What Should and Shouldn't be in your Closet

If you have limited storage space chances are your closets are a precious commodity. But having too many things in one closet, despite the ease of tossing it in, can really make life difficult. The last thing you need while getting dressed for work is an avalanche of wrapping paper and gift bags on top of your head. But what are you to do if space is limited and you don’t want to leave out the Christmas wrap all year long? Keep your chin up, there are alternatives.

Specialize - if you only have a limited number of closets in your home and some of them need to do double-duty don’t do this to your own clothing closet. This is the place where you need to have your clothes, shoes, and related accessories only (okay, you may need to hide the odd gift in there once or twice a year). Depending on the rest of your space, try to have a theme for the rest of your closets, it will make organizing them a lot easier. Most of us don’t have the space or need for an entire closet dedicated to wrapping paper, but what about all paper and paper products? Computer paper, greeting cards, ink for your printer, and anything else that would fit in this category can logically be put together.

Shelving is a great addition to any closet, especially for one that has an odd assortment of storage items. Group like items together on each shelf and add in bins and baskets where appropriate to keep things neat and tidy.

Take a good look at what makes it into your closets. A lot of times, things that are thrown in with the thoughts we might need them later usually aren’t seen or used again. In this case, don’t put them away throw them away.

The Next Level in Closet Organization � Shelving

Most closets come equipped with a hanging bar and little else but to organize a closet and keep it that way some shelving is a must have. There are many items that you own that should not be hung up and stuffing them in a dresser drawer isn’t the answer either. By installing shelving inside your closet you are opening up new possibilities to keep it orderly.

You don’t have to stick with the traditional bar in the middle of the closet that is supposed to be one-size fits all. Plan the layout that makes the most sense to you. Maybe you would like to hang your pants at eye level and have all of your tops on shelving underneath or vice versa. Another use for shelves if for your shoes, install a shelf off the floor near the bottom and you can increase the floor space in your closet for more shoes or other storage bins. If you like the idea of having drawers in your closet but don’t have the means to install them a shelf with some basket or bins for sorting will work too.

Shelves are versatile; if you decide to reorganize you can put the shelves to another use. If they use to hold sweaters and it is now the middle of summer you can repurpose them for your summer hats, sandals, or shorts. If you choose, you can install the adjustable shelving that allows you to move the hanging brackets up or down a metal runner with holes.

Shelves come in different materials, you can choose from plastic shelving, metal (solid or wire), or wood. All are fine and as long as they are strong enough and smooth (to prevent any damage to clothing) you can go with the most eye-pleasing or cost effective shelving that can be found at the hardware store.

The ABC's of Closet Organization

A is for assess. Before you begin to organize your closet, you need to assess your space and your goals. Do you have enough room for everything you own and more importantly do you wear it? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then you can skip the step of having to purge and sort your closet contents. But if you are like most people, there are many items in your closet - uncomfortable shoes or skinny jeans you hope to fit into one day – that can and should go. Before you begin, decide if you need to just organize or if a de-cluttering session is necessary.

B is for basics. The next step is to decide how you want to organize your closet. The possibilities are numerous and you need to find a system that works for you because organizing is about making things easier. Some suggestions for different closet systems are to sort your clothes by items – group all of the pants together, shirts, sweaters, skirts, and so on; sort by occasion – work, around the house, gym, evening, or other types of clothing you own; or sort by color – you can use this tip in addition to the previous two or on its own.

C is for consistency. Be brutal with yourself once you have taken the time to organize your closet, make yourself stick to the system you implemented. You don’t want all of your hard work to be for naught – without a little bit of discipline and consistency your closet could revert back to its former state. After a couple of weeks of sticking with your new closet management system (whatever one you decide works for you), it will be second nature to put your clothes back where they belong and make it easier for you.

Spring Cleaning for your Closet

As the snow starts to melt and the birds build their spring-time nests our thoughts turn to cleaning and organizing. A new season usually means warmer temperatures and our clothing should reflect this climate change but your closet is full of heavy sweaters and wool pants. Spring cleaning is for more than just your windows take some time to organize and clean out your closet during this time of year to get it ready for the warmer weather.

