Decluttering at home is my non-sporty sport of choice. It’s the kind of activity that I don’t do very often, but when I do, it feels like I am training for the Olympics. For a good two to three days, I have mounds of clothes on the bed, skincare bottles lined up on the floor, and piles of books towering over each other. Suddenly, I discover a stash of crochet tucked in a corner, waiting for me to discover it like a little surprise. There are old tickets and receipts in a bloated folder, which felt very, very important three months ago. It takes so long to go through, because I always dredge up the memories that come with everything scattered all over, and I wonder once again: How did I let it get this bad?
But the madness ends, and I finally get the kind of space that lets me breathe. Not exactly pretty, with no dramatic redecorating involved. Just a room that finally accommodates my life and my needs, only for the cycle to repeat weeks later, when the chaos starts creeping back in.
I do it anyway, because I know how much better I feel with an organized space. The challenge now is to make sure that I can minimize all the disorder in a practical, logical — and most importantly, affordable — way. I’m sure a lot of people feel that way; we all have a personal attachment to our living spaces in our own ways. It’s why so many of us grew to love the online community Home Buddies, which celebrates Filipino aesthetics and interior tastes, or why we enjoy watching celebrities flex their homes on Architectural Digest. In their 2022 Life at Home Report, home furnishing retailer Ikea found that 69% of Filipinos see their homes as a reflection of who they are, yet 39% of them are frustrated with disorganized spaces in their homes.
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One need not be a decluttering girlie to achieve some semblance of harmony within one’s home or even room. In my latest attempt at creating an organization system that really works for me, I turned to the endless storage solutions from Ikea, tips from professional organizer Issa Guico Reyes of Neat Obsessions, and my own experience in cleaning up my own mess (!) to come up with a few no-fail solutions to help make any space clutter-free.
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‘ ’24’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:df1a00f5-34b9-4306-bd5a-d7234aef3510’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘The Vesken shelf from Ikea is ideal to clear up space on your
Organizing and decluttering aren’t the same, but both are important.
It’s one thing to make space for everything at home, but are you allotting that space for everything you really need? Tip number one: to be able to organize things, you must only make room for things that matter. (Is this still about stuff?) Allow for a bit of mess first by categorizing items based on keep, throw, donate or sell. Throw in a “maybe” pile for items you’re unsure of. At the end of the declutter session, do one more sweep before you organize everything. I mostly use the giant blue Ikea Frakta bags (₱50 each) to haul things that I’m either keeping or putting in a donation box.
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Don’t buy then organize.
A helpful tip from Reyes: don’t buy organization items before the organizing process. As tempting as it is to have bins and boxes at the ready, you may realize along the way that there are some things you need more of, less of, or not at all. Avoid wasting effort and money by decluttering, categorizing, and then supplementing organization items you might not have yet.
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Figure out your lifestyle and habits.
One woman’s cluttercore is another woman’s aesthetic. There is no one way to be organized, because as Marie Kondo recently proves, our lives take priority over what’s pleasing to look at. What that means is, assess what your daily habits are.
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‘ ‘1’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:11081d8b-7d39-4c0e-9875-5e20f127188b’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘A Lustigkerre crate from Ikea, and Adventurer file cases from
I told myself that this year, I’m prioritizing the use of all my skincare and bath products, which I’ve got in spades, thanks to the PR packages I get sent. I opted to get the Vesken (₱690) in white because it was lightweight and compact — it fit right in my small bathroom. With everything neatly arranged and categorized, I could take better inventory of what I have and what I should stock up on. Under my TV console, I kept a Lustigkerre (₱890) nestled for easy access. Made of natural water hyacinth and seagrass, this box is sturdy and pretty to look at. The handle makes it easy to pull out, so I keep my vacuum cleaner, clothing steamer, and other small appliances there. Right beside it, I have two Adventurer file cases (₱219) from National Book Store that I use to keep important documents for myself and my dogs.
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‘ ‘3’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:7f37a0b6-a911-4d1a-8bb9-0aad5a5a4205’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘The Grejig from Ikea can also function as a shelf insert. Photo
Repurpose, recycle whenever you can.
My favorite part of organizing is making bins and boxes fit into my personal categories, and now the other way around. The Pärkla storage case from Ikea (₱90) is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve got a brimming closet, and the Pärkla allows me to stretch that out while staying organized. The height is perfect for keeping things under the bed, and I can categorize them by clothing type: skirts, sweaters, overalls. (And I swear, these things can get packed. Don’t ask me why I have 50 skirts, just know that 50 skirts can fit in one of these storage cases.) The Variera shelf inserts (from ₱350 to ₱450, depending on size) are a popular choice for those who want to maximize the height of their shelves. Very pretty, but often sold out at Ikea. A slightly cheaper alternative I found is the Grejig (₱300), a simple shoe rack that can double as a shelf insert.
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Have strong categories.