You still remember the spacious walk-in closet you fall in-love with when you first saw your current apartment. This closet was actually one of the main reasons you decided to rent the specific house and you nostalgically now recall how proud you felt when you still had the ability to enter your closet space in order to select your next attire. But, for some time now, you have been experiencing an extremely different situation. Your once beloved closet has transformed itself into a monster that threatens to expand its presence to other areas of your apartment as well. Clothes, shoes, and accessories, have been pilling up inside your closet space creating an amorphous mass, which you have to squeeze under your feet in order to grab and pull out your next choice of garment. If this description sounds familiar, perhaps it is time to put an end to your suffering and regain control over your closet. It can actually be a fun process, regardless of what you might believe.
The only way to straighten out not only your wardrobe, but also your mind, is to do what you dread of; empty your closet space. Although some might think that this is actually an unnecessary step, I strongly recommend you to reconsider. By pulling every piece of garment outside your closet's space you will actually get a chance to check what exactly you have been hiding in there; for who knows how long. By emptying your closet, the mess you now think as inevitable might become an organized zone of personal enhancement that you have never before dreamt of having. Thus, assign a weekend to complete this tremendously important closet-cleaning process and you will be grateful that you will be able again to grab a shirt from the hanger without having first to pick up twenty different things from the floor just to be able to reach your choice.
Begin by opening your closet and inspecting the mess inside. Which four types of clothes or garment materials can you see that you have in abundance? Select the ones that you frequently have bought over the years and place them onto the bed. Dividing the bed space into four zones will assist your efforts later, as you will be able to see how many clothes from each category you own and select the right amount of space for them to be placed. In addition, during this closet-cleaning-up procedure, it is best if you put every single thing currently residing inside your closet's space somewhere else inside your apartment. Since your bed will host the garments that most frequently appear in your closet, the rest of the apparel materials have to be placed somewhere else, keeping a logical order and forming smaller piles of similar stuff. Pants, suits, shirts, skirts, dresses, shorts, blouses, tops, and T-shirts have to get out from your closet to "breathe," along with belts, scarves, gloves, bags, shoes, socks and underwear. Attempting to remodel your closet's space will give you a good idea of what you already have in your possession and which of those old clothes and accessories you really wish to keep.
Now that you have "everything out in the open," it is time to begin the inverse process. Putting everything back inside the closet is the step that you will need some creative thinking in order to manage the volume of the things that are now scattered all around the room. Cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and every other type of small storage containers can keep your outfits and bedclothes in-order. Creating handwritten labels and adding ribbons for some color, will give you an outcome that is usually portrayed in glossy house magazines. Purchase the right type of hangers for your clothes and place them in you closet according to their type and height when hanged. Keep shirts closer together, hang pants in relation to their use and place your various accessories in containers that you can easily reach later (i.e. on the floor or lower drawers). Designate a space to put the clothes which are not currently in season, like heavy overcoats when it is summer or you bathing suit when it is winter. Hats can be placed in bigger baskets, belts can be hanged on the back of your closet doors, and shoes can be placed on specially designed ranks on the floor.
Finally, remember to give away clothes, shoes, accessories or other things you never wear or use. Your local church charities can be a perfect opportunity for you to show that you are a philanthropist, while a variety of organizations offer house pick-up services to take clothes and give them to those less fortunate than yourself. Cleaning-up the messy closet will let you again experience how it feels to be organized. Additionally, you will always be prepared to put something on that it is not full of wrinkles or needs immediate washing. You can also invite over a friend to help you out, as another person's feedback on your current wardrobe can give you a hint on what you should focus on purchasing next time you are about to do some "serious" shopping.
If you dread walking into your closet because it looks like a disaster area, these simple and helpful suggestions can assist you in creating a beautifully structured closet. Before you tear down your closet and create a further mess, check out how these tips can convert your closet into a more organized area. You will definitely be grateful that your closet not only looks clean and clutter free, but that it also helps you during those times when you are rushing to get dressed in the morning, or running a few minutes late for a social function.
Suggestions for Making the Most of Closet Space
The first step you want to follow when creating sensible closet space is to decide what items will go into your closet. Items such as clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, hats, and others are usual suspects found in most closets. However, some people like to keep only clothing and shoes in the closet while they put accessories and jewelry in another location. This is entirely up to you. If you have a closet that is large enough to accommodate almost all of your personal necessities, a bit of organization work is all you need.
Throwing out items you no longer need or use is a great way to organize that impossible closet. Some experts say that if you have not worn a dress or used an accessory for the last six months, you are not likely to wear it again. Feel better about parting with your personals and give them away to a charity. This way you will know how much space can be freed for future items.
Next, you should divide your closet items by season. Some people like to put away last season's clothes into boxes and store them somewhere else. If you prefer to group your clothes by style or length, you can do this as well. The idea is to use the least amount of space for each item. You can also organize your closet by measuring the lengths of your long and short garments. By putting your floor-length clothes in a separate section of your closet, you will have a clearer idea how many rods and shelves you will need to buy.
To ensure that the rods and shelves you purchase are the best available, and that you are not wasting money, take a tape measure and measure the length and width of your items. Knowing how much space each item occupies will help you decide what you need to buy from the hardware store.
Another tactic you can try is fixing a budget and staying with it. Closet fixtures vary in material type, shapes, sizes and colors. Your local hardware store will have an array of materials to choose from: coated wire, melamine or wood. Coated wire is inexpensive and is the most popular. Wood is costly but it does give your closet a beautiful and classic finish. Also, people appreciate the solid and sturdy qualities of wood. Remember, however, that you have a budget to work with, so make informed decisions and take your time when perusing what is available.
Other Suggestions for Making the Most of Your Closet Space
When you arrive at the store, ask the clerk if you can look at their pre-packaged kits first before looking at individual components. Many pre-packaged kits have become versatile so you may lean towards this option especially if you do not have a lot of time to put individual components together.
If you prefer to buy single shelves, you can purchase them by the foot. You will want wire shelves with continuous sliding rods or sticks. Some stores call them ?free-slide? or ?super-slide.?
If you require more flexibility you can consider buying shelves with adjustable heights and shelves. As you add to your wardrobe you will appreciate the continuous flexibility these shelves offer.
If you want to put your shoes in your closet, again the idea of ?space maximization? reigns. Look for over-the-door shoe hangers (available in different capacities) or floor units. If these do not appeal to you, you may want to consider closet accessories that come with pull-out drawers. Other options include building shoe shelves or cubby holes on the wall.
As for smaller items such as accessories, jewelry, hats, gloves and belts, there are special items you can buy in a linen store. Bamboo baskets to store your sweaters make a great addition to a closet and are very aesthetically pleasing. There are also ready-made closets of varying heights with pretty handles that have separate compartments. Make sure your shelves can accommodate these extras.
There are two things that people overlook. The first one is adequate lighting. If you have a large closet, you will need the right amount of light. The reason you re-organized your closet in the first place is to avoid creating a mess, and a light added in your closet can defer you from knocking things over in the dark.
The last component in your newly organized closet should be a step ladder. If you have stored away an item in the highest section of your closet that you suddenly need in a hurry, a step ladder will help you reach out for it so that you do not need to reach for the wrong box and make boxes come tumbling down!
Both Jonathon Hardcastle & Jenniferbailey23 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jonathon Hardcastle has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Careers and Job Hunting and Cooking Tips. Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including , , and . Jonathon Hardcastle's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.
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