How to Organize My Closet Space
Are your closets overflowing and disorganized? Do you risk an avalanche when you open the door? If your closet space at a premium, organize it as well as possible to fit more of your belongings in the same amount of space and know where something is when you need it. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- A shelving system that fits your closet
- Plastic garbage bags
- Stack-able boxes with lids
- Clothes hangers
- Label maker
- Floor space
Instructions
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1
Empty your closet. Take out everything, until there's nothing but bare walls and a light bulb. Resist the temptation to just do one section at a time---you can't know what you're working with until you're looking at the entire situation.
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Go through everything, and throw out, sell, or donate unused items. Be ruthless. Equipment from that old, forgotten hobby? Get rid of it. Clothing you haven't fit into for years? That goes too. If something's valuable enough, try selling it on an online sales sight such as Craigslist or eBay.
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3
Sort what's left into piles. Categories will depend on what's stored in the closet. Divide clothes into shirts, trousers and suits, skirts and dresses, or by season. Separate general household by function. Cleaning supplies go in one pile, sports gear in another. Stack bed linens and towels neatly instead of bunching them.
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Decide which items you use most often, and which you use least to determine where to place them in the closet. Often-used items should go in front, at an easily reachable height. Items that are only used occasionally, such as hiking gear or the linens for your guest bed, can be placed on a higher shelf or behind other items.
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Group like items in stack-able boxes. Children's toys, scarves and winter gloves, school papers, family keepsakes, clothing you might need again: each gets its own box. Label each box with the contents, and affix it prominently to the front of the box.
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Install your shelving system, if one isn't already installed. Many big-box stores sell inexpensive shelving systems that do a perfectly fine job. For a clothing closet, a free-standing or installable clothing rod can double your space for hangars. For a storage closet, look for free-standing shelves that sit on top of existing shelves.
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Put everything back in the closet. Remember to put the often-used items in a more prominent place than lesser-used items. And since much of your closet's contents is now in boxes, it'll be easier to move them around and make adjustments as you see fit.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose a weekend when you have nothing planned, to decrease potential interruptions.
Plan a reward for yourself when you're finished. This will help motivate you, and keep your spirits up.
Focus on the big picture, and be careful not to spend too much time going through old things and reminiscing. If you're not careful, that old photo album or box of memorabilia can eat up an entire afternoon.
References
- Photo Credit Clothes image by sakaman from Fotolia.com
