Monthly Archives: December 2010

Ideas for Saving Closet Space

Everyone’s closet can become cluttered sooner or later. New items come in and we just don’t take the time to get rid of our old clothing and accessories. Managing the space in your closet can make it a great thing to have in your home. Concentrating on making closet space functional is a great way to get the most use from your closet. Use these expert ideas to help you turn a closet into a useful area once again, no matter how small it may be.

1) Get rid of as much clutter as possible. This means clearing out things that you either no longer use or do not have space for. You can’t warrant owning or storing a set of luggage in your closet if you don’t have space for your clothing. Consider storing bulky items in a garage, basement or attic. Clothing that doesn’t fit right, is no longer in style, or that you simply don’t wear should be donated or sold. You can sell or offer your clothes to someone locally online. If you want to have a yard sale, it’s a great way to get some extra money to spend on your closet.

2) If you want to stay organized year round, you need a system. It’s really hard to stay organized if your clothing for winter starts to take over your summer clothes. Make sure that you have spacious storage for items that are not in use. Keep out a few things to wear between seasons. These items should stay in your closet all year. Having a few things accessible will keep you from making the snap decision to get your summer clothes out on that first hot day, before you’re ready to swap out wardrobes. Those in between times when the weather can be both hot and cold can creep up on you and cause you to cram clothes into your closet, destroying your efforts to get organized.

3) Find creative places to store items that you are not using. Check behind the closet door, above it, high above the top shelf, and in the front corners of the closet. There may be hidden space that you can use to get organized. Use risers to create extra space underneath beds for excess shoes and clothing that is not in season.

4) Using the right clothes hangers can make a big difference in the closet that you use. Staying organized is easier if you have hangers that help you to do that. Space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, are made to fit flat against each other. They are very sturdy and have a velvet coating that keeps clothes from ending up on the floor. They are perfect for coordinating outfits and helping you to make the most of a small space.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

Making Room for Christmas Gifts

You will probably receive many things for Christmas. Many people end up with extra items and nowhere to put them. You may be given clothing, coats, shoes, scarves, hats, games and more. Finding room for all of these new things can be a challenge. Your closet may be overflowing already, before you even receive anything. Use these tips to make space for new items without having to get rid of everything that you already own. Prepare for the extra items entering your home by using these ideas for making the most of a small space.

1) Okay, so you do need to get rid of some things. “Out with the old and in with the new” is a great thing to keep in mind. When we get new clothes and shoes, we tend to quit wearing some of the old items. However, it can be difficult to part with old things because they may still fit, still be usable, or we still like them, but just don’t ever wear them anymore. Many people let things hang around their closets for years, in usable condition, before ever considering getting rid of them. Give what you can part with to charity, sell some things, hand them down, or simply throw them out. As new things come in, go through your old things again and see if the new items replace any of the old ones.

2) Keep a “give away” bin, bag, or basket in your closet so that you can easily and consistently keep up with letting things go. Use other bins for organizing smaller items so that you closet doesn’t become a huge cluttered mess. You can install some small shelves in the front corner of the closet, along the floor, or on top of an existing top storage shelf. You just need some cubby style spaces to keep bins and baskets to stay organized. Use them for socks, gloves, scarves, hats, pajamas, underwear, and more. These bins not only help you to stay organized, but they also keep things looking tidy.

3) If you still need more room in your closet, consider using clothing hangers that are designed to either save space or help you organize. You can use specialty hangers, like scarf hangers, tie hangers, belt hangers, or cascading hangers to hold multiple items in the space of one hanger. Using space saving hangers is necessary if you have a small closet or want to keep a lot in one place. Space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, help you to cascade items. They also have a flat design to hold things closely together in a small space.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

Organizing Small Spaces

Getting organized can be a challenge, especially if you have a very limited space. The first thing you need to do is commit to making the most of the space by respecting how much you have and getting rid of whatever you can. Don’t let items hang around your house for years, robbing you of the precious little space that you have. Get it together and get ready to make that tiny little closet a place where your things will all be organized for good.

Getting organized “for good” may seem like a foreign concept! Most people feel like their organization efforts go to waste because the benefits don’t last long before everything is cluttered again. There is a good reason for this, and that is that most people don’t think very far into the future when they organize. Think of all the things that got you into a predicament of clutter and junk to begin with. Did you not feel like opening the basket to put your things away? Maybe you need an open container. Did you organize most stuff and then the little junk that was left got tossed into one “miscellaneous” box? These are common mistakes that people make all of the time.

Thinking ahead to determine what you might need in the future can change your way of thinking and help you to improve your use of a small space. If your closet if full of clothes that you don’t even wear anymore, then you need a bin or container in the closet, or right outside of it, for stashing clothes that you no longer wish to wear. Giving things away on a continual basis will help you to avoid overstuffing the closet. If you only own what you really like to wear, then there shouldn’t be that much excess crowding your shelves and hanging bar.

Use deeper bins than necessary for things like socks and pajamas. That way, as new items come in over time or as clothing gets bulkier when winter rolls around, your organization strategy is still in place. Use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to cascade outfits or multiple items from one hanger. You can instantly double or triple the hanging space this way. Using hangers that make space where there wasn’t space before can give you the extra room that you need to keep shoes and other accessories organized year round.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.