service corridor / intermediate zone of library shelving for things, that is sort of hidden from front of house but accessible to it. It needs to start with a loading dock at the service entry/segue to garage/carpark and snake all the way to the living hub. My only uncertainty is how to place it in relation to passive solar features like thermal walls and windows but i think it goes between the coldest exterior wall and the living spaces. With two way cupboards on the interior wall. what do you think ? But maybe youve addressed something similar elsewhere?
Bro you are changing my brain. My family didn't have systems. We had people who were supposed to "keep it clean." Constantly and without any system, ever. Because everyone else got a say in how it had to be and you get criticized if you clean it wrong.
Hey Daniel! Curious to know, where do you take the images of the videos from? I would love to see more photos of some of these spaces. Are they yours or from some magazine/blog/stock bank?
Daniel - if you saw my computer desktop you'd have a heart attack! 50 stickies sorted by color, many open windows with many tabs, etc. Barely works for me.
Professional organizer here. One mistake you didn't mention is not accounting for your personal organizing style. I know that you, Daniel, are the sort of person who likes very clean, uncluttered surfaces, and that's definitely a valid way of organizing! But some people (visual organizers) need their tools and items to be visible -- if they're out of sight, they're out of mind. For people like this, even the most well planned cabinet and drawer system isn't going to work, because they won't put things in the cabinets and drawers! For people like this, clear / wire baskets, open shelving, hooks, and large labels can be extremely helpful. For people who don't like taking the time to put things away, having large, lidless bins or baskets can reduce the friction of "putting things away." Finally, look for areas where you ALREADY have clutter as a place to put your storage solutions. If you have a side table that gets cluttered, put a basket or drawers next to it -- you're not going to walk across the room to put something away just because that's where the chest of drawers happened to fit.
Baskets are everything. I have some which are organized and some cluttered ones. I go through from time to time and put things away.
This is speaking to my soul. You can hide anything from me simply by putting it in a closed drawer...
Thank you for this comment! It took me years, and the channel clutterbug to realise it is OK to have stuff out! And that there are different organising styles for different people! Which are all valid!
This is called « object impermanence » and can be a symptom of ADD.
@@Vera-n7l2cYes! Cas is very illuminating on this.G Ire
My Girlfriend has a saying "nie leer laufen" which means "never walk empty" from her time working in Hotels and Restaurants.
So when you want to walk to the kitchen for an coffee or something, is their anything you could take with you what belongs to the kitchen. You have to do it anyway and with this "system" its done without extra effort. Simple combining Tasks.
thank you, good tip!!
YES. If I'm going down to the garage to get something, I take the recycling down. If I'm coming home and up through the garage, I bring up the next bag of TP or 6-pack of beer or whatever.
Fantastic! I’m gonna give this a try
@@WDX666 as a former waitress, I also use this tip. Another thing I do is use the 2 minutes while the kettle is boiling for tea, to do little bits of housework. Never just stand there waiting! In those 6 minutes a day I can put on a load of washing or hang clothes out, start or empty the dishwasher or put some dry washing away.
I try to do the same in my home. I committed to doing this every time I arrive home and get out of my car, too. I grab any trash, drink bottles, and anything else that doesn't belong. It's working so well in keeping it clutter free!
Hoarding:
One trick for clothes in a wardrobe is to pick a date like new year to put all cloth hangers on the hanger bar with the hook coming from the back, like you usually wouldn't do.
If you use those clothes during the year, you'll be putting them back into with the hook from the front in the "normal" way.
That way, after one year, you can just check the orientation of your hooks to find out if you've used that piece of clothing during the past year.
What a great idea! Simple and easy. ❤
My trick is to make a basket/bag/… with items I wouldn’t miss twice a year. If I notice after 6 months that I have forgotten I even had them, it means I don’t need them and won’t miss them. It makes it very painless to get rid of stuff.
Yep! I've been doing this every January for a few years now. Also, because I buy a lot of my clothing from thrift stores and the financial investment was low, I don't feel too guilty donating them back.
My cluttered surface, untidy life was completely changed by a 5 day challenge - Clean the surface bothering me most and keep it clean for the duration of my choice. So I did the 2'x2' landing space/counter top in my kitchen for 5 days. Over the course of the last month since I started this one thing, declutttering has become my daily lifestyle. I'm confident that I will meet my new goal of going through every space and drawer that I own within this year to remove trash, find misplaced things, and donate items that are easy to give away.
