Closet Expansions

Being organized frees up lots of time for you to focus on more important things in your life. The problem is that many of us just can’t find the space to get to that point. We need room for all of our belongings. Before you resort to adding on to the house, consider expanding your closet.

Closet wardrobes are actually cabinetry, shelves and racks that can be installed outside of the actual closet. All you need is a blank wall. There are a lot of pre-fabricated closet systems and closet accessories on the market. They can be furniture, like an armoire, but are often installed directly to the wall.

First you need to visualize your design. You can start in a corner and build your way out from there. You can have shelves and cabinets extending out from each side of a window. You can have a solid wall of organization if you’d like, there really is no limit.

Wardrobe closet systems vary from the simplest designs to elaborate conceptions. You can spend a little money or upwards of $100,000. Some people are even turning spare bedrooms into extravagant closets. Islands with drawers and granite countertops are not unheard of. Spiral hanging racks, retractable valet bars, and even sinks, refrigerators, and espresso machines can be a part of your closet system. Some people view their closets as a place to relax while they get ready for special events or just their normal work day.

The secret to designing the perfect wardrobe closet is to make it versatile. Your needs will change over time, so your closet system should be able to change with you. Adjustable shelves are nice to have. You should have plenty of clothes hangers to accommodate changing seasons and new additions to your wardrobe.

The clothes hanger itself can be an important part of your design. This is especially true since your hanging bars will be visible from outside of the closet. There are different hangers to choose from that will help your wardrobe look perfectly straight, while keeping them from wrinkling or getting crammed together. Get special shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers and dress hangers. Coat hangers are made to keep the shoulder shape of coats and suits.

You can even create the illusion of a more expensive closet system by adding a few details. For example, using wood hangers instead of wire or plastic hangers make a closet instantly look high end. Plus, wooden hangers can be purchased to compliment or match the wardrobe closet system itself.

By expanding your closet out into the room, you will find that it is easier to keep organized. Closet systems can add a luxurious feel to your bedroom and help you make time for all of those more important things in life.

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for clothes hangers. Get all of the closet and clothes hanger accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.

How to Make the Most of Your Closet Rod

Most people would love to buy a fancy closet system. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have endless storage and a place for everything to go! But, most busy people just don’t have the time or the money to spend on the closet. It gets pushed further and further down the to-do list until it is highly unlikely that it will ever get done. These steps will give you a quick and easy alternative to that major closet overhaul that you would like to do, but can’t afford to do, or that you simply can’t find the time to commit.

1) Quickly get rid of excess items. A lot of us will store clothing in our closet for years before we decide that we’ll never wear it again. If something has a stain, toss it. If it just doesn’t fit right, get rid of it. If you haven’t worn it in a year or two, give it away. It really doesn’t take long to bag or box up items to give to charity. Sift through clothing and quickly and try not to think twice about what you should give away. If you’re nervous about it, box it up anyway and store it in the garage. After a few weeks or months, see if you still really care about giving it up. Shoes, purses, ties, blankets, sheets and even suitcases can be cleared out. Most people only use a little over 50% of what is in their closet!

2) Help yourself find what you need when you need it. Group together like items so that you can quickly get ready in the mornings. Do whatever works best for you. Put your work clothes on one side and your casual clothes on the other. Divide up the groups by length and type of clothing. You can even organize by color if you choose. Whatever you do, it won’t take but about five minutes to tackle.

3) Find ways to keep the closet clutter free. Hang a hook in an inconspicuous spot inside of your closet. Hang a plastic grocery bag or trash bag there. When you run across clothing that you’ve decided to not wear again, toss them into the bag instead of storing them back inside of your closet like you normally would. Maybe you wore a shirt that you thought you liked, but were constantly pulling at it all day, or it just has an itchy feel to it. Just make a point to continually get rid of clothing that you don’t really need.

4) Make space in the closet using specialty hangers. You can make the most space on your closet rod by using different types of hangers. Hangers designed for certain items also keep them from becoming misshapen. You can purchase shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, and dress hangers to keep your clothing nice and neat inside of the closet.

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers and dress hangers. Get all of the accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.

Easy Closet Organization

Use these tips to help you get your closet functioning in an organized way. Once it’s ready to go, you won’t have to do much maintenance throughout the year.

1. Give as much away as possible.

Do a good deed while cleaning your closet. Donate clothes that don’t fit right, have small stains or are simply not your favorites. Ask your friends and family if they would like to sift through before you give them away. Another idea is to have a yard sale and make money to invest in your new closet.

2. Divide your wardrobe into summer and winter sets.

Most people have way too much to fit into one closet. So, putting half of your wardrobe into storage can keep your closet looking nice and organized year round. If there isn’t room in your closet or garage to store out of season clothing, consider shallow containers that slide underneath your bed.

3. Add shelving and hanging bars.

Look around the closet and see if there is room to expand. If your ceiling is high enough, you could add a second bar to the closet. You could put a shoe shelf on the bottom, the bar at about waist-high, and then build a system of shelves, drawers and cabinets above that for storage.

4. Choose storage bins that can be easily maneuvered.

Be wary of buying bins, baskets or crates that are very large. Clothing is heavy. You will want containers that are easily moved around to ensure ease of use. You may want a bin for work socks, one for work-out socks, one for pajamas and one for underwear. Many closets have room on the front walls for small shelves that can hold all of these bins.

5. Thin out your shoe supply.

If you can, get rid of some shoes. If you just can’t, then consider keeping yard shoes in the garage, tennis shoes in the coat closet, and dress shoes in your bedroom closet. If you want, you can store them in clear boxes so that you can see which ones are inside. Store them with cedar closet accessories or a dryer sheet so that they do not start to smell.

6. Remove things that should not be kept in your closet.

Get rid of extra things that don’t belong in your closet. If you can’t figure out where to put them, then you may have to create a space. For example, sports equipment can go into an equipment organizer in the garage.

7. Hang your clothes on specialty hangers.

Now that you have room for your clothes, use specialty hangers to keep them from getting snagged, misshapen or crammed together. Use shirt hangers that are designed to curve towards the back and down on the shoulders. This will keep the shirt from getting wrinkled or squeezed between other articles of clothing. Use a skirt hanger for skirts or shorts. Make sure that the clips are smooth and do not have sharp edges that can tear your skirts. A pants hanger will keep your pants from creasing at the knee.

Getting your closet in order will help you stay organized year round. Enjoy your spacious new closet!

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers and dress hangers. Get all of the accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.