The 5 storage mistakes including 'vertical vacancy' that are making your organizing products less functional – and what the pros always do instead

You can’t have a well-organized home without storage products to keep everything in check. However, an abundance of these pieces doesn’t automatically bring tidiness, with storage mistakes zapping functionality.

Professional home organizers share the mistakes to avoid including a failure to measure up your space first, and ignoring vertical areas to you could be using.

Here, our experts reveal the five big storage bloopers you might be making and reveal how to fix them for better home organizing.

Storage mistakes making your organizing products less functional

Investing in the best storage products professional organizers can’t live without is one step towards a better-organized home, but they are just clutter if not used correctly. Here’s how to avoid falling into the trap.

1. Not measuring first

Julie Peak, expert home organizer and owner of The Precise Place begins, ‘We’ve all been there: you spot some cute bins or baskets and think, These are perfect! Only to bring them home and realize they don’t fit your space. Now they’re part of the clutter you were trying to fix.’

Not measuring your home storage before you buy organizers is by far one of the most common organizing mistakes, but it is easily avoided. Julie continues, ‘Measure your space first, height, width, depth, then jot those numbers down before you shop. It’ll save you the headache of returns and make sure your new organizing tools actually work for you.’

We have a great trick to measure for drawer organizers involving cutting out the outline of the drawer using wallpaper and taking it to the store to arrange organizers on top of it to help you visualize the storage before you invest. It can be used for any storage nook in your home, too. You can also use parchment paper cut to the size of your drawer and take that with you.

A flexible ribbon measuring tape, from Walmart, makes it easier to measure tight spaces and recessed storage.

2. Shopping before decluttering

A vital decluttering tip is to always getting rid of clutter and take stock of what you are keeping before choosing organizers.

Cara Palmer, professional home organizer and founder of Organize Every Room explains, ‘The first major mistake is what I call 'container first, contents second' thinking. People often buy beautiful organizing systems or storage bins before thoroughly assessing what they're storing.

'I recently helped a client who had purchased expensive drawer organizers for their bathroom vanity, only to find they were too shallow for tall bottles and too narrow for daily-use items.'

Cara says the fix is simple but requires discipline. 'Do a complete inventory first, measuring your most-used items and grouping them by category and frequency of use. Only then should you shop for containers that match these specific needs.’

3. Ignoring vertical space

Using vertical storage is the best way to save space and double your home's storage ideas. One of the worst storage mistakes that makes your organizers less functional is forgetting to invest in stacking pieces.

Cara Palmer, professional home organizer, says, ‘The mistake I frequently encounter is 'vertical vacancy' – not maximizing vertical space within storage solutions. Clients often use single-level organizers in deep cabinets or tall spaces, effectively wasting most of their available storage space. In one client's home, they struggled with under-sink storage until we implemented adjustable shelf risers and door-mounted organizers.

‘The key is to consider using the full height of your storage spaces while keeping frequently used items at eye level or below and storing rarely used items higher up.’

4. Using products only as marketed

Maximizing storage in every room means having to think creatively says Julie Peak, expert home organizer. ‘Just because a product says it’s for the fridge or the kitchen doesn’t mean that’s the only place it belongs. Limiting yourself to the label might mean missing out on some creative solutions.

‘Get creative! Use fridge bins to organize a closet for scarves or socks, try kitchen utensil organizers in your bathroom drawers for makeup or hair accessories, or turn a magazine rack into a storage solution for cutting boards or baking sheets.

‘If it fits your space and works for your needs, who cares where it’s supposed to go?’

5. Not using air-tight storage

Attics, basements, and garages are some of the biggest storage spaces in a home, offering plenty of square footage for stashing necessary bulky items whilst keeping them easily accessible.

However, throwing everything in and hoping for the best is a surefire way to damage your belongings, especially as these spaces are prone to drastic temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Punteha van Terheyden, head of Solved, shares, 'I recently ventured into my attic to bring down an incredibly sentimental backgammon set I brought back from Iran years ago, only to find that it had gone moldy due to the constant changes in conditions up there. I was gutted.

'I should have placed it in a plastic tote with a secure lid, such as the IRIS stackable storage bins, from Amazon to help protect it from the lack of climate control up there and the often humid conditions.'

The same goes for any delicate item in storage, be it wood, paper, or even clothing, opting for vacuum seal bags from Walmart to keep seasonal garments in shape.

There are, of course, some items pro organizers wish you wouldn’t spend your money on – and buying the wrong organizers is one of the worst offenders for making storage less functional.

Before shopping, always remember to declutter, measure twice, and shop around for the best options before investing to limit waste.