Tip Tuesday – Simplify You vs. The Home Edit, Part 2

Welcome back for Part Two of our Simplify You vs. The Home Edit breakdown: Small-scale Edition. I’ve based these comparisons on what I saw in the new Netflix show, “Get Organized with the Home Edit.”

RAINBOWS: ROYGBIV organizing is what THE is known for and it does make for a great Instagram grid. But SY strongly disagrees that rainbow order is the best way to organize items. For example, I believe that grouping books by reading ability, subject, or author makes a lot more sense for readers of all ages. And in a pantry or fridge, I group by the type of food, not by the color of the packaging.

EDITED ITEMS: One of the things THE doesn’t show us is just how MUCH is edited out before the containing process can begin! It would be fascinating to see how many bags and bins of kitchen items were donated or how many toys were moved into storage to get the amazing “after” shots on the show. I estimate that at least HALF of what we see in the show’s “befores” had to be purged.

MONEY: I doubt that my clients would want to invest hundreds of dollars an hour to have our expert team sort light-bright pegs, mounds of books, or crayons into rainbow order! In one home, THE actually took the time to cut out photographs of ice cream bars and glue them onto freezer bins! We at SY do not do that kind of crafting or color-coding. We work efficiently and quickly, and focus on sustainable, big-picture solutions.

MAINTAIN: Only a few pages in THE’s first book were dedicated to KEEPING any area organized. I agree that clearly zoned and labeled items go a long way to making a system sustainable. However, I also know that those brand new color-coded crayons stored in a clear turntable will become a mixed up, broken, and ugly mess after a few days of use by children! I would store them in an easy-to-transport clear lidded box instead. Maintenance should be effortless, not laborious.

SHELVES: I always move shelves down to make it easier for people to reach everything. THE left inches of space between shelves in the pantries and closets that they organized. It looks great for TV, but it’s NOT that practical or functional to have to get a step stool out each time you want a can of soup. Those shelves could be easily reached if they were adjusted down.

LABELS: We seldom use handwritten labels because they are inconsistent and difficult to match. We stand by our Brother PTouch label maker! And I especially do not like the white writing on the clear labels that THE sells. A label is meant to be easily found and quickly read, and the clear labels with white ink are too subtle.  If we’re going to take the time and effort to label, let’s make our labels boldly legible!

To conclude, it has been great fun to compare and contrast SY to THE. What do YOU think? If you have worked with me, would you agree that we achieve similar results? Do you prefer a handwritten label? Tell me all your thoughts! And forward this Tip to a friend who has watched the show!