I had 3 girls in 3 years, and when they were little, and getting lots of toys as gifts, I would keep the most used toys of the day on the small open shelving, and keep others in large bins in a top shelf of a closet, every three months or so, usually around season change, I would put the shelf toys in the bin a rotate out others. It was like Christmas morning, with them delighted to see the NEW/ old collection. They would say, “I remember this!”
Also, note (especially if you can't stand to waste anything by trashing it) that you can save space , money and reduce land fill by repurposing that old shirt. [As an example.] Instead of trashing shirt use as a cleaning rag or mop head, which means you don't need to buy rag (saving money) and since you didn't buy rag and bring it home ( save space) then dispose of rag when used (reduce land fill) it results in multiple savings. Repurpose anything but don't become so obsessed that you hoard things to Repurpose and cause more clutter. Think of repurposing as leftover food - reuse and keep for short while but, too much or too long, and it rots, stinks, and makes a mess that causes illness. So, if you picture a pile of rotting food, you'll get rid of it and down size.
This is going to 'sound' counter intuitive to your suggestion: for those who have a tendency toward hoarding, repurposing too many things is the exact opposite of what they should do because they would most likely end up accumulating again. 😳😬
Going with your suggestion, it might be better to decide from the beginning which items to repurpose(and how many reuses), and which items to simply discard and replace(if need be).
The issue with hoarding is it's a 'mindset'__some sort of emotional attatchment that requires resolution.
Similarly, cluttered spaces tend to require specific organization/storage solutions, same for procrastination, due to 'decision paralysis'.
I say these because I've learned from personal experience. And these 'mental patterns' are similar to other types of addictions__for example, a 'recovered' alcoholic could never be a bar tender because of the 'unintended' temptation to fall back into [their] addictive patterns.
If we truly desire to 'bless' our homes with clean, neat spaces it's imperative we 'break away' from old patterns. "FlyLady" is another great source for 'repatterning'! 💖🙌😺
If one room is still overwhelming, as in the case of hoarding, try focusing on only ONE thing a day. Like a draw , closet, bed or corner of room. I had to go through this when going through inheriting my mother's house. She hoarded (meaning wall to wall and floor to ceiling) and it was sooooo overwhelming that I found the only way was to literally do ONE draw or box at a time. Once I saw i was making progress I soon moved up to two then eventually I could do a whole room.
So glad I started watching your videos before moving into my tiny home. It became a well-planned, organised and cosy sanctuary, rather than a frustrating little box…. Thank you!
This is a great list even though my lath and plaster walls laughed at me with pity at the suggestion that a drill and stud finder was all I’d need to hang things from them ;)
My walls are as hard as rock and I have no idea if it is possible or safe to drill into them.
We did two things to help keep toys and books under control. Twice a year we would put a donation box in the hall and our children would fill it with items of their choice they had outgrown. A bit like your transition bin. We also had something called toy changing day. We would gather collections of toys and store them. We would then pull out a stored collection, think toy trains, for a month or two. It was like getting 'new' toys several times through the year.
similarly: we would limit the toddlers to however many toys they could keep neat (get it out, put it away) consistently. Starting with 5 toys. The rest went in bins for storage. Once a month, swap out: their choice which ones they kept. When they could manage 5 toys for a solid month, then they got to try managing six toys for a month!
Love the real life solution about your daughter. Cute and practical!
I always use a stud finder. It’s called the phone selfie camera. Jokes aside, there IS actually an app that uses the magnetic properties of the phone compass to find studs.
I once had to move home from UK to Germany. It was clear that I couldn't move all my stuff ( I am a hoarder...) with me, it would be unnecessary expensive. To part easier with things I was leaving behind, I made an "exhibition" of them in the garden, took pictures of them and then I could easier dispose of them. 😉
My 1910's city apartment building is an exception to the rule about vertical storage. The walls are broken frequently with doors and windows in weird places, some walls are round, and all ceilings are curved. An antique home like this would look ridiculous with floor to ceiling storage. I imagine it's the same for any other home that's around a 100 or more years old, as the architectural style of designing spaces was very different than it is now or even in the mid-century era.
