By Dani Bigham | Reporter
I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy watching organization videos on social media. They soothe me and inspire me to get my life on track for the umpteenth time. I love seeing mesmerizing lines of scrubs, shampoos and body washes in guest rooms that are better stocked than my own room. Inevitably, during my scrolling, they make their way into the kitchen or the laundry room, and I begin to feel my ire rise. Then begins the needless swapping of items into different containers just because the original packaging doesn’t fit the aesthetic.
I understand washing fruits and vegetables ahead of time and putting them into different containers, so it’s easier to have a healthy snack or meal on short notice. But the second I see the specialized plastic egg containers or milk cartons come out, I lose whatever feelings of peace and relaxation I had.
I recognize that it might be easier to find items in clear containers, and it looks far more pleasing to the eye, but not everything needs to be placed in a see-through container. Dry pasta, chips, cereal, candy, coffee creamers and many other items don’t need to be moved when their boxes or bags work just fine. It seems so wasteful to buy separate containers for things that already come in boxes or bags that seal on their own or can easily be sealed with a chip clip. It’s not a simple switch either, as it costs a fortune to buy all of these containers.
Moving items into clear containers can even do more harm than good. A very common trend I’ve noticed is placing olive oil into clear glass containers with either a fancy pouring spout or a balsamic vinegar container nestled inside. Sunlight actually breaks down olive oil though, so placing it in a clear glass container means it won’t last nearly as long or taste as good as it once did.
The pantry, refrigerator and freezer don’t contain the worst of the needless containers though. That honor goes to the laundry room. The laundry room can hold many dangers in regard to waste. Laundry detergent pods and scent boosting beads are the biggest problems. Both pods and beads stick to each other when exposed to any form of moisture, and an easily removable lid only increases your chances of getting large, horrific clumps of half-melted pods that you now have to clean out of your pretty little container. If you used the plastic container they came in, all you would have to worry about is attempting to salvage the remains of the pods.
The primary concern comes with small children though. They’re still learning what they can and cannot put in their mouths. If you have your laundry detergent pods in a similar container to, say, their snacks, it’s going to be hard for them to tell the difference. They’re brightly colored and squishy and look rather appetizing. The lids are difficult to open for a reason, and the packaging has warnings that are really important to know about.
Ultimately, if you want to use your special containers, fine — but they remain unnecessary and potentially harmful.
