When trying to keep a tidy house, we often overlook our closets. Between storing seasonal items, outgrown clothing, and sentimental items from the past, a closet can quickly become cluttered. Here are a few tips to help you organize your closets and make better use of these storage spaces.
1. Organize Your Closets: Capitalize on Vertical Space
Using vertical space helps you maximize storage potential in any area. Make use of the wall space by installing shelves, adding a bookcase, or using hooks as storage solutions. Hanging shoe organizers can be installed on the back of the closet door or on the wall. While designed for shoes, these pockets can hold toys, cleaning products, art supplies, socks, or accessories.
2. Customize the Space
Many closets have one shelf and a bar for hanging clothes. Customize your storage experience by installing a second closet bar and more shelving. If you have space, add a chest of drawers to the closet. Use drawer organizers to corral smaller items. Drawer organizing bins are useful when storing craft items, undergarments, jewelry, small tools and batteries, toiletries, and baby-care items.
3. Use the Top Shelves to Organize Your Closets
The top shelves in a closet are easy to ignore because often they are too high to be convenient storage. Despite that, you can still take advantage of this space. Harder to reach areas can be used to store seasonal clothing items such as hats, gloves, sweaters, and winter scarves during the offseason. The high shelves are a great place for holiday decor or sporting equipment when it isn’t needed. As the seasons change, rotate your belongings so the same shelves can be used year-round. In winter, you’ll stash your summer clothing. Bathing suits, swim shoes, beach towels, and sunglasses can be kept on the top shelves and out of the way.
4. Bins are Useful Storage Tools
Organizing your closets will be a breeze when you use storage bins for containing your belongings. Group like items and keep these things together in a bin. If you stockpile your favorite body care items when they’re on sale, use a bin to hold your bathroom products. A bin is a handy place to store clothing that you’re waiting for your child to grow into. Use plastic storage bins to keep gift wrap contained. Kids’ craft supplies can be assigned to a separate bin. Make sure to use clear bins or label them, so you’ll always know at a glance what’s inside.
5. Routinely Declutter
To keep your closets organized, declutter them every few months. Over time, closets begin to fill up. You’ll start to notice that there isn’t enough room to hang the new jacket you purchased. Your collection of holiday decorations has grown to require three boxes. You find you’re purchasing more bins for storage, but don’t have the space for them in the closets.
If the closets start to feel out-of-control, it’s time to declutter. Sort the items in the closet, finding things to throw away and items to donate. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in over a year, it’s time to let it go. Clothing that has been outgrown can be donated to charitable organizations. Get rid of unused or broken sporting equipment. By decluttering, you’ll create more space for items you use on a regular basis and it will be easier to keep your closets tidy.
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