Cedar closets are not only functional, but a beautiful high-end addition to any home. Cedar lined closets have recently been made popular by boutique hotels and do-it-yourself home improvement shows. However, cedar has been a popular wood option since ancient times. Today, we know why cedar’s properties are so valuable to us, so we use cedar where it is most beneficial, in the closet.

Cedar, specifically Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana), is a species of juniper native to North America. The fragrant part of the wood is the pinkish brown heartwood, which we use for cedar hangers, liners, and shelving in our closets. The wood doesn’t just emit a fresh scent that we all enjoy, but it actually deodorizes the air. This makes it perfect for storing shoes, coats, and other items that are rarely laundered in our closets.

Another big benefit of cedar is its absorbent properties. Cedar absorbs moisture from the air. This is important when hanging coats and storing boots that are wet with snow. It’s also popular in humid climates because the humidity alone can make your clothes smell musty. The odor that you smell when something has been in storage, is actually mold and mildew. Cedar controls the growth of mold and mildew by keeping the closet at a low moisture level.

Cedar is a fine, densely grained wood that does not require stains or varnishes. This makes it possible for us to enjoy the beauty of its natural color while reaping the benefits of using cedar in our closets. Cedar is rot resistant and repels many insects, including moths, silverfish, and cockroaches. If you have a cedar closet in your home, then I’m sure you love it!

When a cedar closet gets to be a few years old, it may start to dry out and lose its fragrance. You may notice a waxy build-up or that your cedar has lost its shine. Caring for your cedar will enable it to last for many years. It should not be exposed to rapid temperature or moisture changes, so don’t store cedar items in a basement or garage. Rapid changes can cause cracking. If you get a crack, you can place fresh orange peels, white side down, tightly against the wood for several days. The oils in the orange peels will pull the crack shut again.

Antique cedar products should be treated by a professional to avoid damage. Newer cedar products may get a waxy coating on them. Clean the wax away with oil soap cleaner. Regular dusting with a vacuum attachment is generally sufficient, but you can wax cedar to restore shine. You have to use a specific kind of wax called carnauba wax to fill in cracks, restore shine, and protect the surface of your cedar closet.

Restoring that wonderful fragrance that you love is as easy as gently hand sanding the surface of your cedar shelves and cedar coat hangers with a fine-grit sandpaper. Cedar clothes hangers are not only beautiful, but protect your coats and suits from damage. Cedar hangers are the most popular wood hangers on the market. Taking care of your closet cedar will ensure years of pleasurable use for you and your family.

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.

In Part 1 of our series “Setting Boundaries to Stay Organized”, we discussed a few basic rules for keeping your closet organized after the initial cleaning. Staying on top of things, making sure everything has a space, and creating an order that makes sense for your needs are all helpful tips. Here we will go into some of the more detailed rules of the organized person.

1) You’ve got everything set up how you want it, now it’s time to focus on some smaller details. One way that highly efficient people stay on top of things is to think about everything in order of importance. You can apply this concept to your closet organization routine. Prioritize things according to how often they are used, moved, or replaced. For instance, you probably create laundry, use shoes, underwear and socks nearly every day. These items should be your top priority. Every time you use your closet, make sure that the laundry is in the basket or hamper where it goes, the shoes are on the rack, and the socks and underwear are stocked well enough for the next day. This quick check will help you to avoid that slow creeping mound of disorganized stuff that is so easy to go unnoticed until it becomes a big job.

2) Your second priority is to make sure that things kept in the closet are actually put inside. Keeping a basket or dryer of clean laundry around for a while can cause you to end up with wrinkled clothes. It’s difficult to find what you need, and your clean clothes are likely to get mixed up with your dirty clothes. Create a system to make sure that things go into the closet instead of being set aside. You can use a rolling garment rack to quickly hang clothes as they come out of the dryer. Set a timer when you fold a load and see how long it actually takes. Sometimes you’ll spend hours or days dreading a job that actually only takes you about five minutes. Make sure that your closet is arranged in a way that makes it simple to put things in when you’re in a hurry.

3) Another time and space saving technique is to use cascading hangers. If you hang outfits together in one space, it is super easy to get ready in the morning. If you’re not pulling out things and trying them on, then you won’t mess up the things that you already had organized. Using clothes hangers that are made for the clothes you are hanging helps you to maintain their shape and come straight out of the closet, wrinkle-free. Use sturdy coat hangers or wood hangers for heavy items so that they don’t end up on the floor. The less work that you make for yourself, the more likely you are to stay organized.

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.

Over the years, we’ve come up with many organizing solutions. You can have the best system and get really organized. However, if you don’t set some rules and boundaries for yourself, then you will never be able to maintain the organization that you have worked so hard to achieve. This post will focus on rules that you can adopt to make sure that the blood, sweat and tears that you put into organizing your closet will not go to waste.

1) Have you ever heard the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Well, when it comes to your closet, you really need to take it to heart. You may even want to make yourself a little sign that you see every time you open the closet. Visual aids will help you to remember not to throw things like your shoes into a pile instead of putting them back on the rack. It is important to stay focused on maintaining the organization level of your closet every time you use it. If you really stick to your guns, it will become a habit to immediately hang things that need to be hung. Habitual organizing will help you to transfer that mentality into other areas of your life. Make sure that your closet is perfectly organized every time you close that door and you will save yourself from having to constantly manage the mess.

2) It’s one thing to make sure that everything is in the closet where it goes, but it’s another to make sure that everything in the closet is arranged in the most efficient way. The arrangement that works best for you may be different from the way that your friend organizes, so take your habits and your needs into consideration as you arrange your clothing.

For example, you may want to line up your clothing by length. Hanging all of your short items together will make room beneath for taller things, like boots, a laundry basket, or a set of drawers. Hanging things by color makes it easy to find what you’re looking for and also is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, keeping you focused on maintaining that neatness whenever you see it. Arranging things according to use will help you to not only find what you need in a jiffy, but will also make putting laundry away a snap. If the things that you use most often are all on the right, then when you put things away, it is likely that almost everything will go on the right.

3) Use containers and closet accessories that help you make a specific place for everything. Don’t just pile all socks, hose, underwear, swimwear, and pajamas into one bin. You’re bound to have to dig and mess everything up. Even worse, you will constantly be buying new items that you think you need because you can’t find what you already own. Use smaller bins to separate and organize so that when you put things away, you know exactly where they go. As for your hanging clothes, you should always use the clothes hangers that protect your clothes, make them easy to access, and save you as much space as possible. You should always use wood hangers or coat hangers for heavy items, but you can save space with cascading hangers or coordinate hangers.

Read Part 2 of this article to learn more rules of staying organized.

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.