Now that the New Year has begun, you may be looking for ways to reorganize your home. If your closets are in disarray, then you may need a few pointers to get you to the point of organization that you wish to be. Our dream is to open our closet doors and see all of the clothes perfectly spaced and organized. Everything is in its place and is where we can easily get to it. Things that we always use are easily accessible and storage items are packed neatly away and out of the way. Well, this isn’t usually the case for most of us. If you open your closet door and see a wall of disorder, then you have some work to do.

The first step is to pull everything out. Yes, everything means everything! If you don’t have the floor space to work in, then use your bed as your work area. Pull everything out and put it on the bed. Clean the shelves, light fixtures, drawers if you have them, and even the hanging rods. Get rid of all the dust that can build up in this ignored area and start fresh. Use closet fresheners to make it smell good too. Some things to consider are floral potpourri sachets, cedar wood blocks, balls or chips, and baking soda to absorb odors. These can be especially useful in areas where you will keep your shoes. No one wants their clean clothes to smell like stinky feet.

The next step is to start with the big storage items. Quilts and comforters that aren’t being used can be stored on a top shelf, since you don’t need to get to them very often. Use bags that can be compressed to keep them clean and dust free. If you put a dryer sheet in the bag with the blankets, then they’ll come out smelling great when you’re ready to use them. If you don’t like bags, then consider plastic containers that stack easily. They look nice and neat, but also serve the purpose of keeping things fresh and clean. If you have a very large closet, then you might consider building or purchasing a large drawer system to store your linens and blankets.

Next, you need to get rid of any old clothes and shoes that you no longer need or use. If you find yourself constantly bypassing certain shoes because they hurt or they are scuffed up, then go ahead and donate them to charity. Make a box of shoes, belts, and handbags that you can easily give away. Then go through the clothing and put things that just don’t fit, are out of style, or you just never wear into another box or garbage bags. This is also a great time to throw out all of those mismatched hangers that are making your closet look trashy. Get yourself some high-quality clothes hangers, such as wooden hangers, to keep your clothing perfectly separated on the bar. You’ll appreciate the uniformity every time you open your closet door. Everything will hang nicer with a little space between each garment, leaving you with less digging and less ironing to do.

Get your closets organized and start your New Year off on the right foot!