There are many problems with closets that we run into often. Clothes that become wrinkled or fall off the hanger, things getting too crowded, and lack of storage space are the biggest complaints. Closets can be a real asset when they’re designed to meet your personal needs. Getting creative and making the space work for you is key. Use these tips and tricks for making your closet work for you, instead of against you.

1) Out with the old, in with the new. We tend to keep things way too long. We hold onto items that are bulky, out of style, scuffed up, doesn’t fit right, or just things that we don’t necessarily need. Sometimes we figure out while organizing that we don’t like hardly anything in our closets. Imagine if you got rid of everything that wasn’t your very favorite how much space you’d have! Start being picky and get rid of all the excess baggage in your closet.

2) When the closet is cleared out, this is the perfect time to get it really clean. We tend to neglect cleaning the closet floor, baseboards and shelves for long periods of time. This can increase the risk of pests, molds and mildews in our closets. Get in there and clean the floor really well. Wipe down the shelves, hanging bar, and other hardware. You may even decide to give the closet a fresh coat of paint while it’s empty.

3) Now, take inventory of what you have. If you have a lot of t-shirts, you may consider designating a shelf specifically for t-shirts in your closet. If you have a lot of shoes, you may want to invest in some cubby-style shelving to accommodate all of your shoes. If you would like to keep things like socks, underwear, pajamas, and swimwear in your closet, you may want to plan for room on a shelf for baskets, buckets, or bins. The key here is to make sure that you plan the space and have it accommodate your personal belongings. Cookie-cutter organization systems often leave people needing more space in one area and less in others.

4) After you have your personal shelving and hanging bar configuration installed, it is time to get serious about making some storage space. Use vacuum bags designed for storing blankets and out of season clothing. Hang your clothes on hangers that work for your closet. Wooden hangers give the closet a luxurious look and feel. Wood hangers also are functional in helping you solve some of your closet problems. Most wooden clothes hangers are curved to fit suits and coats, helping them to keep their shape. You can invest in cedar clothes hangers to keep your closet smelling fresh. When your closet is designed to meet your needs, you will enjoy having it and keeping it organized.

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.

Closets that feature wood shelves, cabinets, drawers and wooden hangers are classically beautiful. These closet styles withstand the test of time, in beauty and in functionality. If you’re considering installing a closet that features wood, then you have a lot of options.

Wood is one of the sturdiest building materials on the market. For closets, nothing beats cedar. It is strong, fragrant, and protects your wardrobe from mold, mildew, and pests. Cedar has a beautiful, colorful wood grain that is both unique and stunning. The look of cedar has been adored for generations.

In addition to the many benefits of cedar that you’ll experience long-term, you can also enjoy the fact that cedar doesn’t have to be stained or varnished. Its uniqueness is best enjoyed unfinished. After a few years, your wooden cedar hangers, shelves, and cabinetry can be gently sanded with a fine grit sandpaper to renew its fragrance.

Other types of wood shelving that are popular are maple, oak, and pine. Pine isn’t quite as sturdy as the other types of wood, but is still great for closets. If you use pine, be aware that the wood can easily split when you are nailing or screwing it into place. Drill a small pilot hole in the shelves before you nail or insert a screw to avoid this problem.

You can paint the walls of the closet with a color that compliments the wood you are using before you install. It is easier to do this before you install shelving. You can also sand, stain and varnish wood before you install it.

Once you have your system in place, you can accentuate the wood theme by installing crown moulding in the closet. You can install wood doors, door frames, use a dowel instead of a metal bar, use wood hangers or other high end clothes hangers, and install baseboards around the sides, top and bottom of your system. Wooden pegs instead of metal hooks make for functional hat and robe storage. You can also use a wood clothes hanger designed to hold things like belts and ties.

If you like the idea of a cedar closet, you might love the idea of lining the closet in cedar. You can use cedar planks or panels to finish out the closet. It looks beautiful and smells wonderful. It deodorizes your clothes and shoes so that you never have to worry about that musty closet smell.

Using wood in your closet will make it something you are proud of. It will be beautiful, increase your home’s selling value, and give you a sturdy closet system that can last you forever. Doing the project yourself will give you a feeling of accomplishment. Finishing out the closet with wooden hangers will give it that timeless beauty that you’re looking for.

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.

Closets can get out of control, especially when seasons change. Is your closet in serious need of help? Could you use more storage space? Use these tips and tricks to create the space that you need, even if you’re on a tight budget. You may be surprised how much room you’re able to make. In addition to space, you can arrange your closet in such a way that it is easy to keep organized. Don’t let the season change clutter up your life. Get to work on your closet and you’ll be ready for the cold weather.

There are a few basic guidelines that you should keep in mind as you organize. You should adopt a minimalist attitude, to an extent, and get rid of any excess clothing, shoes, belts, or other items that you don’t regularly use. Most people take comfort in wearing their favorite clothing over and over again. What happens is that you get something new that you love and end up taking one of your old favorites out of the rotation. You may look at it and think that you like it and want to keep it and then never wear it again.

Use this tried and true trick to help you determine what should stay and what should go. Turn all of your hangers around backwards on the bar. Wear your clothes as you normally would for the entire season. Then, when it is time to swap out your winter wardrobe for your summer wardrobe, take note of what you never wore and get rid of it. Do this every time you switch out wardrobes and your closet will constantly stay organized. This process keeps you from hanging on to clothes year after year that you never wear, and also helps you to realize when you’ve replaced an old favorite with a new one.

Keeping the amount of clothing in your closet down to a minimum will help you to free up space that you can use for storage. With just a few tweaks, you can make use of the wasted space that you may not have even realized you had. See if you have room above your hanging clothes for two shelves instead of one. Look at the sides of your closet to see if you may be able to extend those top shelves out to the front of the closet. You may even be able to move the top shelf up and make room for an extra hanging bar, drawers, cabinets or shelves below your clothes.

Limiting what you store can be a lot of work, but minimizing the space that you use for the things that you need to keep is key in organizing your closet. Utilize other space saving accessories such as hooks, over-the-door racks, bins and baskets. You can update your clothes hangers to ones that stay separated on the bar, like wood hangers, and your clothes will stay wrinkle free all season. You can also utilize hangers that save space by allowing you to hang multiple items on one hanger.

There are many tricks to getting your closet organized and keeping it that way, you just have to take the time to figure out what will work best for you.

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.