Instead of having your closet crammed full of a year’s worth of clothing consider storing everything but the current season’s apparel. Take an inventory of items that can be worn year round and which ones you know you won’t be donning again until the leaves start to turn and pack them away. Rubber storage bins are convenient, sturdy and long-lasting – perfect for this type of job. Label the outside of the container with the type of clothing you are storing inside, whose clothes they are, and when the bin should be brought back out (e.g. sleeveless tops, mom, spring/summer). A tip for younger children, include the age range and sizes of the clothing on the outside. This can save you the time of pulling out clothes that will no longer fit and they can go right into a donation bin or passed along to a younger sibling.

If you have a closet big enough to hold your entire wardrobe consider rotating your clothes instead. Just as you would put the food you should eat first at the front of your cupboards or in the fridge, bring the outfits you will wear to the front of your closet. You can get dry cleaning bags or use garbage bags to cover your out of season clothes so they will stay clean and fresh until you are ready to wear them again.

Storage Closets

There are so many different names and categories of closets. There are bedroom closets, pantries, hall closets, linen closets, and storage closets. The storage closet is the one that can quickly become a catch all as it doesn’t have a defined purpose other than to store things. A plan is needed to keep your storage closet neat and the items stored accessible at all times. The big decision you will have to make is what are you going to store?

When you decide what you are going to use your storage closet for, think about how often you are going to be using the items inside and if there is a better place for them first. For instance, it might be tempting to store your Christmas decorations there, but is there a place in the garage where these once a year items can go? If there is, that will make room for other more frequently used belongings such as suitcases, camping gear, sleeping bags, or winter blankets.

Space is also a consideration and shelving can help solve this if it is a problem. If the closet is big enough but you don’t have enough floor space, install some shelves to get bigger and lighter items off the floor. Try and make the most commonly used items the easiest to get. If it is the summer time, the sleeping bags should be at the front and move the winter blankets to an out of the way place for now.

Be careful not to throw anything into the storage closet that you aren’t sure what to do with. If you don’t have a home for the item, is it really something you want to keep? If it is something worthwhile you will find it a home of its own without making the storage closet a dumping ground.

Organizing your Pantry Closet

When you hear someone say that they are organizing their closet, usually visions of clothing piles come to mind. But, there are many other types of closets that can use some organizational TLC. One of them is the pantry closet, we all have good intentions when we purchase food to eat it, unfortunately this always doesn’t happen. Don’t let those open, have eaten boxes of Cream of Wheat stay in there forever taking up space – throw them out!

A lot of the same tips for organizing a bedroom closet apply to organizing a pantry closet. If you aren’t eating it – don’t keep it and group like items together. In addition, keep only food items or related paper products such as napkins in the pantry. Keep appliances, pots and pans, and cleaning products in separate locations.

When you are sorting through the contents, keep an eye on expiration dates and toss out anything that is past its prime. The same goes for opened boxes of food that no one likes or eats. If you have unopened food items that aren’t going to be eaten but you know are perfectly fine, donate them to the local food bank or pass them on to a neighbor.

Make use of all the space you can. If you find that you are tight on space, consider hanging wire baskets or shelving on the back of the door to increase your storage space. Browse through home hardware catalogs or talk to an in store expert to get additional ideas on ways to maximize your pantry space while making everything easily accessible to the entire family. If food you buy comes in bulky, hard to store containers buy plastic storage bins that make it easier to get the food and store it. Cereal and pasta are both great examples to use plastic storage bins for.

Reduce to Organize

Even if you are the neatest person on the planet, if you own too many things for a small closet it will be next to impossible to keep it organized. If your closet is not big enough for your belongings and there is no money in the budget for a renovation you will have to consider reducing the amount of things stored inside the closet before it can be organized and stay that way.

The first step is to determine if there is anything in your bedroom closet that doesn’t belong there. Weed out all of the intruders and find a more appropriate home. If there isn’t a better place to store the item ask yourself when was the last time you used it and when you will be likely to use it again. If you aren’t sure, maybe it is time that you donate it.

Next take everything else out of your closet so you can start with a clean slate. Go through every item of clothing, pair of shoes, or other accessories that are stored there. Create three piles – toss, donate, and keep. Before you are ready to begin placing things back in the closet have a look at what you have to work with. Can you install a second hanging bar to double the amount of hanging space you can use? What about shelving and hooks or the back of the closet door? Use any and all vertical or horizontal spaces available to you.

