Organizing Your Closet
Part II - Storage and Organization
This is the second in a series of articles on closet organization. Last month’s article focused on sorting through items in the closet and eliminating clothes that didn’t fit, items you no longer used, and items you didn’t love. Today’s article focuses on selecting closet storage, organizing the “keep” items , and maintaining your organized closet.
Let’s first examine your current closet storage and your storage needs. Last month, you sorted your clothes and ended up with everything you wanted to keep. Go through those items, and figure out how many of each type of item you have and how much storage you need for that item. Write the information on a sheet of paper so you can select storage based on what you have to store. Do you need 20 feet of short hanging space for pants and shirts? Do you need long hanging space for dresses or coats? Do you need space for 10 pairs of shoes? Do you need drawer space for socks or shelf space for sweaters? Write it all down and then examine your closet to see what storage is missing.
If your storage isn’t appropriate for your closet items, you have three options, depending on your budget, your energy level, and your creativeness:
Option 1: Add additional stand-alone storage items like shoe racks, shelving, baskets and bins, and furniture to your current closet configuration. Look around the house for unused bookcases or dressers, or simply install some sturdy shelving and add bins to hold folded clothes. Use upper and lower hanging rods for short items such as pants and shirts or place a short bookcase or chest under a high hanging rod. Hanging sweater bags and hanging shoe bags can also maximize storage space. This is the least expensive solution but requires a little creativity.
Option 2: Remove the current closet storage and build a custom system yourself. There are a variety of easily installed closet systems at home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s that will meet your needs. You will need time to shop, design, purchase, and install the system, and a few “handyman” skills. Some hardware stores even offer design and installation services on their organizing systems. This option is more expensive than option 1, but less expensive than option 3.
Option 3: Replace your current closet storage with a stylish custom closet system purchased from a specialty store such as The Container Store, Maxwell Closet Classics, or More Space Place to name a few. Designers will determine your needs, design the closet, and install the storage for you. This is the most expensive option, but you will have a stylish custom-designed storage system with little effort.
Before you settle on a design, do a little Web research and check out the many closet ideas.
After you have installed the new closet organizing system, it is time to return the closet items you are keeping. Categorize the clothes so that you can easily find what you need. Put like items together as planned – pants and shirts on the upper and lower hanging rods, shoes in the shoe racks. Some people like to group similar items by color – red shirts or jeans, for example. Place folded items in bins or use wire shelf dividers to maintain order. Hang purses and belts on the pegs or hangers designed for that purpose. If storing shoes in boxes, you may want to put a picture of the shoes on the front of the box so you can easily find the pair you want. If you are challenged for space, store seasonal clothes in bins and move them to a dry attic, another closet, or under the bed.
Now that you have everything back in the closet, take a look at the great job you have done! Notice that everything has a “home”. Whenever you take something from the closet, take one extra one second to replace the item back in its home. That is the real secret to maintaining an organized closet. For long term maintenance, take a little time to clean out your closet at the beginning of each season. Keep a “give away” box near-by so you can immediately toss unwanted items in the box instead of sticking them back in the closet. Finally, one last rule for keeping the closet under control – one in, one out. When you add an item to the closet, make a deal with yourself to remove one article from the closet. That way, clutter will not build up in the closet.
Congratulations on your newly organized closet. Enjoy the time you will save when you can easily find your clothes. Enjoy the peace your organized closet provides.
