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.
