Top 18 'Doom-Pile-Defeating' DIY Projects to organize the most overwhelming spots in your home in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
Let's be honest, we all have them. That one chair that's more of a closet. The kitchen counter that's a graveyard for mail and mystery keys. The corner of the bedroom where good intentions go to die. These are the "doom piles"—the cluttered black holes that seem to grow overnight, feeding on our stress and our "I'll get to it later" promises. They're overwhelming, visually chaotic, and a constant, low-grade source of anxiety.
But what if I told you that defeating these piles doesn't require a professional organizer or a budget-busting trip to a container store? What if the solution was already in your hands? The secret lies in creating custom solutions that work for your life and your stuff. In 2025, we're not just decluttering; we're reclaiming our spaces with creativity and a little bit of elbow grease.
Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that an organized home is a peaceful home, and that empowerment starts with a single, successful project. So, roll up your sleeves and grab your drill (or just some glue!). We’ve curated the top 18 doom-pile-defeating DIY projects to help you conquer the most overwhelming spots in your home and build a more organized, intentional life.
1. The Entryway Command Center
The front door is where doom piles are born. It’s the dumping ground for mail, keys, sunglasses, and wallets. To stop the clutter before it even starts, you need a dedicated system. A DIY Entryway Command Center is the perfect first line of defense, giving every item a home the second it enters your house.
This project can be as simple or complex as you like. At its core, it's a wall-mounted unit. Start with a piece of plywood or a nice-looking plank of wood as your base. Add a small shelf or a narrow box to serve as a mail holder. Screw in a few hooks underneath for keys, and you've already solved two major problems.
Pro-Tip: Get creative with add-ons. Mount a small whiteboard or chalkboard for reminders, a magnetic strip for spare keys, or even a small pot for a hardy succulent. Paint it to match your wall for a seamless look or use a bold color to make it a statement piece.
2. The "Everything" Drawer Divider System
You know the drawer. The one with batteries, rubber bands, pens that may or may not work, and a single stray chopstick. Taming this beast is surprisingly easy with custom dividers. Forget flimsy plastic organizers that never quite fit; building your own ensures a perfect slot for everything.
The simplest method uses thin pieces of craft wood (like balsa or 1/4" poplar) cut to the exact dimensions of your drawer. Measure the interior length and width, then design a grid that suits your items. A few dabs of wood glue are all you need to hold the pieces together, creating a custom honeycomb of organization.
Pro-Tip: For a no-cut, budget-friendly option, use sturdy cardboard from old shipping boxes. Cut strips to the height of your drawer and create intersecting slots so they slide together, just like the dividers in a wine box.
3. The Under-Sink Sliding Shelf
The cabinet under the kitchen or bathroom sink is a dark, awkward space where bottles of cleaner and spare sponges get lost forever. A DIY sliding shelf brings everything out into the light, making it easy to see and grab what you need. This project is a bit more involved but is a total game-changer.
You'll need a pair of drawer slides, a piece of plywood cut to fit your cabinet's width and depth, and some thin wood to create a shallow tray on top of the plywood. Mount the slides to the bottom of the cabinet, attach the shelf, and you're done. No more kneeling on the floor and blindly reaching into the abyss!
Pro-Tip: Before you build, take inventory of what you store under the sink. If you have tall spray bottles, make sure your tray's sides are low enough to accommodate them.
4. The "Not-Quite-Dirty" Clothes Valet
Let's talk about "The Chair." It's home to the clothes you've worn once but aren't ready for the laundry hamper. A DIY valet stand is the stylish and functional alternative. It provides a dedicated spot for these in-between garments, letting them air out and keeping your bedroom chair free for, well, sitting.
A simple A-frame valet can be made with four pieces of wood and a dowel. Hinge two pieces together at the top, then connect them with a cross-bar for stability. Place the dowel between the two A-frames at the top to serve as a hanger. It's minimalist, modern, and incredibly useful.
Pro-Tip: Add a small tray or shelf to the cross-bar to hold your wallet, watch, or jewelry, creating a complete "get ready" station for the next morning.
5. The Magnetic Spice Wall
Spices can quickly overwhelm a cabinet or drawer, turning cooking into a frantic search for the cumin. Free up that precious real estate by moving your spices to a vertical surface, like the side of your fridge or an unused bit of wall. A DIY magnetic spice rack is both functional and beautiful.
All you need are small tins (clear-lidded ones are great), strong neodymium magnets, and a label maker. Glue a magnet to the back of each tin, fill it with a spice, and label the front or top. You can stick them directly to your fridge or mount a sheet of metal to a wall or the inside of a cabinet door.