Until you can move into a place with a bigger closet, monitor your purchases. If you don’t have room for it in your closet and don’t need the item maybe you shouldn’t get it. Or, use the rule that if you bring something home to put into your closet something else has to go to make room for it.

Seasons Change � To Store or Rotate?

You don’t wear your wool turtlenecks in the summer or your denim shorts in the middle of winter but there they are taking up valuable closet space. The best way to get more room is to either store your out of season items or rotate them to the back of your closet. There are a few things to consider and go over before you decide which method is best for you.

If you are considering storing your clothing (and of course a big factor in this decision is if you have the space to do so), keep in mind these storage tips to safeguard your clothes as they are packed away:

* Only store clothes that have been cleaned first – this makes them less inviting to any pests that may find their way into your storage container * Choose a place that is cool and dry to prevent mold and mildew from growing on your clothing * Don’t over pack the storage container, leave room for the clothes to breathe * If you are tight on space, consider storing your clothing in an unused suitcase * Add some pest repellent in the form of moth balls (store in an old sock so they do not touch your clothes) or choose a more natural method such as cedar blocks * Folding or loosely layering your clothing is preferable to hanging especially for knits and wool items

If storage isn’t for you, take the time to move all of your warm or cold weather clothes to an out of the way part of your closet, including your shoes. The benefit of this method over storing is no additional steps are needed to protect your wardrobe and if there is a freak storm in the summer or an unusually warm fall day – the right clothing is within reach.

Organizing your Linen Closet

A linen closet is a great place to get your organizing feet wet. It is usually an easy to complete task that can give you the satisfaction of a job well done in short order. That is of course if all that is in your linen closet is linen. If your linen closet has to play double-duty as a towel, cleaning products or anything else storage too – the first step is to decide if there is really room for everything you want to put in there and if there is a better place for any of the items.

Once you have determined what role the linen closet is going to play, decide on what type of storage system is going to work the best. Most closets of this nature function best with a series of shelves, but some hooks and small baskets can help keep smaller items from getting lost or looking cluttered. But a combination of shelves and a small hanging rod can be functional too.

Keep the most used items at eye level for easy access such as bed linens or towels that are used daily or weekly. Other common things to store in a linen closet are out-of-season coats or blankets. It is best to store these in proper containers or bags to keep them fresh.

If you are also storing cleaning products and appliances in your linen closet (iron, ironing board, or a vacuum cleaner), where you put them will depend on whether or not you have young children. If you do have little ones around, put the cleaning products up high and out of reach or better yet, install a safety latch on the door.

A nice touch to add to your linen closet is to hang lavender sachets or another scented item to keep your bed sheets smelling nice and fresh.

Organizing Your Closet � Where to Start

Maybe it is time for spring cleaning or you just cannot stand another day hunting through your closet to find something to wear – but the time has come to organize your closet (again). It is inevitable that there are belongings in your closet that need to go - maybe into the trash or a donation hamper – but a new home has to be found for them either way. Before you start organizing, you need to start purging.

Every closet organizing session should start with some time spent deciding what you still wear and what can go elsewhere. Some questions to ask yourself when trying to decide if you should keep an item or not are:

* When was the last time I wore this? Unless it is a seasonal item, if you haven’t worn it in six months it is time to let it go. * Does it fit me properly? Clothing that is too big or small should not be kept for what-ifs. Donate it. * What condition is it in? Spills, tears, wear – if your shirts or pants are showing any or all of these it is time to let them go.

To make this first step easy on you in terms of emotions and work load, follow these guidelines. Make quick decisions and once you decide don’t go back and change your mind. Touch everything once, choose its fate is and move onto the next item. Set-up boxes and bags for the cast-offs. Garbage bags for the over-used belongings that cannot be donated and boxes labeled and ready to be donated to a charity, thrift store, or a friend.

Once the bags or boxes are full, take them to the car and get them to their new destination as soon as possible so you can carry on and enjoy your newly organized closet.