I dunno about the financial priorities. If I'm lying on a couch reading a book, I can accept that the bookshelves are a bit cheap and nasty a lot easier than I would accept the couch being uncomfortable. Nice shelves do look nice, but objectively when I'm "looking at my bookshelves" I'm actually looking at the books, not the shelves.
Also, some of us don't have object permanence. If I haven't seen that kitchen appliance in the past few days to a week, it no longer exists. This is probably because it's been put away somewhere that with my physical restrictions I'm not going to be able to get it back out anyway.
I'd like to introduce this young man to each of the landlords I've rented from in the last couple of decades, plus the general rental agreement forms issued by the main estate agents - no, most renters can't affix any storage to the wall, no matter how dangerous it is to leave them freestanding.
In fact, they give you a leaflet telling you not to have furniture against the wall (including book cases and wardrobes!) as, apparently, they are the causes of damp in these badly maintained flats, not the fact that the landlords don't spend any money looking after them.
Lastly, the frequent landlord inspections mean you couldn't get away with doing anything they don't like.
A rented property is rarely a home.
I had the same thought when he said that about landlords. Pretty much every landlord I’ve ever had would require you to fill in the hole AND repaint the entire wall because trying to just spot paint over the filled in hole (even when you use the original paint color) will always show up as a slightly different color splotch. And if you don’t do all of that, then they’ll withhold a portion of your damage deposit
Are you in the UK? Because i think the legislation is different than the US
@@ellielong7067 I’d be concerned that it’s more an issue of what the landlord chooses to do. Most tenants try to avoid anything where you’re potentially going to have to start arguing law with a landlord, who has all the power and can abuse the process regardless of the law or likely final outcome of such a dispute
So true!
Very different in Australia too around affixing shelves etc to the wall to prevent injury
Big, deep, kitchen drawers!!! Once you switch you'll wonder why you ever thought storing stuff in cupboards with doors, where you can't actually see all the items, was a good idea. I can see all my plates, dishes and mugs just with the simple action of opening a drawer... there they are... no bending, dark corners, hunting, nor moving stuff around, and then I just lean on it to soft close. Even better are all the different size pantry items that are displayed in front of me to pick out when I open their drawer. I've lived with drawers for over a year now and they still fill me with joy every time I open them. Why didn't someone tell me this years ago!
Yes!!!
I love the idea of a transition bin! I usually have transition bin bags (lol) in hard-to-reach places, but having a bin in a relatively visible location would probably persuade me to part with things much more quickly.
The transition bin is a Great Idea for decluttering. Thanks also for including drop zones & hooks for quick use.
I designed my 2 sons bedroom closets to be combined & connected to the shared bathroom and all their closet is there including washer/dryer, too. One-stop shopping. I wanted to make a big room off garage entry id call The Brain where everything is stored ... everything! Nothing comes further in house unless it's being used.
Re wall fixtures: every time I tour a potential new home, I ask if I’m allowed to hang things on the walls. The answer could be yes, the answer could be no, but no matter the answer the tour guide always looks like I’m stupid because they can’t imagine anyone ever answering any other way.
Anxiety is your teddy bear it always comes with you. But get your answers and don’t worry about others. They probably would like to ask the same question. If they had thought of it.
Who cares, don't do things to get people you don't like to like you
I like also spending on not that first sight crusial things. Giving an IKEA furniture a real wood surface, budget on good switches, good handles of a door. All the stuff you interact with. Natural Materials. Gives you an stirdy, wealty impression.
One of the reasons why I struggled with my storage is that when we migrated, my first bedroom was bigger than a normal single bedroom. When we moved to another rental house and bought our own, my room was much smaller. It was a struggle having to find where to store the stuff that I accumulated over the first two year in the country. 😅
Number one mistake architects make when designing kitchens: not having everything below the counter be drawers or at the very least, pull-out shelves.
I have these in my low income building where I live, but the pantry is right when you walk in the door so its weird, but I'm thinking of changing it around some, also I don't have a dishwasher...I'm going to get rid of my toaster as it has too many carbs as I'm diabetic...
Those aren't mistakes, those a choices made following a budget. A kitchen with drawers/pull out shelves is literally 3x times the price of simple cabinets.
If a kitchen has simple cabinets its bc ppl didn't have the budget for it.
I'm surprised so many ppl aren't aware.
