Take one last look at your shoe mountain and get ready to organize it in a way that is really maintainable and easy to use. There are so many organizers on the market today that it is easy and inexpensive to install a system, but you can design your own. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are still ways that you can get things moving in the right direction and create space.

Shoes are a big problem for most people. We have dress shoes, work-out shoes, winter shoes, summer sandals, hiking shoes, running shoes, and boots. It’s no wonder that the closet gets overrun with a mountain of dusty shoes. Keeping your shoes in a pile is not only a dust collecting heap of disorganization, it is damaging to your shoes and you can never find the two that you need. If you do, they’re probably smashed out of shape and scuffed from being buried in the mess.

Shoe storage is a must. You don’t need much room for shoe shelves or cubbies. A lot of people install a shoe rack on the back of the closet door to save space. Another option is to build small corner shelves up each side of the closet. Those front corners are rarely used and are perfect for creating shoe cubbies.

Another option is to install a low shelf all the way around the floor of the closet. You can double it up for double the space. If you need to, move the hanging bar and top shelf up a foot. You can still reach it, you make more room near the floor, and you take up some of that wasted space near the ceiling.

Shoe hanging systems are great too. You can put them on the back of your closet door or on an interior wall of the closet. Use padded hooks at the bottom to hang boots and other shoes that are too large or too tall to fit on the hangers.

Stuff boots and other leather shoes with newspaper or tissue paper to help them keep their shape through the seasons. Using cedar clothes hangers in your closet will keep it from smelling like feet. This clothes hanger absorbs moisture in the closet and deodorizes the air. You can put cedar accessories down in shoes that you know get sweaty, like hiking boots and running shoes. When shoes smell, it is because they are teaming with bacteria. Put them into a plastic bag and freeze them overnight. Just put them outside when it is below freezing outside, or straight into your kitchen freezer. The bacteria will be killed and the smell will be gone. Washing often just feeds the bacteria with the warmth and moisture that they need to survive.

When your shoes are nice and orderly, finish out the rest of the closet by updating your clothes hangers. Like I said, a cedar clothes hanger does double duty in your closet. Specialty hangers like shirt hangers, skirt hangers, and dress hangers keep your closet looking super organized and neat. It all starts with taking care of those shoes!

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.

Suede comes in so many grades and textures that finding the right cleaning product can be confusing. Some suede will easily lose their color and texture, actually becoming weak and damaged from the loss of their oils. Use this article as a guide only. Don’t use anything on your suede garments without first testing an inconspicuous area. Some leather cleaners can ruin suede or the stitching, so it’s best to use one that is made specifically for your type of leather.

Suede is perhaps the hardest leather to keep clean. The matte, porous texture has very little resistance to stains. Cleaning stains can be a bit tricky and you may want to take your suede garments to a professional if you have a serious stain. However, if you want to try it yourself, here’s what you can do.

For dry stains, try gently brushing them with a soft toothbrush. A baby toothbrush is best because it is softer. If a toothbrush doesn’t work, you can try erasing the stain with a pencil eraser. Remember to test a hidden area first so that you know if a soft toothbrush or pencil eraser will ruin the nap of the leather.

If the stain is wet, absorb as much as you can by pressing a dry towel or paper towel firmly against the surface. Don’t rub, only press. You may even stand on the spot to squeeze out the liquid with your weight. Wet stains should be taken to a professional. If it’s not worth the cost to you to take it to be cleaned, you can try to do it yourself with a towel that has been barely dampened with white vinegar. Test for colorfastness before you go for the stain. Depending on how the leather was treated, colors could run away from the spot.

Use a hair dryer set to cool to get the spot dry as quickly as possible. Don’t use heat or you could set the stain and harm the suede. Use a dry wash cloth or soft baby toothbrush to restore the nap of the suede as it dries. Don’t ever let a wet spot sit or it will leave a ring when it dries. It will also turn stiff and the leather will be weakened. Suede garments will often tear and crack along the seams if they get too wet.

Drying a suede coat or suit that has been drenched would take forever with a cool hair dryer. You can let them air dry if you do it properly. Suede garments will lose their shape if not dried correctly. Soak up as much water as possible by pressing with a dry cloth as described above. Hang suits on clothes hangers that are made specifically for each garment. Choosing the right clothes hanger can make all the difference. Shirts go on shirt hangers, skirts on skirt hangers, dresses on dress hangers, and coats on coat hangers. This will help to maintain the shape of the garment as it dries.

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.

Closet organization is a big business and you can spend thousands on a closet system. However, you can actually do a lot of what the pros do at home by yourself. The goal is to get your closet organized, have it look organized, and it must also be functional. A beautiful closet is no good if you’re just going to have to tear it apart everyday trying to get to what you need. Use these tips to get that beautiful and functional closet that you want.

1) Any closet organization professional will urge you to get rid of as much junk as possible. People store all kinds of things in their closets that don’t actually belong there. This doesn’t mean that you can’t hide gifts or store luggage there, it just means that you need to pay attention to what goes in. Plan a space for all of those things that are going to need to stay in the closet.

2) Clothes are the easiest thing to get rid of. If you haven’t worn it in a year, get it out of there. Narrow your wardrobe down to what you really need, want, and like to wear. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit just right, are out of style, or that you just never are in the mood to wear. Get rid of old stiff and scuffed up shoes. No matter how much you may like your shoes, or how much money you spent on them, if they hurt your feet or don’t match anything, they have got to go. Offer things to friends or try to sell more valuable items if you can’t bear to give them to charity. Use the money that you make to fix up your closet or to buy clothes and shoes that fit right.

3) Shelves are really necessary in a closet. If you only have the one big top shelf, then you will probably need to add some to the sides of your closet, the bottom of your closet, or simply start from scratch. There are quite a few inexpensive organizational systems that are very accommodating to sweaters, hang-up clothes, linens, belts, shoes and more. If you want to build your own, use these systems as inspiration.

4) Making your closet functional is up to you. Most people agree that the things you use most should be front and center, no higher than your head. Keeping this strategy in mind while you decide what shelves to put in can be very helpful. For example, keep your work clothes front and center on the bar. On a shelf to the side of the bar, keep your socks in a bin and store your work shoes in cubbies just below. Store linens, formal clothes, heavy coats, and luggage around this area.

5) Once you get your closet organized, think about making it look great. Wooden hangers make a closet look high-end, even if you didn’t spend a dime on it. Wood hangers are useful for keeping clothes perfectly spaced on the bar, giving your closet that organized look and feel. Shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, and dress hangers will keep all of your clothes wrinkle free, easy to find, and looking great in the closet.

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