Organizing your Coat Closet

The family coat closet can be the most chaotic place in the house. It is a small space the entire family stores some of their bulkiest items. The same principles that you would use to organize your bedroom closet apply here too. The golden rule of closet organization is a place for everything and everything in its place. Make sure everyone in the family knows where their stuff belongs and encourage them to take part to keep the coat closet neat and orderly.

A family typically owns a lot of shoes and most coat closets aren’t big enough to accommodate them all. Keep one or two pairs for each family member in the closet that is worn on an almost daily basis. Out of season footwear or pairs that are reserved for special occasions should be stored in the individual bedroom closets of the owners. The same for coats keep the daily or seasonal coats in the coat closet and either rotate the rest to the back or if there is not enough room store them away until the season or weather turns.

On the top shelf is where the hats, mittens, gloves and other accessories are stored. Keep a basket for each member of the family to store their items. If there is room, this is also an ideal place for things like bicycle helmets, knee pads and other safety gear that needs a home.

For younger children who might not be able to reach or manage the hangers consider installing hooks at the back of the closet where they can hang up their own coats. This will foster their independence while teaching them how to take care of their belongings.

Once a season, go through everything in the family coat closet and decide what should be thrown out or what can be donated.

Making Room for New Purchases while Staying Organized

You spent an entire weekend organizing your closet and a couple of weeks later it is still organized and you love it. But, you go to the store and purchase some new clothes or a new pair of shoes and you don’t know where you are going to put them in your already full (but organized) closet. Here are some strategies you can use to keep your closet organized even when adding new items.

One way to solve this dilemma is to decide if what you purchased is a duplicate of something you have or a decent replacement. We all have favorite items of clothing that we wear often and these are the ones that need to be replaced first. If your purchase is a new pair of black pants, are your old ones faded? Instead of having two pairs (and admit it, you won’t be wearing the old black pair now that you have the new ones), you should donate the old or throw them out. If your wardrobe is pretty complete in terms of basics, this replacement system will work quite well.

If you are stilling building your dream wardrobe and your purchases are adding to this instead of replacing old or worn items you need a different strategy for finding a home for your new items. If you don’t have any extra hangers, you may have to go and buy some for future wardrobe growth. If you haven’t done so already, you may have to consider adding shelving or drawers in your closet to accommodate everything. Instead of hanging all of your shirts, you can fold them on shelves and this will give you more room to hang pants, skirts, or dresses. Once you make a few adjustments, be sure to leave some empty spaces for the next time you go shopping.

How to Keep your Closet Organized

You spent your entire Saturday organizing, donating, and rearranging your closet and now the trick is to keep it that way. If you don’t change the way you put things away all of your hard work can be undone in as little as one week of use. If you were diligent during your organizing you found a home for all of your belongings, in the next couple of weeks you will find out if the system you implemented will work for you.

To break or start a new habit takes time and commitment and most times it isn’t a fun experience. Make yourself take the extra 10 minutes at the beginning to put your shoes back on the shoe rack, hang your belts up on the newly installed hooks, and hang your work pants in the right place. You need to give yourself time to get used to the new system – give it a chance! As the days go by, you will become more and more familiar with the new routine and it will take less and less time to keep it up. By the end of the first month you will have wondered why you didn’t do this long ago.

As you purchase new clothing or other things that need to find a home in your closet take the extra time to find a new home for it right away. You would be amazed how quickly all of your hard work can go to the wayside by having a homeless item introduced. So find a home right away or even better, find something in your closet that you don’t use or love anymore and swap it out with the new purchase.

Enjoy your newly organized closet and take the extra steps to keep it that way, it is worth it.

Give Your Closet a Makeover

If you get a headache each time you have to find something in your closet, it is time to give it a long overdue makeover. Before you begin to take everything out and start to reorganize, decide what you want your closet to look like and what type of storage systems will work best for your things. Some considerations are what is working in the space now and what isn’t and why isn’t it working. Maybe you don’t have enough room for your dresses because the double hanging bars aren’t spaced out enough or you don’t have room to hang everything in which case a double hanging bar is what you need.