It cost me $45 to put three drawer units made of metal mesh into a base cabinet. That was a lot less expensive than what I was quoted by a company that puts in drawers.
In another base cabinet, we added a couple of shelves from IKEA and some command hooks on the sides. Nearly everything down there can be easily pulled out, or put away with one movement. Again, a lot less expensive than custom cabinetry.
In another cabinet, I put a file sorter at the bottom and it holds cutting boards very nicely. Someday I might add another shelf so that the things on the half shelf pushed to the back we’ll have a more accessible spot to live.
Drawers are not always ideal for lower cabinets because things like my Vitamix don’t fit easily into a drawer without taking up a lot of space, because I have to take the blending container off in order to fit it into a drawer.
Are used more expensive mesh drawers in the bottom of my pantry and labeled those drawers nicely for things that would be wasting a lot of space on the shelf.
I saw no reason to bother with pull out shelves underneath the sink, because they are just in the way when the reverse osmosis got serviced, and it made it hard to clean the base of the cabinet if there’s a leak. So I use simple plastic baskets or totes down there, and it takes a couple of seconds to pull them out for the plumber, or when I feel like Wiping out the bottom of the cabinet. And everything looks very organized in between time.
I use a big clear tote on the top shelf of one of my upper cabinets that’s really deep. I put lightweight takeout containers there, so when I make bone broth for us, or for my daughters dogs, or when we have potlucks and people are going home with other peoples food, we have plenty of options for them. It’s like having a drawer at the top cabinet and it is very lightweight to grab and lift out… And it was free because it was just something I had been using before and the lid had gotten damaged.
I think it’s lovely to have a kitchen with built-in drawers, but I wouldn’t have them in every base cabinet, and if you don’t have the budget, there are other ways to Create great function in the base cabinets!
@@abijahdixon2771- getting rid of your toaster is brilliant if it’s the kind that pop up the toasted bread! If you have type two diabetes, you can probably get rid of it on a carnivore diet. Not that would go back to eat the carbs, but it’s fixing a lot of health problems. Going to a modified keto diet and keeping an eye on your blood sugar is also possible Depending on your unique body. Going 100% carnivore got rid of so much pain and inflammation in my body. I’m thrilled about it. Then I went off of it due to some stressful life events and the diet has done a number on my well-being. Getting back on now. Starting to feel better again.
Actually laughed out loud at the "ten T-shirts" comment. I must have a hundred and still miss some of those I got rid of. And I know I'll buy more this year 😂
My grown daughter took her favorites (and even bought a few at a thrift store) and made a quilt. The very large squares made it simpler and she used a stabilizer to keep the jersey from stretching.
Of all your videos that I have seen, this is by far the best. A top 10 list that I didn't even notice the counting in - excellent!
folder and files example was neat af
As you were talking budget and space, a saying came to my mind: It's like the man who found a button and had the taylor make a suit.
Excellent video, Daniel. I love how you address organization straight and to the point. I have been obsessed with organizing when I first had my own room at age ten in the mid nineteen sixties.
Another memorable and practical video. “Hierarchy”, often forgotten in other home organisation videos. Thank you, Daniel.
Liked cz the initial input changed my approach in life by 180degrees. As someone with a new home in construction, I thank you! Sofa and TV later, first storage!
I'm a big proponent of ziploc storage for little bits & bobs, and to contain cords that would otherwise tangle. Being able to label those containers but still see their contents makes a search quicker. I store all my electrical bits & cords in one canvas tote, all my hardware/repair bits in another. The container-in-container method allows larger items like shelf brackets to be kept with the smaller necessary bits. The canvas totes can be hung or placed on a shelf as the current domicile's storage spaces provide. Specialty cords and other tech paraphernalia are held in a decorative storage boxex attractive enough to be on display. (FWIW, all my occasional-use items and holiday decorations are also stored inside storage trunks and boxes that serve as furniture pieces.)
The ziplock bags look horrible after awhile.
@@darlenecuker9711 there are some more robust silicon bags with Ziploc closures.
There are also Velcro closures in different colors that fasten to the cord so they don't get lost. I use them everywhere. Extension cords, curling iron, blow dryer, you get the idea.
I write what’s in the ziplock on a colored 3”x3” stickie and put that inside the baggie. Looks better than the markings outside which sometimes fade off.
