Cleaning and Organizing Closets.

How to Organize a Closet

Most homes have a closet in every room; under the stairs, hall closets, coat closets, etc.

That can add up to a lot of closet space – and for some of us – it ends up becoming a catchall for whatever it is you don’t want lying around in plain sight.

Doing this regularly can leave your living space looking clean and organized. But it ends up leaving your closet space messy and disorganized. You can’t find your shoes; it’s family night, you want to play a game, but you can’t find the game.

You open your closet and you know you have to tackle the mess – but is it really what you want to face today? Maybe not, but trust me, it really doesn’t take that long.

Five Steps for Closet Organizing

If your closets are stuffed and you can’t find your next change of clothes, these five professional closet organization tips will aid you in regaining a fully functioning closet.

Plan and be Prepared

Have a plan and be prepared – no leaping in headfirst. Especially when you’re already overwhelmed by the mess. Give yourself enough time to tackle however many closets you want, then organize one at a time.

What is the purpose of the closet? Is it the hall closet, a bedroom closet, bathroom, or a closet that’s under the stairs. Take a look at each one and what should go in it. Write down what you will need for each closet. If you have kids and it’s one of their closets  you’ll be organizing, get them involved and have them help out.

Types of Organizing Options

Part of the planning process is to decide what options you have for organizing the closet. There are different organizational storage systems available and one (or a couple) of them will most likely work for you.

Clear storage containers are one of the options we use in many of our closets for just about anything. And they don’t cost that much, especially when you find them on sale.

Other storage options are:

• Shelving
• Stackable storage containers
• Baskets
• Double decker hanging systems
• Hangers – I buy hangers that are the same size and the same type for shirts, skirts and dress, and pants.
• Tie and shoe racks
• Shelf dividers
• Wall hooks – They make wall hooks now that have adhesive backs that are tough and sturdy and they don’t leave holes in the wall.
• Umbrella stands – tall decorative garbage cans can be used for umbrellas, baseball bats, and other tall items.

Some closets have doors that open instead of sliding so don’t forget to utilize the back of the door.

Go Shopping

Now you’re probably getting into the whole idea of organizing your closets. At some point it goes from turning a blind eye to really being excited to start the project and see the final results. What are you waiting for! Create a list of all the closet organizing essentials and go get your shopping done.

Out of the Closet

Time to take things out of the closet. Everything!

Sort through and throw the garbage out; broken things that can’t be fixed can be thrown out.

What you don’t want, don’t need, haven’t any idea of what the heck it is – these can be donated. Try on coats, shoes, shirts, dresses and if they don’t fit, you don’t like them, or if they are way out of style, donate these too.

If there are items in the closet that belong in another room, put them there. Did you find an item that should be stored in the attic, garage, or shed? Put these in a storage containers and store them where they go.

Before vacuuming, I like to go over the walls with warm soapy water, wipe them dry then vacuum.

Put Everything Back

Re-organizing the closet and putting everything back will leave you feeling like you’ve accomplished a huge task. Quite frankly, it just might have been.

Coat closets can be arranged by family member. Dad’s coats, Mom’s coats, kid’s coats. Under each family member’s coats, the floor space can be utilized for shoes. A hook can be hung on the back wall for school bags.

Bedroom closets can be arranged by work clothes, school clothes, comfy clothes, play clothes and then by color if you’d like. Toys, family memorabilia, and crafts can be kept in storage bins and be stored on the available floor space or on the top shelf. Floor space can also be used for shoes.

Now that you’ve finished a closet, the rest will go by more quickly and be easy. Get yourself in the habit of cleaning the closet on a regular basis. Your closet will not only be organized, but it will stay organized.