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.

Coming up with your own personal closet design can be really rewarding. You can personalize the space to meet your specific needs. You can make it as ornate or streamlined as you wish. You can make adjustable spaces so that the closet changes with the seasons and your wardrobe.

First you just need to pull everything out. Write down the measurements of the closet. You will need to decide how much space you need for each type of item. Some things that you normally fold might take up less space if you switched over to using clothes hangers instead.

Pants take up less space if they are hung. This also helps them to stay wrinkle free. They are easier to look through and you don’t have to worry about the stack turning into a muddled pile. When pants are hung up high, it is easy to look at the tags. It’s a good plan if you have a lot of jeans, khaki pants, black dress pants, or other pants that all look similar.

Hanging pants on a special pants hanger can make them easier to manage. Pants hangers normally are open on one side so that you can easily slide out the pants. Cascading pants hangers are nice too, because you can hang a few pairs of pants on one hanger.

Sweaters also take up a lot of room when folded, but you may not want to hang some of the heavier ones. Sweaters can stretch and lose their shape if they are too heavy. You could opt for a wide shallow drawer in your closet, specifically for storing sweaters flat. You can mount the drawer under a large shelf where you stack t-shirts, shorts, pajamas and other items that you choose not to hang.

Baskets and bins are great for small items, like socks and underwear. You can also keep things besides clothes in bins, like camera chargers, books, tote bags, and other items that don’t normally go in a closet. You can put bins and baskets anywhere. You can put them on a shelf, build small cubby-hole style shelves for them, or even put them on the floor. They keep things from getting mixed together and make the closet look more organized and clutter free.

You can customize the space as much as you wish. If you would rather have more shelves, you can build them up one side of the closet. You can shorten your eight foot hanging bar into two four foot bars, hanging one high for pants and one low for shirts. An additional one foot bar can be mounted off to one side for hanging dresses and suits. Choose the type of clothes hanger that you want based on what you have to hang.

Have fun when you design your closet. Get creative and ask friends or family for their opinions. You’ll be surprised what you can come up with. Your plans can be adjusted as you consider the space that you’ll save by using special clothes hangers. Shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, and dress hangers can all keep your clothes organized and save space.

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.