The first step is to start with a list of things that should be in your closet and make an inventory of what storage systems you already have. After step one, make a sketch of what you want your closet to look like when you are done, bring it to the hardware store and find what you will need to supplement what you already have. Some tips for every closet:

* Install a double hanging bar but leave room for long hanging items such as dresses or full length coats. * Shoe storage, this can take the form of a hanging rack, a shoe tree, or lined-up neatly on the floor. * Shelves for sweaters that can’t be hung up or small items such as purses or belts. * Utilize small baskets and boxes for hats or jewelry. * Install hooks to hang ties or bathrobes on.

A closet that is organized with enough room for the future growth of your wardrobe is a closet that will stay organized. Invest in quality storage solutions that you can add to as your wardrobe or closet grows.

How Organizing a Closet can Help you Shop

People organize their closets to make life easier. They want to be able to open the closet door, see all there is to see and be able to make quick choices about what to wear without having to hunt through a mess. But the process of organizing your closet can help you see the holes in your wardrobe that need to be filled. As you retire, donate, or store your clothing you are going to get a pretty good idea of what articles of clothing you need to buy. Keep a pad of paper and a pen handy as you are sorting. If you notice that your two best white t-shirts really aren’t your best anymore and have decided to either make them into rags or toss them – write down that you need to purchase two white t-shirts. This will save you some time and a headache the next time you are searching for an item that is no longer in your closet before you remember, “oh yeah, I got rid of that.” This goes the same for the rest of the things you don’t put back in your closet.

When you are done deciding what to keep and what to toss and have made your list put all of your clothing back in the closet and have another look. When you have your entire pant collection grouped together, do you see any holes that could be filled? Maybe you have lots of black dress pants but no casual ones, add that to your list too. When your list is complete you may not be able to go out and buy everything on it, but it will help you when you are out shopping to decide what you need first. To that end, keep your list with you at all times.

Get Dressed in your Closet

Don’t literally get dressed in your closet, unless you have a walk-in closet that can accommodate you. But put everything in one place for when you get dressed in the morning. Why put your under things in a dresser on one side of your room and then head over to the other to get your pants and then decide the shirt you want is back in the dresser – you get the idea. Instead use the ideas below to keep everything you need in to get dressed in the morning in one place.

* If you do not have room in your closet for your dresser or another drawer system for your socks and other underwear, consider moving your dresser closer to your closet for easy access. * Keep your jewelry in your closet either in a jewelry box or little baskets arranged by type or style. * If you are able to move everything from your dresser into your closet, use your dresser for out-of-season items. * Install a valet hook and hang out your outfit the night before. * Have everything in the closet grouped together by type of clothing and occasion, if a last minute substitution has to be made this will make the process quicker and easier.

Whether you are getting ready for work in the morning or for a night out in the evening, getting dressed can be a stressful event if you can’t find what you are looking for. By having an organized closet with everything in one convenient place you can make getting ready easier. If you are one that is prone to trying on many outfits prior to making a decision on what to wear, make yourself put away all the cast-offs it will save you a headache next time.

Enjoy your Closet

Whether or not you have a walk-in closet or a small space with a door, you don’t want to feel anxious when you open your closet wondering what you are going to wear or how to find it. Take the time, maybe a day or a weekend, to organize and declutter your closet. If the current system of organizing isn’t working for you, change it. Here are some suggestions and tips to help you enjoy your closet.

Forget the traditional one hanging rod in the closet and your shoes lined-up along the floor. This set-up is not very accommodating and is rarely the right fit for any closet. Look at the type of clothing you own the most of, it could be pants or sweaters and decide what the ideal way to store those items are. If you own a lot of sweaters, hanging them is not recommended, install some shelving so your sweaters can be folded. You can purchase dividers to keep your sweater stacks from toppling over. If you have pants aplenty, install a second hanging rod and put all your pants together at eye-level or slightly below.

Shelving is a good idea even if you don’t own a lot of sweaters. They are flexible and can be used for many things. Buy some inexpensive baskets or bins and use them to store your smaller items on top of the shelves – handbags, hats, belts, watches. Hooks are another must have in any closet, you can use it to store your dry cleaning before you take it in, hang your bathrobe on, or pick out your outfit for the next day and hang it on the hook so you are ready to go.

Take some time to plan out your ideal closet before you get started and make your system work for you.