The closet can seem like a giant project to tackle, so many people put it off until it really can’t be ignored any longer. There are a few basic rules of closet organization that you can follow. These simple steps make things easier to find, easier to organize and helps you get your closet in order.

First, rearrange your clothing so that your shortest clothes are on one side and your longer items are on the other. This usually frees up some space beneath the shorter clothes. You can add shelves for shoes or drawers underneath the shorter hanging clothes. You can use this space for just about anything.

Next, arrange your clothing in order of color. Make sure that you keep the length of the clothes approximately the same, but group together your shortest black shirts, white shirts, black pants, etc. This will make it easy to find clothes that match when you are getting dressed in the mornings.

Utilize inexpensive items such as over-the-door organizers, hooks and bins. Storage bags that can be flattened with a vacuum are very useful in keeping linens fresh while minimizing the space that they occupy. Store out of season clothes or bulky linens in empty suitcases to maximize overhead space.

Shoes usually end up in a huge pile. Even if you have a shoe organizer, it is hard to keep them all where they go. They fall off, they don’t fit, or you simply have more shoes than shoe space. Use clear boxes for dress shoes. Not only will they be protected from scuffs and damage, but they will be very easy to find. Make a tall stack of clear boxes in the front corner of your closet. You may want to put a dryer sheet in each box to keep shoes smelling fresh. If you plan on storing shoes for quite a while, put them in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer over night. This will kill any odor causing bacteria that may be living in the shoes and ensure that they are ultra-fresh the next time you want to wear them.

If you need additional space for hanging clothes, consider adding another hanging bar. You may have high enough ceilings to have a high bar and a low bar in your closet. Another option is to get an adjustable bar that hangs from your existing bar. You can hang it around your shirts and it gives you another bar just below your shortest items, not all the way across.

Another option for making more hanging space is to buy hangers that can piggy-back on each other. Specialty hangers can hold a lot of pairs of pants, ties, or group together outfits. Some shirt hangers are thin enough to hang clothing closer together, making more room than you might have imagined. Using these simple guidelines, you can make space in your closet and get it set up in an easy-to-maintain order.

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.

Fall is a great time to get rid of things you rarely use and get ready for back to school time. Designing and building your own closet system is a cost effective way to get exactly the storage you need that fits your life and your budget.

Wire shelving systems are popular because they are easy to install and don’t cost a fortune to invest in. There are all types of wire shelving accessories that help you personalize the space. You can easily install drawers, sliding tie racks, shoe racks, and laundry bins. Being able to add on to the system later is an additional budget-friendly bonus.

You will need an electronic stud finder, a level, a tape measure, a hacksaw and a power drill. Clear everything out of the closet. Remove old shelves and hanging bars that you are not going to use. You will need to prep the closet for the new shelving system at this point.

Fill all holes with putty and let it thoroughly dry. Sand off any excess spackle with a fine-grit sandpaper. Vacuum up any remaining dust and paint the walls of the closet. Now your closet is ready for install.

There are two types of wire shelving systems. One type has clips that screw to the wall and the wire shelf attaches to the clips. The other type hangs from a track and is more versatile. Draw level lines throughout the closet where you want your shelves to hang. Then go through with your stud finder and mark each side of every stud that touches your lines. Cut the hanging track with the hacksaw to the desired lengths. Attach clips or hanging tracks by drilling screws along the lines into every stud that you can.

Cut and install your longest shelves first to ensure that you have enough length. You may decide to install a few extra short shelves for smaller items if you have some usable pieces left over. Attach the brackets that are designed to go with your system. These usually clamp on to the wire shelf. Putting one at every stud possible will make your shelves very sturdy and capable of holding up a lot of weight. Shorter brackets are available for shelves that you want to hang at forty-five degrees, like shoe shelves.

These shelves are great for hanging all of your clothes. They are compatible with most shirt hangers, pants hangers and suit hangers. If you find that smaller items slip through the wires, consider using bins or baskets for these items. When your closet is done, you can be proud that you did it yourself!

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.

Almost everyone has struggled with a bulging closet. Closets are notorious for becoming cram packed with too much junk. They become a quick hiding place for clutter when we have to speed clean. They get neglected and can hold the same, unworn clothing for decades. Well, it is time to clean that closet. It not only needs to be cleaned, but a system needs to be put in place to give you the extra room that you need to keep it organized.

Start by emptying the closet. Keep only what you really like to wear. After you thin the herd, you can begin to organize your clothes. Remember, the goal here is to create even more space than you actually need. This way, as time goes by and new clothing gets added, you do not have to start over. We want a closet that stays organized despite our best efforts to pack it full.

Now, you could spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a custom closet system. If you can afford it, it’s not a bad idea. But, for those of us looking for a quick fix for a long-term problem, we may want to look at some more cost-effective options.

The best closet trick in the book is to utilize the many specialty hangers that are on the market today. Hanger designs have made it possible to double or even triple the space in our closets. These special hangers used to only be available to stores and high end retailers. But, thanks to the internet, we can order luxury shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, space saving hangers, slimline hangers, and more! The list goes on and on. But, the point is that you do not have to buy hundreds of one type to order straight from the best manufacturers out there.

So, order yourself some really sturdy hangers. Get all of the different types that you need to really make some space in your closet. Many hangers, like slimline hangers and metal salesman’s hangers, allow you to cascade items from one hanger to another.

For example, you can hang your shirt on a shirt hanger, your pants on a pants hanger, and then adjoin them with a cascading hook. This way, they are not only hung together and ready to wear, but they take up half the space that they did before. Salesman’s hangers have an extended neck to keep the pants or skirt hanging well below the shirt, making even more space. It may not seem like much, but all of the tiny bits of space that you save can add up.

Once your closet it organized with specialty shirt hangers, skirt hangers and pants hangers, you should have some extra space. Now, every time you put away laundry, your closet will be instantly organized again. When everything has a specific space, you are more likely to keep it there.

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.