Great ideas! Thank you. Most of your suggestions are doable, even for a senior citizen like me.
Very nice video! I’d also love a special for students and similar who can’t choose their own furniture, only extras/accessories, and don’t have a high budget :)
Sometimes I use a method, believe hearing about it from KonMari is one touch rule, meaning to immediately put things at its "home". For example upon arriving home immediately put a jacket or a bag in it's place instead of a chair/counter top...
I also love making the homes for my items easy to access and see. I use little soap dishes for my keys so they’re always home just by dropping them on the tabletop
I also do that, though my rule is called "Don't put it down, put it away." Picked it up in some HGTV show I think. It really keeps the work down.
It's a good goal, but for some of us it's almost impossible to achieve every time. You walk inside juggling too many things, and have to put some stuff down to be able to put other things into their homes. Add in the frustration of getting smacked with problems the second you walk in the door (I once got confronted by a series of cat poop markings on the floor because a room mate didn't know he'd stepped on a poop.... EW!) and sometimes everything you brought in has to be dropped to deal with the emergency.
@@katarh When I come home in a messy place (like your cat issue), my rule is: first get rid of your coat/bag etc, then solve the problem. It's been there for a while before you got home, so it can wait a second. Except water issues. those first, then bag/coat etc.
Some of us (especially the elderly or infirm) arrive home too exhausted to keep moving.
Then there are the neurodiverse ('on the spectrum' or ADHD) who need a little time to transition from Outside to Inside, then a moment to plan the next move. (Hint: it's function, not choice.)
We all have way too much STUFF!
I'm only 4 minutes in. But I'm gonna need a bunch of short form content the juxtaposes storage vs no storage, Mess vs organization. Great vid.
i've been using essentially the same hierarchy in my home for about 2 years now and it is a complete game changer!
The little cet thing for your daughter is adorable 😂❤
Hey Daniel, you missed out one important advice : BUY LESS !
Or make considered purchases. For example, if you think having a coffee making machine at home ,means you will take coffee to work instead of buying it.. think I'll have to wake up earlier so will I use it??
The phrase I think of as creating I'm organizing systems is "It should be easier to put away than to put down". In my daily life if I find I'm parking rather than putting away, I may need to make more space where they belong. It was revolutionary for me to hear that high use storage spaces work best if only 75% full!
Our "transition bin" is called the "garage sale pile". We have a table in the garage where stuff gets piled all year. We always SAY we'll have a sale, but when the table is full it all just gets hauled to Goodwill.
I call mine the Chopping Block. 😊
While I enjoy your videos very much, discounting a comfortable couch, chairs and beds may be a bias of yours due to your age. Starting at around 50, I was no longer willing to tolerate uncomfortable furniture which exacerbates sore muscles and bones. You too may appreciate a comfortable oversized Lazyboy lounger like we do at 70. Furniture makers could make beautiful and comfortable furniture but they rarely do. I also agree with the “out of sight, out of mind” organizational mindset. If I can’t easily see it, I can’t find it and I’ve always been that way. 😂
Yep; age resets your priorities.
My futon has a 3inch memory foam pad on the mattress, and my kitchen has anti-fatigue floor mats in front of the base cabinets.
As you get older, all the fat and cartilage padding disappears. Your bones become the foundation of your body's weight and the bone in your heels rest on the hard floor mitigated by paper-thin skin.
Love your videos, maybe not implementing everything but inspiration to do it my way in the end I get from you! Happy to have found you since you talk from your own experience and you have a passion for what you do 🙂Thank you!
So glad I found your channel you talk so much sense….great tips and ideas 😊
When it comes to the baggies, I encourage using a sturdy piece of cardboard or card stock, and it’s easy enough to print onto the card, or onto a piece of paper, in BIG print, what the thing is. Make it just a little bit smaller than it needs to be to fill the square inches of the bag. Slip it into the beg with the screws or special Allen wrench, etc. And then you can keep reusing the bag forever, while also having a bag that sits up nicely and you can “file” These baggies in a drawer because they sit up nicely.
You can print onto regular paper and put it inside of clear boxes as well as using a labeler. (I do love my labeler, but I like this idea better for Clear boxes). You can make the font big enough to see at a glance across the room what’s in each box!
Crusial is acesibility and funcionality. Like switching the angle of the fridge. You won't use it, if it is a pain in the A to use it.
