I shared this post of Pinterest beauty hack fails on my fb page earlier for a bit of a laugh.
http://diply.com/pinterest-beauty-fails?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=steve-rogers
I want to make something clear Pinterest is not reality.
Many people look to Pinterest for ideas and inspiration to get decluttered and organised, that is fine. What is not fine is the unrealistic expectation that your home needs to be Pinterest perfect.
So many of the hacks I see initially look good but practically they won’t work. For instance this bracelet organising idea using a paper towel holder…
Seems ok till you want to get to the one on the bottom. Like any organising that has stacks, you will use the top 2 or 3 and the rest will be too hard to get too and won’t get used.
How about this one…
Firstly, I think that is too many cleaning products and secondly a cheap plastic product like this won’t last. You would need to buy a very high quality over the door shoe hanger to support the weight. Not so cheap and cheerful after all?!?
I plan to continue to challenge the Pinterest mindset that things to need to be colour coded, pretty labelled, overly contained, matchy matchy niceness to be organised.
Using a Professional Organiser like Decluttering Diva who has experience and the ability to think outside the box will get you organising solutions that actually work… for you.
Would love to hear your thoughts… got a Pinterest organising hack that actually works? Dare to share a Pinterest fail?
I had to laugh when I saw the stack of bracelets – it looks more like a “before” picture!
I love that you are bringing this to reader’s attention. Many people want that perfect scene in their home. I have to bring them to reality and say “can you maintain this perfect Pinterest scene?” Most of the time, they say no.
I agree! All those cleaning supplies can not possibly be held for a long period of time in a cheap over the door holder. It’s better to get something more durable like you suggested.
I’ve had those exact thoughts about both of those solutions. I’ve even though the “tension rod under the sink” wouldn’t work because the solutions would be too heavy. You’d have to make sure it was bracketed up well on each end and had a thick bar:) I think it is important to see all ideas as inspirational, and if it doesn’t work out, take it as learning, not a personal failure!
You got it! The puny power of practicality in the face of the aspirational largess that Pinterest brings to its readers — you hit the nail on the head with this post. The problem with Pinterest is the same as with fancy household magazines — aspiration is more likely to make someone feel like a failure when they can’t meet the aesthetic and practical success promised, so they’ll be less inspired to try the next time, and the next. I try to encourage my clients to take it all with a grain of salt.
I feel this way about most tips, actually, regardless of their source. A tip — even a really good one — is just a tiny piece of the solution to a problem, and not all solutions work for all situations and all people. They rarely include an explanation of the ideal circumstances, or contain caveats, thus many try them, and fail, and think it’s their fault.