16 Easy Organizing Hacks for Your Closet, Clothing and Beyond.
Nesting, so hot right now.
Last weekend, I caught a colossal nesting wave, perhaps nudged by astrology or my cycle. Having recently renewed our lease for another two years, I had the compulsive urge to “finish” our apartment. With most of the macro tasks complete, this meant tackling the more minor, nagging projects that were starting to give me a tic. Time to share solutions!
THE PROBLEM: An overly-cluttered dresser surface stuffed with skincare and jewelry that had no other home. My jewelry was in velvet-lined boxes that required me to unstack and restack them whenever I needed something not in the top tray. It was cumbersome and discouraged me from ever accessing anything not immediately within reach, leaving most of my jewelry unseen and unworn. My skincare was in a cheap plastic spinner that I hated looking at.
THE SOLVE: I came across a vertical jewelry organizer on Amazon that was a life-changing solution — perhaps the best $125 I’ve ever spent. The hanging mirrored cabinet came fully assembled and can be mounted in various ways. Given that it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing thing (it’s giving Rubbermaid), I opted to hang it inside my closet door, which turned out to be perfect. It holds all my jewelry with room to grow, some skincare and perfume, and even hair accessories. Best of all, it comes with a lock for peace of mind.
THE PROBLEM: A drawer full of disorganized and overworn socks, layering basics, and underwear.
THE SOLVE: I rooted through the jumble and did a quick inventory and purge. I noticed I needed a solid handful of new basics, socks, bras, and underwear, so I got a few things from Else Lingerie (this set), Comme Si (these socks), Cuup (this bra), CLYQUE (tanks and thermals), Le Set (stirrup leggings and Margo t-shirts) and SKIMS (neutral on Kim K, bullish on her boyshorts). The drawer is broad and deep, so I made four groupings: undies, socks, layering basics/shapewear, and pajamas. I bought expandable drawer organizers to keep each section contained and folded everything neatly once installed. I finished with a Santa Maria Novella wax drawer sachet plus a cedar chip to keep everything smelling nicely — and to deter moths.
THE PROBLEM: A semi-disorganized makeup drawer.
THE SOLVE: Not unlike my underwear drawer, I went through and purged anything expired, unflattering, or broken. This left me with an edit of only the stuff I love and wear. I wiped the drawer out and put everything back in. I bought mini drawer organizers to section off products by type so I could access them easily when getting ready: lips, complexion, blush, eyes, brushes/tools. Now, I don’t have to rifle through a bunch of crap I never used to get to my favorite shade of Baby Cheeks (Bichette).
THE PROBLEM: The bathroom had an abysmally chosen shade of “landlord special” paint, which made my skin look jaundiced in the mirror.
THE SOLVE: I wanted a dusty shade of mauve or pink, so I walked two blocks to the Farrow & Ball store and bought sample cans of Sulking Room Pink and Dead Salmon. I tested both in the (windowless) bathroom—Dead Salmon was the clear winner. Given the room’s small size, I figured I could handle the job myself. I bought a painting set, edging tools, a drop cloth, and turpentine at Home Depot, then went to work. After three days standing on my little step ladder, I finally finished. My back was throbbing, my mood was foul, and I cried in frustration more than once. I hope you will all hold me accountable to this, my public vow to never DIY a paint job EVER AGAIN. It does look good, though! I moved a Tyler Hays piece (similar) in there, which pops nicely against the wall, and installed a small stool made of petrified wood from RH (similar). I topped it with an antique sterling tray of Santa Maria Novella soaps and a Moro Dabron candle and ordered a new shower curtain (I'm not too fond of shower curtains but have no other choice in this rental) from Zara Home. Finally, I got some nice jars for my Q-tips and cotton balls and a fogless mirror for the shower wall to see what I was doing when applying all my little face masks. Last night, I lit the candle, dumped two packages of Flewd bath salt into the tub, and soaked my tired muscles in my new bathroom.
THE PROBLEM: A pre-war fireplace flu that wouldn’t open.
THE SOLVE: The flu still won’t open, but no matter because I got a fireplace insert. This nifty thing burns alcohol gel fuel, so it’s smokeless but still makes a real flame that crackles and pops with all the satisfying coziness a fireplace should provide. I bought a lovely Giacometti-esque fireplace screen, and nobody clocks that the logs are faux, especially when there’s a fire going.
THE PROBLEM: A constant rotation of incomplete and mismatched bedsheets driving my housekeeper (and myself) insane.
THE SOLVE: We stripped the bed and collected every sheet, duvet cover, and pillowcase I own. We treated any stains (this brush was a great pairing) and then laundered them in high-quality, beautifully fragranced detergent. After we dried and fluffed them, we spritzed them with linen spray and inventoried each set to ensure they were complete. We folded each set together and stored them in labeled collapsible sheet organizers. Now, I have a mini linen library she can easily pull from, knowing she won’t have to look for a missing fitted sheet or pillowcase. We also took the opportunity to send my pillows to the cleaner, replace two spent ones with my favorite down numbers, and launder my duvet, my Sleep Crown, and my favorite mattress topper (a purchase influenced by
’s Fancy Mom). Climbing into bed last night was heaven.
THE PROBLEM: Speaking of my housekeeper, I noticed she was dragging a massive, heavy bag of cleaning supplies to my house every week, which I know has to be a pain.
THE SOLVE: I made her a kit of high-quality products that lives at my house, so she doesn’t need to lug anything over anymore. It includes The Laundress glass and mirror cleaner, Caldrea surface spray, and hardcore wood floor cleaner. I installed these little tiered organizers with sliding drawers under my kitchen sink so she can quickly get to what she needs without too much hassle.
THE PROBLEM: A bedside table with zero surface area that barely had room for a book.
THE SOLVE: I cleaned out a bunch of junk I didn’t need, which allowed me to invest in something pretty: a Design Frères ‘Méandre’ side table. It has a generous table top—room for a candle, an Anastasio Home tray to catch jewelry and bobby pins, a bedside carafe, and my Kindle.
THE PROBLEM: I live with a man who never checks the fridge's prior inventory before buying more of the same thing. This leaves me with issues like multiple cartons of eggs stacked atop one another, with no clue which is the freshest.
THE SOLVE: A couple of fridge organizers did the trick! One that holds a couple of dozen eggs at a time and automatically dispenses them in the order in which you purchase them, one that holds and dispenses his fixation on Diet Sprite, and little green bags to make lettuces last longer during weeks when I stock up at farmer’s market, and he still returns home with a giant box of arugula. I liked them so much I was inspired to organize my spice drawer and Ziploc drawer, too.
THE PROBLEM: A jumble of handbags on the top shelf of my closet that comes tumbling down when I pull one out.
THE SOLVE: An upright organizer with adjustable-width sections to contain and separate each bag. I bought four! Two are for my bedroom closet, and two are for the hall closet. Simple solve, significant impact.
THE PROBLEM: Shipping label hell from online shopping returns.
THE SOLVE: A thermal shipping label printer with sticky labels. DAMN. What a game-changer. Returns go back so quickly now. I liked it so much that I got a thermal printer for regular document printing, too — both are so teeny and unobtrusive. I genuinely wonder why I ever messed with the old HP Inkjet. While on my desktop makeover bender, I also invested in a charging station for my phone and Airpods, plus a nice-looking cable organizer for exposed cords underneath.
THE PROBLEM: Fall/winter clothes are coming out of storage and need some TLC.
THE SOLVE:
influenced me to get a Rowenta hand steamer that puts my old Steamery one to shame. It instantly refreshed anything that looked a little stale. I also bought a high-tech fabric shaver to de-pill sweaters (and proper hangers for the ones that have to hang) and a new lint roller to stash in every household closet. I also gave leather boots a big drink, buff, and shine.THE PROBLEMS: I had a few final minor issues. I hated my low, overly modern bed. Doordash and Instacart could never find my apartment because my landlord didn’t install door numbers. I could never find the record I wanted to play easily. I was paranoid that one of my dogs would wander off.
THE SOLVES: I got a new bed that looks like a grown-up sleeps in it. I installed nice-looking brass door numbers that stick on. I bought organizers for my vinyl collection. I put waterproof Airtag holders on my dog’s collars so I can always see where they are.
I thought the handbag tumble was just a consequence of the choices I made. I didn't know there was another way.
This spoke so deeply to my organizational and clutter-hating heart. So many great tips and also a reminder to JFDI (just fucking do it) for my project list. Another tip I’d give is to pick a podcast / audio book / or album and use that as your soundtrack. Helps you get lost in the process in a good way. Finally, for the people that you know that have everything, gifting them the spice drawer organizers and then doing the organization for them is one of my go-to gifts. I’ve done it for two friends who have more money than god and it has been such a hit. Don’t hesitate to share more updates as you cross off other items on your to-do list!