Really appreciate the explanation around 9:50 regarding wall anchors.
That toy trolley is an awesome idea. Bookmarking that for the next time we have small people in our household.
I love his accent so much 😌
I’m trying to use items up to increase space volume . Twice yearly going through cupboards does help . Trying not to buy anymore storage solutions because it can usher in more stuff
I one in one or two out is a good strategy. I put things in online baskets for up to a year to reduce impulse buying. I did try with out of sight decluttering but ended up getting stuff to fill the spaces . My personal solution is to have useful quality items on show and in good abundance bordering maximalism but not a hoarder either. Moving many times can cause buying the same item three times over if not careful ( screwdrivers , hammers and drills)
Helpful as usual
in regards to chapter 6, labels, techy homeowners might want to consider digitizing their inventory as well.
Using cheap RFID stickers with your preferred Note taking app is worth gold. If you really want to take it up a notch, the self-hosted open source software homebox is amazing.
I think people also don’t install high (full wall) storage is because it’s daunting to effectively shave a full foot off of room dimensions, e.g., making a 12’x14’ room only 12’x13’ after a full wall of storage is added.
9:45 Literally all but one rental contract I've signed had a clause about not putting blutac on the walls without permission.
If I start fixing things to the walls then I'm gonna be blackballed for future rentals.
There are removable hooks which do not leave a mark.
@@Alicia-ij6gt Those hooks were put on the bathroom wall by a previous renter and when I pulled one off it peeled off the ancient paint underneath and left the edges peeling too. Hopefully the landlord is as lax in charging us as they are in everything related to maintenance.
I asked explicitly to attach exactly one taller bookshelf to the wall because my son was reaching a climbing age. The landlady said no because “those are nice walls…” in an apartment where she didn’t care to address the openings through which mice had free access, the window frame was dry-rotting, and etc. In such a tight housing market you’re stuck with what you get and have little room to negotiate. The other two rentals I’ve had in this town have turned out to have immense mold problems because landlords don’t bother to keep up with roofs… just patch inside and outside for years on end, putting off the proper maintenance, and bring in a new tenant who doesn’t know better when you get too insistent that something needs care. It’s not that we’re renting on the cheap end either. It’s just how it is. Literally every friend who rents and pays attention deals with major maintenance issues, including a lot of dangerous ones. Those who can afford to move over and over again and find themselves in the same situations.
Yep, exactly
@@lasdamaichonThis recently happened to me too and I pulled up the peeling paint in a solid square foot area. I did sand the edges down and applied spackle to the area where the paint peeled away so it was level with the rest of the paint.
Anyway, sticky hooks can be more damaging to a wall than a nail.
Looking forward to this one - always good to see you on RUclips Daniel.
very nice and smart. I like your videos. But :), can you advise something also for a roof apartment with sloping walls? the rough construction is over and I'm waiting for the design and purchase of furniture from the kitchen to the bedroom. I can send you photos of the space if you want.
Thanks!
I enjoy tidying up more than gaming lol, I'm the girl you call when you need to clear sapce in a closet or help declutter when moving 😊
Budget friendly... shelves with fabric like curtains to hide them. A wall of shelves using up the entire wall, floor to ceiling, and a ladder.
If every room had one... voila... very inexpensive. No big ass doors in the way.
Also a shelf that wraps around room up by the ceiling for less used/seasonal items.
Really, great video. It is one of the best I have seen on this topic.
Loved the video. Great editing and delivery :)
I chose the smallest drawer in my kitchen for my junk drawer, it’s not pretty but I need that bit of chaos as I grew up in a hoarder household, and as an adult am trying very hard to not fall into that habit.
I love the solution to your daughter's clutter. The rest of your tips were great (I like the hierarchy) but I expected that. Good job!
I’ll add another strategy for when you cannot put things away when you put them down: cooking is a great example. Times of stress might be another one. At those times, I play the game where I put away twice as many things as I get out during the time I’m in that room, and at least I’m going to put a few things away even if I don’t get anything out. So while a pan is soaking or I’m waiting for the water to get hot, I can put away clean dishes or new groceries or go take my purse to my desk and get the receipts out for processing. But obviously, I’m not ready to put away the pot or the pan that I just cooked with because it’s too hot to be plugged into water or some other reason.
