Get Your Life in Order: Four Common Mistakes That Increase Clutter in Your Home

Image caption: Organizing expert Dilly Carter began her career working as a personal assistant.

Article Information

Author, George Sandeman Role, BBC News

Published 29 June 2026

Reading time: 6 minutes

For Dilly Carter, home organizing is not just a daily task; it's the way she expresses care for others.

The organizing expert, who appears on BBC One's 'Sort Your Life Out,' recounts helping her former partner sort and organize his mother's home after her death.

She says: 'That was my way of helping him, and during that time we got back together.' She adds that the relationship ended in marriage.

Carter explains that she grew up in a very cluttered home because her parents were busy working, which made her gravitate toward order and organization from a young age.

She later worked as an executive assistant to several senior corporate executives, and her role not only involved organizing their schedules but also helping them tidy and organize their homes.

In a BBC podcast called 'Sort Your Life Out: Inside Out,' Dilly Carter hosts several well-known figures, including singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and TV presenter Lauren Laverne, to talk about their favorite possessions and offer tips on keeping their homes clutter-free.

I asked Carter about the four most common mistakes that lead to clutter buildup in homes and how to avoid them.

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The list of kitchen gadgets promising to make cooking easier and save time is endless, but all these devices need a place, and they often end up on countertops, making them look cluttered and cramped.

Carter says: 'I like to think of the kitchen as a precious space, so everything in it should justify its existence.'

She adds that she often sees kitchens where rarely used appliances take up the best spots, even though they could be stored in drawers, cabinets, or even in the pantry if used infrequently.

She advises reviewing kitchen contents periodically, saying: 'Check what you actually need, what you use regularly, and get rid of things you don't use.'

She also recommends not buying too many kitchen appliances in the first place, and if you do buy a new one, it's best to choose a multi-purpose device.

She cites the blender as an example, which she sees as more versatile than a juicer: if you want juice instead of a smoothie, you can simply strain the mixture using a strainer or cheesecloth, without needing to buy a single-function appliance.

Too many clothes, not enough drawers

Rolling T-shirts may seem like an effective space-saving method for drawers, but it makes it hard to see all items when choosing your outfit.

Dilly Carter recommends using the vertical folding method, arranging clothes side by side in the drawer instead of stacking them on top of each other. That way, you can at least easily see the color of each shirt, even if the print or design on the front isn't visible.

Carter says: 'We resort to rolling or folding clothes when we want to make the best use of drawer space,' but she stresses the importance of choosing the right items for each storage method.

She advises considering the fabric type and the age of the garment before deciding how to store it.

She adds: 'Shirts and blouses are best hung on hangers to keep them in good condition, while T-shirts can be arranged using the vertical folding method in drawers.'

Don't put all toys in one box

In homes with young children, toys scattered on the floor often become a daily sight, and they can even pose a tripping hazard.

For easy cleanup, many people tend to toss all toys into a large bin placed in the corner of the room, but Dilly Carter thinks this isn't the best approach.

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Carter explains: 'When your child tries to find a specific toy, how will they find it? They'll have to take out all the other toys from the box before they can get to it.'

She adds: 'Then you'll be faced with a new mess because all the toys are now scattered around the room.'

Therefore, she recommends using several small bins instead of one large one, sorting toys by type.

She believes this method helps the child access their toy more easily and reduces the amount of mess you'll have to tidy up later.

She says: 'Whether you use cardboard boxes, baskets, or clear containers, the important thing is to adopt a system that works for you and makes it easy for your children to find their toys.'

Don't let papers pile up until they get out of control

Another challenge for those aiming to keep a tidy home is dealing with the large volume of papers related to household management, such as utility bills, council tax, TV license fees, and other payments and documents that require attention.

Unlike her advice for children's toys, Dilly Carter believes that collecting all these papers in one place is the best option, as it makes organizing and keeping track of them easier and reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed by their dispersal.

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Carter says: 'For many people, papers are associated with unpleasant things: bills, notices, tasks that need to be done.'

She adds: 'When these papers are scattered around the house—on the kitchen counter, the side table, in the bedroom, or even in your handbag—they seem like dozens of tasks waiting for you.'

She believes that gathering them all in one place reduces the feeling that they are taking over daily life.

She says: 'When all the papers are in one box, you'll tell yourself: Okay, I only have to deal with this one box, then it becomes easier to sit down, sort them, and review them.'

For Carter, the psychological benefits of a tidy and organized home need little explanation.

She says: 'Clutter does nothing but just keeps staring at us all the time, doesn't it?'

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