Pro-Tip: Organize them alphabetically or group them by type (baking spices, savory herbs, etc.) to make finding what you need even faster.
6. The Ultimate Cord & Cable Chaos Box
In our hyper-connected world, a doom pile of tangled chargers, cables, and power strips is almost a given. This DIY project hides the electronic mess inside a sleek, unassuming box while keeping everything plugged in and functional.
Find a sturdy shoebox or a simple wooden craft box. Using a box cutter or a drill, create a large hole on one of the short ends to feed the power strip's main cable through. Then, create a series of smaller holes or slots along one of the long sides for each device's charging cable to exit. Place the power strip inside, plug everything in, and put the lid on. Instant peace.
Pro-Tip: Use washi tape or bread clips to label each cord near the plug so you know which one belongs to your phone, tablet, or headphones.
7. The Pegboard Wall Organizer
A pegboard is the king of customizable organization. It's a blank canvas that can tame a craft room, organize a garage, or even serve as a unique kitchen storage solution. It gets items off of horizontal surfaces and puts them on display, making them easy to find and put away.
Installation is straightforward: you'll need a sheet of pegboard and some 1x2" wood strips to create a gap between the board and the wall (so the hooks have space). Once it's mounted, the fun begins. Use a variety of hooks, baskets, and shelves designed for pegboards to hang tools, art supplies, pots and pans, or office essentials.
Pro-Tip: Trace the outline of your tools on the pegboard with a marker before hanging them. This shows you exactly where everything goes, making cleanup a breeze.
8. The Under-Bed Rolling Storage Bins
The space under the bed is prime storage real estate, but it often becomes a dusty home for forgotten things. DIY rolling bins make this space accessible and organized. They're perfect for storing seasonal clothing, extra bedding, or shoes.
You can repurpose old drawers by simply screwing four caster wheels onto the bottom. Alternatively, build simple shallow boxes from plywood to the exact height and depth you need. Add a rope handle to the front for easy pulling. Now, instead of a jumbled mess, you have organized drawers you can roll out in seconds.
Pro-Tip: Add a simple dust cover made from a piece of fabric or a flat piece of thin wood to keep the contents clean.
9. The Picture Frame Jewelry Display
Tangled necklaces and missing earrings are a classic morning frustration. A beautiful and simple DIY solution is to turn a vintage or inexpensive picture frame into a jewelry organizer. It keeps your pieces untangled and doubles as a piece of wall art.
Remove the glass and backing from the frame. For earrings, stretch a piece of metal mesh, lace, or window screen across the opening and staple it to the back of the frame. For necklaces and bracelets, screw small cup hooks along the top and bottom edges or install several small dowels across the frame.
Pro-Tip: Paint the frame a color that complements your bedroom decor for a truly custom piece.
10. The Bathroom Mason Jar Holder
Bathroom counters are magnets for clutter: toothbrushes, cotton swabs, makeup brushes, and more. This rustic-chic organizer gets all of those small items off the counter and onto the wall, freeing up space and making cleaning easier.
All you need is a piece of wood, some mason jars, and a few pipe clamps (found in the plumbing aisle of any hardware store). Stain or paint the wood, then attach the pipe clamps to the board, spaced evenly apart. Simply tighten the clamps around the mouths of the jars, and you're ready to mount it on the wall.
Pro-Tip: Use different-sized jars to accommodate different items. A smaller jelly jar is perfect for cotton swabs, while a larger pint-sized jar is great for toothbrushes.
11. The DIY Pantry Can Rotator
A deep pantry can be a problem. You buy a can of tomatoes, push it to the back, and forget about it until 2028. A can rotator rack uses gravity to ensure you're always using the oldest items first (first in, first out).
This project requires some basic woodworking skills but is well worth the effort. It's essentially a set of angled shelves built inside a frame. You load new cans at the top, and they roll down to the front. When you grab one from the bottom, the next one rolls into place. There are tons of free plans online to suit any pantry size.
Pro-Tip: Measure your most-used cans before you build. A rack designed for standard soup cans won't work for large tomato cans or small tuna cans.
12. The Over-the-Toilet Storage Ladder
Small bathrooms are notoriously short on storage. An over-the-toilet storage ladder provides much-needed vertical shelving without taking up any floor space. It looks more stylish and less bulky than traditional metal units.
You can build a simple "blanket ladder" from 2x3s and dowels. Just lean it against the wall over the toilet. Then, hang wire or woven baskets from the rungs to hold toilet paper, towels, and toiletries. It’s a renter-friendly solution that adds a ton of character.
Pro-Tip: For a more permanent solution, build a ladder shelf with actual shelves instead of rungs. Secure the top to the wall with L-brackets for stability.
