How do you store stuff in your closet?
If you’re the type of person who tosses in everything, transforming your closet into a cluttered hole of hidden treasures, you should consider a new approach.
With a little effort and a few organizational accessories, you can figure out the best way to organize your closet. No longer will you lose items in the overstuffed space or spend too much time searching for an item you know is in there.
Transform your closet so it serves you rather than simply holding your clutter. These closet organization tips will help you set your space up for maximum usage.
1. Complete a purge
Before you can organize, get rid of what’s only taking up space. All the items you don’t wear or even want anymore shouldn’t hang around in your closet. Purging may seem simple enough on paper, but sometimes we keep clothes, shoes, purses or ties because they remind us of our younger selves or hold a special memory.
As you go through your closet clutter, instead of thinking about how the item makes you feel in general, ask yourself if you still feel great when you wear it. Does it still look good on you? Would you even wear it out today? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, it’s time to part with it.
Once you’ve separated the stuff in your closet into keep and discard piles, you can donate unwanted items. Closet Factory shares some of the most popular charities for donating clothing, shoes or other common closet accessories:
- Goodwill and Salvation Army often have easy drop points and take just about anything. You can schedule a pick-up if you have a lot of items, or just go to a drop point at your convenience.
- Soles4Souls and Indigo Rescue handle specialty items. The first sends donated shoes to people in need while the latter collects unwanted jewelry that’s used to fund animal shelters.
- If you have a lot of professional-style clothing to donate, consider an organization like Dress for Success or Career Gear.
2. Create a closet system
Whether you need to completely organize your closet or are only focusing on one specific area, there’s an organizational solution to any closet issue, according to Good Housekeeping.
This can mean doing a complete overhaul with the help of a full system like Elfa at The Container Store. Using a system lets you design your own closet, along with the option to install the pieces yourself or have it done for you. Many pieces are also modular and easy to change.
When your closet has good bones, and you just want to make a few additions to its overall design, it might be easier to buy organizational items a la carte.
Shelving
Adding some additional shelving into your closet can create way more storage space. If there’s nothing above your closet rod, a few extra shelves can become a great place to store out-of-season clothing, jackets or even sweaters.
Add a small, folding step-stool to your closet and these items won’t ever be out of reach. Putting a few extra shelves at the bottom of your closet can provide great storage for shoes, handbags and even extra sheets and towels.
Bins
If you don’t like the way it looks to have all your clothing stacked on open shelves, consider bins or crates. You can even create a makeshift dresser by stacking these in just the right way. This becomes great storage for smaller items like sandals, socks or accessories. They’re a great way to keep items organized and give everything in your closet a proper place.
3. Add some organizational accessories
Once the closet itself starts to feel organized, it’s time to tackle the extra space. You may think, “What extra space?,” but doors, walls and even the sides of your closet system are all begging for organizational accessories to fit even more into your closet without sacrificing its nice and neat appearance. Some great items to add include:
- Over-the-door shoe racks to hold shoes or store your jewelry
- Stick-on hooks for walls and any vertical space. Positioned at varying heights, they’re great for everything from purses to belts.
- A floor shoe rack for easy access to the sandals, sneakers and boots you wear every day
- Hanging storage that fits right on the closet rod. With multiple compartments, they help you take advantage of vertical space.
Specialty hangers
Another accessory you might not immediately think of for organization are hangers. These essential closet components not only keep your clothes wrinkle-free, but they can create even more room in your closet. Substituting some of your regular hangers with specialty ones can free up space and keep your closet looking perfectly arranged.
- Multiple and tiered hangers drop down, allowing you to use the footprint from a single hanger to hang more than one piece of clothing
- Hangers with clips allow you to combine a top with bottoms on just one hanger
- Hook hangers let you drape multiple items from a single spot
You can also transform a regular hanger into a specialty space-saver with the help of a few shower curtain rings. Attach them to your hanger and then store things like scarves, belts or hats. You can fit your entire collection on a single hanger rather than having it take up too much space in a stack.
4. Work in some decor
There’s no reason your organized closet needs to look boring. The best way to organize your closet can include a few personal touches. This can help make the space feel welcoming and purposeful.
If you have room, add a mirror or small framed picture. Use hat boxes, vintage luggage, decorative boxes or decorative metal baskets as storage containers instead of more generic, plastic ones.
Get creative when storing small items, such as jewelry, gloves and sunglasses with cigar boxes, vintage lunch boxes or even a small (clean!) tackle box.
What’s the best way to organize your closet?
The best way to organize your closet is to do whatever makes it easiest for you to get to all your stuff. No matter the size, it’s time to embrace your closet’s potential. When you design a closet space that’s easy to access, it will surprise you how motivated you’ll be about neatly hanging up your clothes. Use these closet organization tips to maximize every inch and love your closet again.
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Source: apartmentguide.com