We can create little challenges to do at least SOMETHING when we are exhausted And things are getting out of control. Even when we are ill or injured and recovering. There’s usually something we can do.
9:38 Your advise on this video is awesome but I have to disagree here: where I live it's common for rental agreements to prevent you from choosing what pictures or paintings you have up on the walls or moving furniture about if they're furnished, nevermind drilling holes in the walls! A lot of rental agreements can be ludicrously restrictive!
Yep, landlords are not known for their reasonableness...
A good example for “drop zones” is the typical chair in the room where one just throw clothes at it to be used/stored/washed later
Oh, you mean the bedroom treadmill...
I have this chair. I wear clothes once and they are NOT dirty enough to wash, but not clean enough to put back in the drawer... so I might wear them in a day or two to get them dirty enough to wash... so onto the chair they go. Then, about once a week, I assess: have I re-worn them? If so, they are now dirty enough to wash. If not, they tend to stay there until I do re-wear them. The messy chair DOES bother my eye. I wish I had a better solution than a chair. Anyone?
@ Get an over-the-door hook hanger for the interior-facing side of the door to your bedroom. They come in single hooks, double (forked) hooks, or sets of four to six.
Your choice to hang your set-aside duds on the hooks or put them on clothes hangers and hook the clothes hangers on the hook.
Personally I think the main reason people avoid putting storage on walls is that it has an impact on how big you perceive your room to be. Even if you have low level storage against thew wall that takes up the same footprint, the room feels bigger if it doesn't extend full height.... of course having a cluttered and busy floor/room also makes it feel smaller :-D
I think in most cases having storage that really goes from floor to ceiling (especially closed storage on the full extent of a wall) actually makes a room feel cleaner and bigger than multiple units of lower storage. Those create more visual clutter for less storage space.
I understand what you are saying - but please show pictures of homes that does not look like hotels or public settings. We are talking about a HOME. With personal belongings and signs of someone living there.
And I could keep your rules if I lived by myself. But I dont...
An interior designer who has a TODDLER and still keeps his house clean?? 😲 I must know your secrets!!
1:53 - That's a *dream*! NO visual clutter, and *everything* in its own proper cupboard!
4:52 it's actually much more important because on the computer you can search within seconds, in real life it takes minutes and hours.
im listening just to listen to your voiceee *some tips were amazing
One trick for small items like screws, buttons, etc.: placing them on a zip bag or small is great, but keep in a masking tape and a pen. Stick all the screws together leaving a flap, and write down what's for. Otherwise you end up with a box/bag of useless items. Also helps when selling second hand with all components!
16:30 i've spent years trying to keep the house organised. i even knocked through a covered over under stairs are and built an entire pantry and a pull out fake cupboard with tons of storage on it. Trying to keep the kitchen less cluttered.
all that happened was everyone else in the house just kept buying junk that got used once and filled up all the space i made and now the kitchen is as bad as ever. Same story for pretty much everywhere in the house.
having chronic fatigue, i just don't have the energy any more to bother trying.
I'm sorry to hear that you have chronic fatigue 😢. Decluttering should really have been number 1 on this list, and less buying of stuff. It's hard when the rest of the members of your household don't help with the maintenance of the space 😢.
Don't organise. Throw out.
Oof, that sounds tough. Not having control of your space is difficult. Of course you didn't create that space expecting others to fill it with things you don't need. 💜 Maybe a hard talk with them about your need for a decluttered space for your health would help.
Time to raise your voice with the other household members. Dogs and cats need to be trained to live in the house without making a mess, same applies to two legged big apes.
You've wasted years trying to force a system that doesn't work for your family.
Hidden storage works for some people like Daniel (and presumably you) but for many people what's not visible might as well not exist. What you consider clutter can be the only way for them to organise - they need to SEE what's available. Stop trying to enforce your system and find something that works for them: open shelves, baskets, hanging rails, etc.
Use drywall Spackle!!Not Wood filler! Which was used as "Spackle " in the home we purchased. 😠 The previous homeowner used it liberally and everywhere!!!
One wall was so bad that it had to be completely sanded back and skim-coated!
The problem with vertical storage is the nice stuff costs thousands to have made!
