12 Things I Learned From Watching Netflix’s ‘Get Organized with The Home Edit’

It’s been a week since “Get Organized with The Home Edit” made its debut on Netflix, and I can officially report that I have binge-watched each and every episode. While yes, it’s partly my job to do so, I also found myself getting pulled in by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin’s clever ideas that unfold in every organizing scenario—and they’re too good not to share. 

Tackling projects for both regular clients and celebrities, The Home Edit delivers clear evidence that everyone struggles with similar organizing challenges in day to day life. Whether it’s figuring out how to maximize space in a tiny closet or the proper way to label pantry items for long-lasting maintenance, these hacks I pulled from the 8-episode series might be the solutions you and your home have been looking for. 

See below for tips categorized by the two rooms most covered in the show—the bedroom (because, closet) and the kitchen (because, pantry), plus additional tips that span across all rooms of the home. And then, as the title suggests, time to get organized! 

If you’re anything like me, you have a mish-mosh of hangers that entered your bedroom closet at different stages of life—from the bundle pack I picked up for my college dorm room to the one-off Target hangers that the cashier let me keep. However, Shearer and Teplin says that matching hangers make a space look extra polished and put together—a major challenge when it comes to organizing a closet.

If you’re suddenly inspired to buy a new set of matching hangers, another tip the organizing experts mentioned: try to use velvet hangers. These are great for preventing delicate garments from sliding off and making a mess on the floor.

It’s tempting to throw extra items into your nightstand because you know no one will be looking in there besides yourself, but The Home Edit says stop that thinking right there. Use that bedside space for items that are part of your nighttime routine—from your eye glasses and retainer case for easy access to a journal to jot down thoughts before heading to bed. Make it something that’ll mentally and physically beneficial to you.

If you find that you’re short on closet rods—or you’re just a huge advocate for hanging anything and everything—find ways to add more rods that can help you double or even triple your space. It might depend on what’s moveable in your closet, but check your shelves to see if they can be pulled out. Also, it’s never a bad idea to evaluate your walls to see if you have any empty spaces where you can can add adjustable rods.

As we speak, I’m thinking about the under-bed storage unit I have stuffed (and I mean stuffed) with every shape, color, and sized scarf you can imagine. While they don’t necessarily get tangled like jewelry, a clumped scarf collection can create a blob of fabric that makes it difficult to find anything. That’s where the miraculous “Donut Scarf” folding method comes into play.

Sumner, one of The Home Edit’s assistants, revealed the method in the first episode when they were organizing scarves into bins. She explained that you take the end of the scarf, wrap it around your hand, then pull it through to create an individual bun. Throw all these little buns together into a basket, and you can easily grab what you’re looking for.

Everyone has their own way of organizing clothes into a dresser, but according to Shearer and Teplin, there is a right way. While it may sound strange, think of your dresser as the human body. If you’re dealing with three drawers, the top one should be dedicated to items that are for the neck and up (scarves, hats, etc.), the middle should be for tops, and the bottom for pants and skirts. According to the experts, this allows your dresser organization to flow.

In episode four, The Home Edit tackles a kitchen in a small NYC apartment that had barely been touched since the family moved in 12 years prior. One of the biggest mistakes that they first noticed upon walking in? The open shelving.

While open shelving can look aesthetically pleasing when items are spaced out and organized, the opposite can be disastrous with a tornado of dinnerware and mugs. When figuring out how to assemble an open shelving layout, remember that less is more, and to display functional items that you actually use. That way, they aren’t permanently sitting on the shelves and accumulating dust—and clutter—over time.

Labels are known for being crucial to containing and maintaining items in the kitchen, but this kind of label is next-level. When Shearer and Teplin tackled a freezer with multiple ice cream options scattered about, they had a lightbulb moment—to store different types of ice cream in plastic containers and use each ice cream box art as the labels. And so, they cut out the ice cream shapes on the boxes and splashed them on the front of each plastic container, making the freezer have serious grocery store vibes.

This idea doesn’t just pertain to ice creams in the freezer—you can cut out any and all box art to create labels for various foods. Equally resourceful as it is aesthetically pleasing.

When you want a snack from the pantry, you might already have a treat in mind and know exactly where to reach for it. However, packing containers shoulder to shoulder might make items stuck, resulting in forceful pulling that could start a domino affect of collapsed goods. (Also, it’s just plain annoying.) If possible, let there be space in between containers for easy taking and putting back. Added benefits: it’s easier to find items and it’ll make for a more attractive pantry space.

You might have extra perishables or toiletries that you aren’t using right away but plan to the near future (hello, accumulated stuff from Costco trips), but you don’t want it to take up valuable real estate you’d use for other things. This is where having a backstock area comes in handy.

Shearer and Teplin helped Khloe Kardashian find a home for her leftover partnership merchandise in the garage, folded and stored in clear containers neatly stacked on top of one another. By having a designated, contained space where overflow is neatly stored, Kardashian is able to comfortably live with this overflow of inventory—and it’ll be ready for whenever she wants to use it.

This is echoed by The Home Edit team across all rooms and spaces. It can be extremely easy to throw a bunch of items into a basket, push it into the back of the closet, and practice that “out of sight, out of mind” lifestyle. However, by using clear product to store items, it holds you accountable in keeping things organized.

Additionally, clear containers visually show you what is stored where so you can find what you’re looking for quicker. When it comes to a shoe collection, for example, it can be helpful to use clear stacking storage so you know where to reach for a pair of shoes and—equally as important—where to put it back.

Next time you tackle a wallpaper project and end up having extra, don’t just resort to throwing it out. Think about ways you can use it in other parts of the same room to tie the space together—one way being decorating your storage containers with it.

In episode eight, the organizing experts were storing extra papers in a clear container that they stacked in the closet, but it didn’t look neat by nature. So Teplin came up with the idea of using leftover wallpaper they already used in the room to wrap around the clear container for both functional and design purposes.

While this rule applies to all ages, it’s especially helpful for kids when teaching them the rules of organizing and keeping things in place. When Shearer and Teplin organized a playroom area for Neil Patrick Harris and David Burkta’s kids, they decided to tackle their massive board game collection by sorting each box by color, so the end result was a rainbow. They explained that using a color coding technique acts as a form of kid-friendly labeling that helps them start to become self-sufficient. Plus, who doesn’t love a good rainbow?