Open shelves can make a room feel lighter and more inviting. They’re also an easy way to show off dishes, books, plants, or a few favorite pieces. The trouble starts when they become the place where everything gets tossed.
Since there’s nowhere to hide the mess, even a small pile of everyday items can make an entire shelf look cluttered. And because everything is sitting out in the open, dust becomes another problem.
Professional organizers tend to treat open shelves more like display space than storage. A few items that you actually want to see work well. A collection of random household supplies usually doesn’t.
If your shelves always seem messy no matter how often you straighten them, take a look at what you’re storing there. These 10 items are usually better off behind a cabinet or inside a drawer.
Paperwork
Mail, receipts, bills, and loose documents can make a shelf look messy in no time. Even a small stack of papers can give the room that “I need to deal with this later” look.
Paper also collects dust, and those little piles have a way of getting bigger. Important documents are better kept in a drawer, filing cabinet, or another dedicated spot where they can stay together.
Spices
Open kitchen shelves may look great, but they aren’t the best place for your spice collection. Spices can lose their flavor faster when they’re exposed to light, heat, air, and moisture.
There’s also the visual problem. A bunch of small bottles lined up together can make a shelf look busy, especially when every bottle has a different label and color. Keeping them inside a cabinet makes the kitchen look tidier and helps protect the spices from the conditions that can shorten their shelf life.
Toiletries
Bathrooms with open shelving can look nice when everything is perfectly arranged. Real life is a little different.
Daily-use products tend to pile up quickly. Bottles can tip over, leak, or leave sticky residue behind. Deodorant, razors, lotions, and half-used bottles of shampoo aren’t exactly the kind of things most people want on display.
Keeping bathroom essentials inside a cabinet or drawer gives you a cleaner-looking space and makes it easier to wipe down the shelves.
Packaged Food
Boxes, bags, snack packages, and bulk items can make open kitchen shelving look crowded fast. You may start with a neat row of food containers, only to find yourself pushing things around every time you add another item.
Food can also be affected by light, heat, moisture, and changing temperatures. Depending on the food and your home, open storage may also make it easier for pests to get into packages.
A pantry cabinet or sealed container is usually a better place for packaged food.
Related: The Absolute Best Canned Foods to Stockpile in Your Emergency Pantry
Random Electronics
Chargers, remote controls, headphones, batteries, cables, and other little gadgets have a habit of taking over whatever space you give them.
Leave them on an open shelf and you’ll probably end up with a pile of tangled cords and mismatched electronics. They also collect plenty of dust.
Try grouping these items in baskets or putting them in drawers instead. You’ll still know where everything is without having to look at it all day.
Fragile Décor in Busy Spaces
Open shelves aren’t always the safest place for breakable decorations, especially in busy parts of the house. Glassware, porcelain pieces, and delicate vases can easily get knocked over when people are walking past or reaching for something nearby.
This is even more of a concern in homes with young children or pets.
If you have pieces you really like, put them somewhere they won’t get bumped. A secure shelf in a quieter room or a closed display cabinet can be a much better choice.
Medications
Medicine is one thing you probably don’t want sitting out in the open. Some medications can be affected by light, heat, or moisture, and leaving them where anyone can easily reach them creates another safety concern.
A closed cabinet or another secure storage spot keeps medications out of sight and away from children and visitors. Just be sure the storage location matches the instructions on the medication label, since some medicines have specific storage requirements.
Clothing
Open shelves might seem like a convenient place to stack T-shirts, pajamas, or other everyday clothes, but keeping those stacks looking neat can become a chore.
Fabric also collects dust, especially when it sits untouched for a while. Clothes exposed to sunlight can also fade.
Drawers and closets keep clothing covered and make it easier to keep everything together. If you do use open shelving for clothes, it works best for a small number of items that you use often.
Cleaning Supplies
Spray bottles, sponges, wipes, and cleaning products don’t exactly make the nicest shelf display. A row of brightly colored bottles can quickly make an otherwise tidy room look like a supply closet.
There are safety reasons to keep them behind a cabinet door, too. Cleaning products shouldn’t be left where children or pets can easily get to them, and some products can be affected by heat or sunlight.
A closed cabinet under the sink, in a laundry room, or in another suitable storage area keeps them out of sight and easier to manage.
Everyday Towels
A stack of fluffy towels can look great on an open bathroom shelf. The problem is keeping them that way.
Towels sitting out in the open can collect dust and, in a bathroom, they can absorb moisture from the air. If the room stays humid, towels may not feel as fresh as they did when you first folded them.
A linen closet or closed cabinet keeps clean towels covered until you need them. If you like the look of open shelving, consider keeping just a couple of decorative towels there and storing the rest somewhere enclosed.
