Monthly Archives: November 2010

Closets that Work with You

A well arranged closet is so much easier to use and maintain. Here we will provide some tips for organizing a closet that will work with you and your habits. There are a few ways, including using a concentric design, to make your closet more usable. There is no need to spend a lot of money on an organization system that will not solve your specific closet problems. With a little forethought, you can have a closet that is a relief for you to use.

You may be dedicating too much space to hanging room in your closet. If you wear a lot of dresses and suits, then you may need a lot of hanging space. However, you may be able to make better use of the space by installing some shelving. You can work around the existing bar, or take it down and get a new, adjustable bar. If you hang a lot of shirts and pants, you can double up the bar, using one for pants and one for shirts. You can keep a high bar on one side of the closet or the other for your longer items, like dresses. You may find that you still have the same number of feet of space for hanging that you did before, but now you have half of the closet that can be used for shelves, cabinets, and drawers.

If you’ve read anything at all about closet organization or design, you’ve probably seen the term “vertical space” a lot. Making use of the space that is normally wasted in the closet is a great way to get more things organized in a smaller space. You can look around the closet and see where space is wasted. Usually, it’s above the top shelf, on the floor, or on the front corners of the closet. Check to see if you can move your top shelf up and extend it out to the front wall of the closet. You may be able to push your hanging rods back a few inches, creating more space in the front of the closet.

After you’ve made room, think about how you use your closet. Things that you use most often should be front and center in the closet. Arrange shelves and rods based on how often you use your hanging or folded clothes. Looking at your current closet, you can identify problems that need solutions. Do your dirty clothes pile up in the floor? Is your closet full of clothes that you no longer wear? Do your shoes end up crushed in a mountain on the closet floor? You may need a space for a laundry basket, a bin for clothes that need to go to charity, or cubby-style shelves that run up the front corners of your closet for shoes.

Things, like formal wear and other dress clothes, are not used very often. These items should be the furthest back in your closet. Use sturdy clothes hangers, like wooden hangers, to hang heavier suits and coats. You can also store your out of season clothing up really high because you won’t need to access them very often. Using plastic containers with lids is a great way to store clothes for many reasons. If you pack your clothing items in separate containers, then you can use the containers for storage and display. For example, you can have your summer socks and winter socks in separate containers. Take down the one for winter, take off the lid, place it on the summer sock container, and simply switch them out. Making switching from one season to the other an easy process will help you to keep your closet organized year round.

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.

Organizing Your Bathroom Storage

The bathroom is a small space that needs to hold many types of items. This is a recipe for disaster if you are unable to keep it in a constant state of organization. Bathroom storage is often a struggle for many people. To get it organized and make the most of the small space that you have, you definitely need a plan. Use these tips to help you come up with a personalized storage system that will work in your bathroom.

1) Take an inventory count of what you need to keep in the bathroom. This is a great time to wipe out cabinets, clean out drawers, and wipe down all of the bathroom surfaces. Make yourself a list of what you want to keep together and categorize as much as you can. Avoid the dreaded “miscellaneous” pile that ultimately leads to an accumulation of clutter.

2) Make-up is a big problem in most people’s bathroom. It is pretty rare that you will actually use something completely up before purchasing another. Let’s say you bought a new eye shadow. The old one isn’t empty, but you really want to use the new one. Now, you may go back and forth, but inevitably, you’ll need a new color, and then the pile-up begins. Have you organized and stored your make-up before, but it still tends to be all over the place? This is generally because we use it so much. If there isn’t a very convenient place to store it, it ends up on the counter. Use a large make-up organizer for things that are not in your current rotation. Use a countertop organizer for things that you use every day. It’s important for the top to be open so that you’re not tempted to drop it on the counter instead.

3) Make sure that you have somewhere, like a hamper, for your dirty clothes to go. Laundry can be a problem in the bathroom. Not only are we changing for bed, getting ready for work, and taking showers in there, but we are also using towels and washcloths. Sometimes you may need to hang your towels to dry so that you don’t have wet clothes molding or growing mildew in the hamper. Make sure that you have an easy place to hang towels and an easy to access hamper for your dirty laundry.

4) Storing linens in the bathroom is much easier if you have the appropriate dividers and hangers. Cedar clothes hangers are a great thing to use in a bathroom linen closet. They absorb moisture, protecting your sheets and blankets from that mildew smell. Cedar wood hangers also deodorize to keep the closet fresh. You can use ordinary coat hangers to hang sheets, but there are also open ended comforter and blanket hangers you can use to keep air circulating around your linens.

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 Solutions for Busy People

Does getting ready for work seem like it takes longer and longer each day? Do you have trouble finding the shoes, shirt, or jacket that you need? People lose a lot of time every day when their closet isn’t properly organized and taken care of. It can be extremely frustrating when you find your work clothes crumpled on the floor, creased from the hanger, or damaged from being hung improperly. There are a lot of frustrating things that can happen to your wardrobe. Protect your investment and save yourself the hassle and time getting ready in the mornings by following these tips for keeping clothing safe and ready to wear in the closet.

1) Using cedar products, like cedar hangers, in your closet can save your clothes from musty odors, mildew, and damage from pests. This highly beneficial wood deodorizes the air around it. It doesn’t just cover up odors like potpourri and sprays. Cedar absorbs moisture from the air, which helps to prevent mold and mildew forming on your clothes. This is so useful, especially in the winter months, when wet boots and damp coats may go back into the closet. Cedar also repels moths, silverfish, cockroaches, and more insects that can get into your closet, lay eggs, and damage clothing.

2) Avoid metals that can stain or damage clothing. The typical wire hangers, like the ones you get at the cleaners, have sharp points that can snag and tear clothing. They can also rust if they’re around humidity and leave stains on your clothes. They are not the strongest of hangers and can bend under the weight of coats and suits, causing them to slip off and end up crumpled in the floor. Watch out for hangers that come with cheap metal parts. Look for polished chrome or brass that is free of snag points. Any clips should be padded and have rounded edges to protect your clothes.

3) Choose clothes hangers that are the right size for your clothes. There are tiny infant hangers, petite hangers, children’s hangers, and even extra large hangers that are each the right size for certain items of clothing. Using ones that are too big can stretch necks and pucker shoulders, ruining the clothes that you’ve invested in. For coats and suits, you should use curved, heavy duty coat hangers or wood hangers that are designed to help them keep their shape. This type of clothes hanger is made to support heavy weights and keep suits wrinkle free.

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.