If you have any kind of social media account these days, you know about CleanTok. Cleaning videos are great for short-form content because the viewer can quickly see a room go from disaster-stricken to immaculate in a matter of seconds, even if the clean itself took all day. Adjacent to CleanTok is an array of organization videos, where content creators demonstrate how to decant pantry staples into aesthetically pleasing glass jars, or how they stock their guest bathrooms.
My favorite is this one, where the user, @MaileyElaine, described her pantry update as “quick and easy”, even though she is basically building the shelves herself and performing woodworking tasks that most people don’t know how to do. Endless amounts of content creators label tasks as “quick and easy”, when in reality, organization and cleaning (and woodworking) are very difficult for a lot of people.
It’s possible that the experience that @MaileyElaine has means that her pantry update was quick and easy — for her. But I think the short-form video medium is really to blame. We witnessed a pantry transform in a matter of seconds, and it really did look quick and easy!
Short-form videos are also consumer-driven. Videos with a large reach can easily influence thousands, or even millions, of people to purchase a product that went viral. When you see a content creator with beautifully neat and tidy kitchen drawers, you may think that those little plastic organizers are going to be the answer to all of your pantry woes. (Spoiler alert: It’s never that simple.)
For content creators, homes are no longer just a place to hang their hat and make memories with loved ones. It’s now become the subject of videos produced for public viewership on the internet. Which is why there are an abundance of videos showcasing organization and tidying. Anyone who’s ever tried to keep their house consistently clean understands that it requires daily care and maintenance, so it’s really easy to generate a ton of content from things that need to be done regularly.
(We know where this is going, right? That what we see on the internet is not reality? And that social media is just someone’s highlight reel? Ok, great.)
All of this brings me to the junk drawer. We give the junk drawer a lot of leniency, largely because the expectation is so low. It’s the junk drawer. A drawer for junk! Many cleaning and organization creators love to show you how their junk drawer went from messy to tidy with These Simple Tips, which usually include purchasing organizers, tossing duplicates, decanting like items, and lots and lots of labels.
I see a lot of value in occasionally organizing the junk drawer. If the law of attraction is correct, then we know that like attracts like. Which means, the junk drawer can easily become a natural host to not only small household items that need an easily accessible place to live, but also true junk. So it makes sense that it needs to be cleared out every once in a while. But I have to admit, I find a lot of comfort in the messy junk drawer. Sure, organizers are nice — like items sorted into little compartments are pleasing to the eye and can feel calming.
Maybe it’s because all the junk drawers I grew up around were always a bit messy, but I find comfort when there are paperclips scattered around the entire drawer, instead of neatly assembled in one spot. I like to keep my space fairly organized and tidy, but allowing myself one little corner to feel comfortably messy is part of what makes my space feel like a home.