1. Select your best wardrobe. The bottom line is that we have to get rid of as much as possible. Make it an ongoing effort. Keep a bag hanging from a hook inside the closet for things that you don’t think you’ll wear again.
2. Hang almost everything. The less bins, shelves and folding you have to do, the better. If you can take your clothes out of the dryer, lay all of your shirts and pants flat, mate your socks and toss your underwear into a bin, then doing laundry will be a snap. Slide space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, into the clothes and throw them on the bar. It’s so fast and easy that it barely takes more time than pulling the clothes out of the dryer. It’s much easier to keep things organized if you have an easy system to follow.
3. Design an efficient space. If everything has a place, then you’ll never have clutter again. If you need to, designate an area, bag, box or bin for things that don’t have a place yet. If you get dressed in front of your closet, then you should have your laundry basket right there. Don’t let clothes get piled up or it will feel less organized every day. You have to commit just a little bit to keeping your closet neat.
4. Utilize unused space. There may be space where you haven’t noticed it before. Can you move back your closet rod and free up some space in the front corners for shelves? What about moving the bar and shelf up so that you have room for a second bar down low for pants? Get creative. If you see some square footage not being utilized, figure out how you can use it.
5. Get seasonal storage out of there. How many of you keep your ski clothing and hiking boots in your closet even though you only use them a few times a year? Do you have a dress coat that you only wear on special occasions? What about sentimental clothing, Christmas decorations, or sports equipment? All of these things can easily clutter up your closet space and make it unusable. Consider putting risers on your bed so that you can store these things underneath in airtight containers. Or, seal them up and store them in a garage. Keep only what you need in your everyday closet and ban the rest.
6. Use stackable bins. Baskets and bins are wonderful, especially if you have some shelves to dedicate to holding them. If your closet is truly tiny, you may be better off going for some inexpensive stackable bins. They take up less space, don’t require shelves, and they’re usually clear so that you can easily see what is inside.
7. Choose hangers wisely. There is no reason to have a closet full of mismatched hangers, flimsy plastic or wire hangers. There are so many high-quality space saving hangers on the market today, that there is no excuse for keeping your closet in the dark ages of crossed up necks, damaged clothes, and clothing lost to the floor mountain. Use slim velvet hangers to keep clothes neatly close together, wrinkle free, and securely on the hanger. Cascading velvet hangers are wonderful space saving hangers that allow you to really maximize space. Velvet hanger accessories also let you piggy-back pants and shirts, getting your wardrobe ready to wear in a tiny amount of 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.