This is a great video but I would like him to do one on do's and don'ts of where to put built ins
You realy got it to the point. Love it
“Don’t put it down, put it away” …Ha! It’s all fun & games ‘til you spot your toddler running towards the sofa with sh*t running down their legs, I promise, you’ll drop whatever you’re holding! 😂
Oh my goodness, cranky, some friends of ours suffered with their child’s diarrhea every time their child was given goldfish at daycare or Sunday school! They worked with a functional medicine, pediatrician to get that under control, finally, thankfully, it is.
Love your vids, Daniel. Always useful, and sometimes affirming with your advice on things I was already applying.
Maybe you don't have the time for it, and I'm not sure if I'm speaking for a lot of other people, but I'd love to see more bts videos or vids outside of the apartment. Maybe you could do a series where you visit people or businesses and help them redo their interiors.
Whatever you do, I remain a happy subscriber 😊
8:59 Property owner is the USA. Please attach your furniture to the walls as per instructions. There are legal protections against frivolous fees or security deposits. White toothpaste also hides holes if you have it handy
Terrific video. Thank you!
Brilliant🎉 will b using all this in designing functional cupboard space🎉
I love the idea of a "transition bin".
Thank you, great practical doable ideas.
Daniel,
I thoroughly enjoy your videos__you have some serious suggestions/recomendations for storage and keeping our homes neat and tidy!
Re: the vertical solutions, I'm all for it except, I don't dare put holes in the walls of our present rental place, as they are plaster.
An ex-neighbor had to repair a huge, gaping hole in her livingroom wall after having attatched a couple of step shelves for her cats that ended in disaster after several uses. If the landlord would have seen it, her total deposit, plus additional fees, would have been taken for the damage. 😬
If the walls are drywall I always use push pins to display many items__you'd be surprised how well they work, aside from the fact they leave 'tiny' holes! 😋
I even found some at The Container Store with light and dark wood, which I've used to hang some "Native" necklaces, etc., on the narrow walls of doorways, when the pin would actually show__otherwise, clear push pins work great! 💖🙌😺
Awesome video🎉 Great suggestions. Thank you for this.
In the UK, you should avoid drilling in certain "prescribed zones" where cables are likely concealed. According to BS 7671, cables typically run horizontally or vertically from outlets, switches, and junction boxes within 150 mm above or beside them. There's also a 150 mm zone along the top of walls and within 150 mm from wall corners. Following these zones helps prevent drilling into live cables.
ruclips.net/video/DZrLjl92zHE/video.htmlsi=QJh7sW3PRvc0iiPb
I mean dressers from the nineteen hundreds eighteen seventies... doesn't require being attached to the wall it's all solid wood... granted not an option for everyone. But I love having the history that comes with my furniture.
Great content! Thanks!
great and useful to have this addresssed before the budget is spent (especially re DONT BUY A COUCH cos people downsizing can't give them away quick enough!! second only to king mattresses for white elephant liability furniture! ), Love that your systems frustrations are so faintly veiled, - neurotype??! I wont out you! But it should really be addressed at architectural design time, eg like a service corridor / intermediate zone of library shelving for things, that is sort of hidden from front of house but accessible to it. It needs to start with a loading dock at the service entry/segue to garage/carpark and snake all the way to the living hub. My only uncertainty is how to place it in relation to passive solar features like thermal walls and windows but i think it goes between the coldest exterior wall and the living spaces. With two way cupboards on the interior wall. what do you think ? But maybe youve addressed something similar elsewhere?
Can’t wait for the next video!
Bro you are changing my brain. My family didn't have systems. We had people who were supposed to "keep it clean." Constantly and without any system, ever. Because everyone else got a say in how it had to be and you get criticized if you clean it wrong.
Great video. Glad I fell upon your channel. 😊
I`ma fan of Euro Boxes, Sturdy, stackable, several colors, even transparent, in different configurations
i use a suitcase in the garage as a transition bin for clothes. it gets emptied out and goes to charity once a year
Great video, but my overwhelming thought 4:28 is.... what a boring kitchen you have. You really need a little clutter to make it feel alive.
Hey Daniel! Curious to know, where do you take the images of the videos from? I would love to see more photos of some of these spaces. Are they yours or from some magazine/blog/stock bank?
I wish I had learned these things or hired someone to help design our place with more storage 5 years ago!
Daniel - if you saw my computer desktop you'd have a heart attack! 50 stickies sorted by color, many open windows with many tabs, etc. Barely works for me.