Closet DIY Help

Fixing up a closet yourself can be easy and fun. The results can be even better than a professional closet organizer, because you are more capable of determining what will work best for you. If you’re having trouble determining where to start or what to do next, these tips can help. You don’t have to spend a whole lot of time or money organizing your closet. With a few simple adjustments, you can have a closet that you are happy to use every day.

First, determine the most prevalent use of your closet. Do you use it more for storage, to keep your suits, coats and dresses, or do you use it to keep all of your clothes? The types of things that you keep in the closet will help you to determine what types of spaces you will need. So, start with your most basic use of your closet.

If you only keep work clothes and dress clothes in your closet, then you should invest in some clothes hangers that will keep these clothes safe and wrinkle free. For suits, coats, and dresses, contoured hangers are often best. They help your clothes to keep the shape at the shoulder. There should be no taught edges and you shouldn’t have to stretch the necks to get these garments on the hangers. If your hangers seem too large, look for petite sized hangers. If they’re not big enough and your suits sag over the shoulders, look for extra large hangers, or plus sized hangers. Adjustable hangers are great for garments that don’t really fit well on any type of standard hanger.

If you keep all of your clothes in your closet, then separation is your goal. You will need shelves, bins, and probably multiple levels of hanging space. You will need one long hanging space for longer things, like dresses. For everything else, you should be able to hang them in about three feet of vertical space. A small hanging bar is often sufficient for hanging dress shirts and pants. Shelves are useful for folded t-shirts, pajamas, and bins designated for socks, tights, underwear, swimwear, etc.

If you need storage in your closet, check out the ceiling. Vertical space is too often ignored and it goes wasted. Think about moving your shelves and hanging bars up closer to the ceiling. This can free up space near the bottom of the closet or create more usable space in the center.

Determine which closet accessories will help you most. Specialty hangers are great for getting ties, belts, and scarves out of the way. Wood hangers are often best for hanging heavy coats and suits. Choose clothes hangers that are meant for what you are using them for. Pants hangers with non-slip bars, skirt hangers with non-staining clips, and cascading hangers that save space can all be very useful in a closet. Getting your closet organized is not as hard as you may have imagined!

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.

How to Store Out of Season Wardrobes

Building your wardrobe costs a lot of money and protecting it should be a priority. Properly storing and caring for your garments will ensure years of good use. Clothes often become wrinkled and musty while in storage. Use these tips to keep your clothes in good shape and smelling fresh, whether you’re using them or not.

1) Hang your clothes while you store them if you can. Use a spare room, garage, basement, or corner of your bedroom to store a rolling garment rack. Hanging your coats, suits, and dresses will help them to keep their shape. Using a garment rack cover will help you keep dust off of your stored clothes and ensure that they’re not exposed to excess moisture.

2) Don’t you just hate it when you pull your clothes out of storage and they smell bad? You put them in clean, but they still come out with musty odors. Cedar hangers or cedar accessories absorb the moisture that causes this moldy mildew smell. This is more important if your stored clothes are near a bathroom, if you live in a humid climate, or if you store your clothes in a basement or garage. The deodorizing and moisture absorbing quality of cedar is what has made it so popular in closets across the globe.

3) You can store more items in a smaller space by using specialty clothes hangers. Space saving hangers are great for storage. They are slim, fit close together, and allow you to cascade items so that you use less space on the hanging bar. Choose slim hangers that are strong enough to hold up your garments without bending. If the clothes don’t hang properly from the hanger, they will get wrinkled while in storage.

4) Store items that you don’t want to hang, like sweaters, in vacuum sealed bags or plastic containers that seal. You can keep them smelling fresh by using used dryer sheets. Don’t use new ones, because they can leave a white waxy film on your clothes. Using containers that seal or cedar accessories ensures that moisture is not a problem for you.

5) Be creative when it comes to storage. There’s no need to fill up your closets with your out of season clothing. Store containers underneath couches, beds, in the garage, or install a ceiling bracket and hang them from there. Try not to use space in your every day closet and you’ll have more room than ever before.

6) Keep in mind that our body oils are left on clothes that we’ve worn. Make sure that you get suits, dresses, and sweaters cleaned before you store them. Body oils can cause damage to certain fabrics, attract moths and other pests, and make your clothes smell bad.

7) Use the clothes hangers that work best with your garments. Keep outfits paired with hangers that cascade or combination hangers. If you’re careful and follow these rules when storing your clothes, then they will come out of storage fresh and ready to wear.

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.

What to do with Closet Clutter

Take a look into your closet. Does the sight of all the clutter make you cringe? You may feel like throwing your hands in the air and giving up. Many people feel like there is simply not enough storage and that their closet will always be the dumping ground for all of their junk. A lack of storage space is a problem, but if you concentrate your efforts on making the space that you have more usable and efficient, you can conquer this mess that is your closet.

First you need to make space for the things that need to be stored in your closet. Of course, the first step would be to get rid of as much stuff as possible and give your closet a little breathing room. By pulling everything out, you will be able to see what you really own and what has been crammed in the back of the closet for who knows how long.

When you get everything out, you may be surprised at what you find. You may find clothes that you bought that you forgot you had. You may find that you have a box of junk that you used to quickly clean up when company was coming over. You will probably find a lot of old shoes and things that you no longer like or have a use for. Just by emptying the closet you will automatically free up some space.

Next, you need to be a little hard on yourself. Tell yourself that you are not allowed to own anything that you can’t find a place for. If you can’t part with something and you can’t make space for it in the closet, then you must start thinking “outside the closet”. An armoire, wardrobe, book case, or dresser may be the answer to storing things in your bedroom that need to get out of the closet.

Making room for what really needs to be in there will take a little bit of imagination, and maybe a little cash. Try having a garage sale or selling some items on an online auction site to get the money that you need to upgrade your closet storage. Shelving is not very expensive. You can go with wire shelving that you can customize to hold your belongings, or you can buy the wood for building a personal closet space that works for you.

When you get your closet all set up, make even more room by using the right clothes hangers. Hangers come in a lot of different sizes and types. You can make your closet more luxurious by using cedar hangers. You can save space by using strong metal hangers. You can double up the use of a hanger by getting ones that are designed to hold multiple items, like pants hangers or cascading hangers. Utilizing the right kind of hanger can help you to make the most of your hanging space, freeing up more areas for shelves, bins and cubbies.

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.