Gifts That Will Get Every Home Organized

Bedroom

While jewelry makes a statement when worn, it should bring the owner joy even when being stored.

A hanging closet jewelry organizer with clear pouches for rings, slots for earrings, and velcro straps for necklaces keeps inventory front and center.

“And because the jewelry is hanging in with the clothes, it gets used more frequently,” Delap says.

Also for the closet, matching hangers are aesthetically pleasing. “A mishmosh of hangers can be difficult to move around because they don't have the same type of hook that goes over the rod,” Birkinbine says. She adds that closet rod dividers — those plastic discs often used in clothing stores — can help easily identify garments by size or color. (Another chance to put that label maker to good use!)

Bathroom

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Know someone whose cosmetics are in chaos?

Birkinbine recommends a tall, vertical, modular, acrylic makeup storage system if someone is short on space.

For those who like to have their items out, and if space is not an issue, “there are a lot of carousel, double-decker makeup organizers out right now that alleviate counter clutter” and make it easier to get ready in the morning, Delap says.

Car

Seen too much junk in the trunk?

Help out with a trunk organizer. Be sure it has straight sides, is sturdy and doesn’t taper at the bottom, Birkinbine says.

Although they don’t typically go in the washing machine, trunk organizers should be washable by hand with a damp cloth to remove dirt and debris.

Garage

For the garage toiler, heavy-duty plastic storage cabinets and drawers, as well as floating wall systems that fit hooks for things like bikes and garden hoses, tend to be safe bets, says Todd Allan, a professional organizer and owner of Structured Space in Seattle.

If buying for an older adult, keep in mind the need to minimizing bending, squatting, reaching or climbing. Choose an organizer that can be installed at a reasonable height and fit in an accessible location, says Jeff Julia, founder of Koncept Garage in Austin, Texas.

Allan also recommends chrome or black multitiered wire shelving with casters for easy transport. (These rolling carts are also good indoors for those short on desk space. Delap recommends giving one with woven baskets to help recipients categorize office supplies, technological devices and toys for the grandkids. “It’s portable and can move along with you wherever you go,” she says.)

Invest in a professional

Instead of purchasing a product, bringing in a professional organizer might be the way to go. These specialists can be hired by the hour — expect to pay $55 to $100 per hour — or by the project.

Projects can range from clearing out a messy mudroom (so people know where their coat is “instead of finding it underneath a stack of coats on the dryer,” Allan says) to digital decluttering, which involves cleaning out and restructuring email folders, organizing electronic files and categorizing photos.  

For some, being handed a few hours with a pro may be priceless.

If you go this route, however, Allan has a word of advice: “I learned early on that an organizing gift certificate is best given to people who know they’re getting one.” Once, a man whose wife had given him such a gift gruffly told Allan, who had called to schedule an appointment, that his services were not needed.

Marjana Ababovic would take no offense. In fact, she’d welcome the extra hand with open arms.

“In your own house, it’s very easy to get stuck and overwhelmed,” says the 61-year-old, who lives in Irondequoit, New York. “It just seems there’s so much to be done, so I say ‘Whatever’ and usually don’t see anything to the end.”

She has organizational cubes in the closet by the front door, but they’re not transparent.

“So I can never remember which one has the gloves and which one has the scarves,” she says. “Every time I want to pull something out, I have to pull them both out. It’s so stupid.”

Someone needs to get Ababovic a label maker.