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March 2006

Get Organized: Closet Control

By Shelley Galbreath

(excerpts from original article printed in New Homeowner Magazine)

Every one of us would, I'm certain, love to be able to go into our closet and easily find just what we are looking for without climbing over mounds of items on the floor of the closet or having an avalanche of items fall on us. Most of; us, however, simply aren't that fortunate.

Paring Down
Professional Organizer Emily Fitzgerald, owner of Organized Living Solutions, said, "A lot of times the biggest thing is getting rid of what you don't use and need." She recommended paring down and getting rid of items that you no longer use and wear. "That way you get rid of clutter and free up more storage space at the same time," Fitzgerald said.

Organization Guidelines
A clean closet can be a great source of satisfaction, allowing you to organize items such as a pile of shoes on the floor into neat stacks of plastic boxes with detailed labels for each one. There are many tricks of the trade that make organization easy and affordable such as double-hung rods, which are a great way to hang shirts, skirts and pants, while dramatically boosting the amount of storage space. We've asked the experts for some guidelines and tips to help maximize storage space and bring some much-needed organization into even the most chaotic closets.

Clear It

• Remove everything from the closet and lay it on the bed so you can look through it all at once. Sort through everything, getting rid of trash, recycling and the less important items.
• Before putting things back in the closet, vacuum the walls and floor.

Make Space

• Put hooks on the wall or the back of the door to hang outfits you plan to wear the next day and to air out clothes you've worn before they're returned to the closet.
• Install shelves at the top, bottom or sides of the closet to keep as many items as possible in plain sight.