13. The Upcycled Desktop Caddy
Your desk is command central, but it can quickly get buried under pens, scissors, paper clips, and sticky notes. Create a custom caddy by upcycling items you already have. This is a fantastic project for using up odds and ends.
Gather some empty tin cans, glass jars, or even toilet paper rolls. Clean them and decorate them with spray paint, wrapping paper, or fabric. Then, arrange them on a small piece of wood or a spare tile and glue them down. You’ve just created a one-of-a-kind organizer tailored to your specific supplies.
Pro-Tip: Vary the heights of your containers. Use a short can for paper clips and a tall jar for pens and rulers.
14. The "Grab-and-Go" Cleaning Caddy
How often do you put off cleaning because it's a hassle to gather all the supplies from under three different sinks? A DIY cleaning caddy keeps everything you need—sprays, cloths, sponges, gloves—in one portable tote. When it's time to clean, you just grab it and go.
Build a simple wooden box with a tall handle made from a thick dowel. You can even add a divider down the middle to keep bottles from tipping over. This small bit of organization can dramatically lower the barrier to starting your cleaning routine. I know that since implementing this system, my own cleaning habits, which I, Goh Ling Yong, am always trying to improve, have become much more consistent.
Pro-Tip: Create multiple caddies for different zones. Have one for bathroom-specific cleaners and another for general household dusting and polishing.
15. The French Cleat Garage Wall
If your garage is a minefield of tools, sports equipment, and garden supplies, a French cleat system is the ultimate solution. It’s a brilliantly simple and incredibly strong mounting method that allows you to hang heavy items and reconfigure your layout anytime without drilling new holes.
The system consists of two pieces of wood, each with a 45-degree angle cut along the length. One cleat is mounted to the wall (angle facing up and out), and the other is mounted to your item—a shelf, a tool holder, a cabinet—(angle facing down and in). The two pieces lock together securely. By covering a wall in cleats, you can hang anything, anywhere.
Pro-Tup: Build custom holders for specific items. Create a simple rack for screwdrivers, a small shelf for chargers, or a holder for your garden hose, all with a French cleat on the back.
16. The Sofa-Side Remote & Magazine Holder
The space between the sofa and the wall is another classic doom pile zone, collecting remotes, magazines, and tablets. A slim, custom-built caddy can slide into this narrow space and bring order to your relaxation station.
Measure the gap and build a tall, narrow box from thin plywood or MDF. Add a divider or two inside to create separate slots for your remote, your favorite magazine, and your tablet. You can even add a small shelf at the top to hold a drink. Paint it to match your decor, and it will blend right in.
Pro-Tip: A fabric alternative is to sew a few pockets onto a long piece of sturdy canvas, leaving a flap at one end that can be tucked under the sofa cushion to hold it in place.
17. The Visual Recipe & Meal Plan Board
The kitchen counter doom pile is often full of paper: recipes torn from magazines, school lunch schedules, and grocery lists. A central board to display these important documents keeps them visible but off the counter.
Take a large picture frame or a small corkboard. Use twine and miniature clothespins to create several horizontal lines across the frame. Now you can easily clip up your weekly meal plan, your go-to recipes for the week, and your shopping list. It's functional, easy to change, and keeps the paper clutter contained.
Pro-Tip: Mount a small metal cup or box to the bottom of the frame to hold pens and a notepad for jotting down items as you run out of them.
18. The "One-Touch" Donation Station
Clutter often builds up because we don't have an easy system for getting things out of the house. A dedicated donation station is the answer. It's a "one-touch" spot where any family member can place items that are ready to be passed on.
Designate a sturdy, attractive basket, bin, or even a nice tote bag as your donation station. Place it in a high-traffic area like a mudroom, laundry room, or the bottom of a closet. The rule is simple: once an item goes in, it doesn't come out. When the bin is full, you just grab it and take it directly to your car for drop-off. No more second-guessing or piles of "to-donate" items cluttering a spare room.
Pro-Tip: Keep a small notebook with the bin to log your donations throughout the year, making it easy to tally them up for tax purposes if needed.
Your Home, Reimagined
Conquering clutter and defeating the doom piles in your home is not about achieving perfection. It's about progress. It's about taking back control, one small, satisfying project at a time. Each of these DIYs is more than just a storage solution; it's a statement that you are in charge of your space.
Don't let the list overwhelm you. Pick one. Just one project that tackles the spot that drives you the craziest. Build it, install it, and enjoy that incredible feeling of turning a point of stress into a source of pride. You have the power to transform your home into a place that truly supports and rejuvenates you.
Now, we want to hear from you! Which project are you most excited to try in 2025? Do you have another "doom-pile-defeating" DIY tip to share? Let us know in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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