We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Jenna Haefelin has really only ever had one passion: cleaning. “Ever since I was a kid, that was just what I loved to do,” she says. After dabbling in film production and nannying, Haefelin offered up her organizing services on her local Next Door page. Before she knew it, she had turned her love of tidying into a full-fledged business, launching her firm SPIFF in 2016. Unlike many professional organizers serving the greater New York City area, Haefelin almost never brings plastic bins into her clients’ homes (the only exceptions are large storage containers for attics and garages). “Sustainability is our number one,” she says. Style is number two: before selecting products for a space, she takes into account details as small as the color of the kitchen cabinets to ensure anything new she brings in gels with the aesthetic of the home.
In addition to proving you can have a neat home without a bunch of plastic bins, Haefelin has made a name for herself tidying spaces for the stars (Pete Davidson is a past client) and dishing out quick tips on TikTok. When our team of editors got to talking, we realized we had quite a few organizing questions ourselves. Ahead, we asked Haefelin to solve our most annoying dilemmas.
I’m going to IKEA this weekend for last-minute nursery products—what should I be looking for?
We almost never go to IKEA because it’s not as convenient as The Container Store for us so I don’t know all of their products but I would recommend some floor baskets, which are great for stuffed animals and all the toys that’ll accumulate over time. Maybe get some nice drawer inserts for the dresser to hold things like lotions and diapers. If you have a closet, grab some felt baskets and petite hangers (if IKEA doesn’t have any, Amazon does!).
I bought The Container Store’s Elfa over-the-door rack for my laundry closet to hold everything from detergent and extra paper towels to Swiffer pads and light bulbs. Do you ever use this product in your projects? Am I storing the right stuff in it?
We use Elfa all the time. Is it the prettiest thing? No. That’s why we put it behind interior closet doors. Those items you have in it sound great. I would take out anything that looks messy. We only place structured items in the Elfa baskets, so avoid anything like Ziploc bags filled with hardware.
What suggestions do you have for how to organize hats? Beanies, flat bills, wide brim—all kinds!
If you have a mudroom, we typically keep winter hats in there in a basket that’s on a shelf or inside a drawer. If there’s another drawer or basket, we’d group the baseball caps together neatly in color order (you can also put them inside an Elfa bin since they’re structured enough). Avoid the hat organizers! For sun hats, I’d recommend putting them on display on a hat stand in a closet or a wall hook if space is tight.
My galley kitchen doesn’t have a dedicated pantry. Any tips on the best way to store snacks in a smaller space?
In my old apartment, I didn’t have a pantry and just used an upper cabinet. I would take things out of their packaging (it’s a lot of air!) and put them in tall, narrow canisters. That could even be emptying popcorn out of the big puffy bag into a canister.
I’d love to use the built-in lazy Susan in my lower corner kitchen cabinet for storing bakeware and pans. How can I optimize this spot?
We’ll never put an organization tool in a corner cabinet like that. Instead, I’d store mixing bowls or heavy cast-iron pots in there—things that aren’t going to get knocked over. I’d stick to round items, since they fit nicely. Rectangular baking sheets are best stored above a refrigerator (if you have those slats), in a narrow cabinet, or in a drawer under the stove.
I lack motivation to actually fold sweaters, or to put any clothing back on a hanger after using it. How do you coach your clients about using the systems you put in place?
We can’t force anyone to keep up with anything, but I will say our clients do a really great job using our systems for years. We’re not folding every single clothing item on a shelf. The only things we put on shelves are usually sweaters, maybe hoodies, shoes, and bags—things that stay very structured. Everything else is folded in a basket or goes on a hanger, so it’s easy for people to keep up with even if they don’t fold everything as perfectly as us.
How should I be storing my table linens, tea towels, and cloth napkins? (I should note, I don’t have a ginormous deep drawer where I can stash them all).
It depends on the space but you could either hang your tablecloths or fold them in a basket. Things like napkins, I’d fold flat (not file-fold) in a basket if you don’t have a drawer. Separate them by color or by holiday/occasion.
Can you recommend under-cabinet pots and pans storage solutions that are actually useful and that I don’t have to drill into the wood of the cabinet?
We normally don’t bring in organizing products for pots and pans. Usually, we try to keep the lid on the pot and neatly display them in a drawer. Sometimes we’ll stack skillets if we have to. My advice: get rid of anything you don’t need or use. If there’s a big pot you only use once a year, it should probably come out of that prime real estate.
How should I be organizing medicine, extra toiletries, toothbrushes, contacts, etc. that are stored in my linen closet? Mine is a hot mess!
If a client has a lot of backstock bathroom items, we often move them to the linen closet (unless there’s another storage closet in the bathroom that can hold those items.). I would put bottles and things like that in hard baskets in case there are any spills, while linens and towels can go in softer baskets that won’t pull on the fabric.
