Use TikTok’s “Doom Boxes” As Your Latest Attempt at Organizing Your Home
Some tidying hacks on TikTok make it seem like cleaning your house is super easy , but that’s not true for everyone. Sometimes the task of getting organized, organizing and cleaning becomes downright daunting . Luckily, not every CleanTok influencer is in the business of pretending that not knowing how to clean is a character flaw, and if you’ve spent any time cleaning on social media, you may have seen these more charitable people advocating ” doom .” . boxes ” to help you sort out the clutter.
Doom boxes are a solution seemingly tailor-made for people who struggle with decluttering and organizing things. Here’s what you need to know about this trend and how to make it work in your home.
What are CleanTok doom boxes?
This method is suitable for anyone who has a lot of cleaning or organizing to do, but is especially recommended for people with ADHD or those who otherwise have difficulty keeping track of everyday things or staying on task when it’s time to clean. More accurately, we should call them DOOM boxes since the name is an acronym; it means “did not organize, only moved.” In short, this means that the things in the drawer don’t actually belong there, but have been moved to somewhere they weren’t supposed to be.
Essentially, doom boxes are containers scattered throughout a space that hold random items with no apparent organization. They break the basic organizational rule of keeping similar items together, but they perfectly follow the second most important rule: have a designated place for everything.
When you follow an organizational triangle or other organizational structure , you put everything into containers , making sure that each container is separated and all of your items are stored according to specific categories. If you’re struggling with the feeling of cleaning overload, remembering to put things away, or simply finding a place for everything, a doom box can work in a similar way, minus the actual organization part. It clears up the clutter in your open space, and even if the things inside have nothing in common (although sometimes they may), they are still tied into a category by simply being part of your rock drawer.
How to use a doom box to declutter your home
If you find it difficult to maintain a cleaning schedule or regularly put away misplaced items, a doom box is for you. Instead of committing to cleaning at a certain time or doing a certain amount of cleaning, all you have to do is put all the clutter into a box. Seeing the immediate impact this has on your outdoor space can motivate you or make you worry less about clutter, meaning you’re more likely to find the willpower to eventually go through the box and organize its contents. If the idea of organizing and decluttering your room at the same time is too overwhelming, you can put everything in a box, quietly enjoy the open space, and then organize it all.
In other cases, the fatal box may exist as is; There’s no rule against using a container that’s just meant to hold anything that wouldn’t otherwise have a place. Frequently used items such as keys, ID cards, coats, headphones, etc. can be placed, for example, in a drawer next to the front door. Anything out of place in the living room, from children’s toys to a discarded sweatshirt, can be placed in a designated room drawer.
It may seem like a scam, but only if you let it bother you. It’s not “better” to organize things differently, and it’s not “worse” to just hide random elements in a container. Everyone has their own cleaning style . It may be right for you to just keep things out of sight and make sure you don’t get stressed.
Find a doom box that’s right for you
You will need a semi-spacious box that will fit well into your home. Ideally, a doombox should sit slightly to the side, cluttered with other organizational containers, or fit on a shelf. Since the contents will be varied and the goal is to create a clutter-free space outside the box, look for something opaque and unobtrusive.
Something like this, which has a flat lid that you can put other things on, opens easily and hides its contents, might be a good option: