Closets and Clothes Hangers » closet ideas

Custom Closet Ideas and Tips

admin — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:02:30 +0000

Everyone has a unique array of belongings that they need to keep in their closets. There is no one-size-fits-all design that suits everyone’s tastes and needs. Some people only use their closets for clothes and their shoes. Others may use it only for storage. You could keep important items put away or out of a child’s reach. No matter what you use your closet for, you should find a way to keep it organized so that you can find what you need when you need it.

Shelves, drawers, bins and other containers can help you get your closet organized. Small shelving can usually be added on one or both sides of the closet. These are great for small storage items like jewelry ties, socks, underwear, and shoes. They are also good for keeping miscellaneous items that would otherwise cause clutter. Some people keep photo albums, cameras, sports equipment, duffel bags and craft supplies stored in their closets. Making a place for everything will help you keep the closet neat and organized.

Using shelves can help you to quickly and easily create versatile storage areas. You may find that you need less hanging space if you have more shelves. Try some different designs on paper before you decide what you need. A pants hanging bar or pants tree can be installed at the side of the closet, eliminating the need for a long hanging bar. Shelves can be mixed in with shorter hanging bars, making it easy to keep things separated and utilizing wasted space.

You can also eliminate the need for a lot of hanging space by using specialty clothes hangers. Suit hangers allow you to hang pants, shirts, and jackets together in one spot. Other cascading hangers allow you to hang multiple skirts or pants on one hanger. Coordinate hangers allow you to match up tops and bottoms so that you double the space in your closet. Hang your coats and suits on coat hangers or wood hangers that are designed to hold them properly. Other items can be hung on hangers that save space.

Use baskets, bins, buckets, whatever you need to get the shelves organized. When everything has a place, it is easy to keep things straight. You can even have a special bin for things that you decide to give away or sell in a garage sale. This will help you to be selective about what you keep. If you try something on and there’s something that you just don’t like about a garment, get rid of it. If you get organized and realize that you have multiple white shirts, get rid of your least favorites. Keeping things coming out of the closet will help you to avoid clutter and make getting ready a simple task.

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for clothes hangers. Get all of the closet and clothes hanger accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.

Part 2: Standards for Staying Organized

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:55:46 +0000

In Part 1 of our series “Setting Boundaries to Stay Organized”, we discussed a few basic rules for keeping your closet organized after the initial cleaning. Staying on top of things, making sure everything has a space, and creating an order that makes sense for your needs are all helpful tips. Here we will go into some of the more detailed rules of the organized person.

1) You’ve got everything set up how you want it, now it’s time to focus on some smaller details. One way that highly efficient people stay on top of things is to think about everything in order of importance. You can apply this concept to your closet organization routine. Prioritize things according to how often they are used, moved, or replaced. For instance, you probably create laundry, use shoes, underwear and socks nearly every day. These items should be your top priority. Every time you use your closet, make sure that the laundry is in the basket or hamper where it goes, the shoes are on the rack, and the socks and underwear are stocked well enough for the next day. This quick check will help you to avoid that slow creeping mound of disorganized stuff that is so easy to go unnoticed until it becomes a big job.

2) Your second priority is to make sure that things kept in the closet are actually put inside. Keeping a basket or dryer of clean laundry around for a while can cause you to end up with wrinkled clothes. It’s difficult to find what you need, and your clean clothes are likely to get mixed up with your dirty clothes. Create a system to make sure that things go into the closet instead of being set aside. You can use a rolling garment rack to quickly hang clothes as they come out of the dryer. Set a timer when you fold a load and see how long it actually takes. Sometimes you’ll spend hours or days dreading a job that actually only takes you about five minutes. Make sure that your closet is arranged in a way that makes it simple to put things in when you’re in a hurry.

3) Another time and space saving technique is to use cascading hangers. If you hang outfits together in one space, it is super easy to get ready in the morning. If you’re not pulling out things and trying them on, then you won’t mess up the things that you already had organized. Using clothes hangers that are made for the clothes you are hanging helps you to maintain their shape and come straight out of the closet, wrinkle-free. Use sturdy coat hangers or wood hangers for heavy items so that they don’t end up on the floor. The less work that you make for yourself, the more likely you are to stay organized.

Part 1: Standards for Staying Organized

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:51:18 +0000

Over the years, we’ve come up with many organizing solutions. You can have the best system and get really organized. However, if you don’t set some rules and boundaries for yourself, then you will never be able to maintain the organization that you have worked so hard to achieve. This post will focus on rules that you can adopt to make sure that the blood, sweat and tears that you put into organizing your closet will not go to waste.

1) Have you ever heard the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Well, when it comes to your closet, you really need to take it to heart. You may even want to make yourself a little sign that you see every time you open the closet. Visual aids will help you to remember not to throw things like your shoes into a pile instead of putting them back on the rack. It is important to stay focused on maintaining the organization level of your closet every time you use it. If you really stick to your guns, it will become a habit to immediately hang things that need to be hung. Habitual organizing will help you to transfer that mentality into other areas of your life. Make sure that your closet is perfectly organized every time you close that door and you will save yourself from having to constantly manage the mess.

2) It’s one thing to make sure that everything is in the closet where it goes, but it’s another to make sure that everything in the closet is arranged in the most efficient way. The arrangement that works best for you may be different from the way that your friend organizes, so take your habits and your needs into consideration as you arrange your clothing.

For example, you may want to line up your clothing by length. Hanging all of your short items together will make room beneath for taller things, like boots, a laundry basket, or a set of drawers. Hanging things by color makes it easy to find what you’re looking for and also is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, keeping you focused on maintaining that neatness whenever you see it. Arranging things according to use will help you to not only find what you need in a jiffy, but will also make putting laundry away a snap. If the things that you use most often are all on the right, then when you put things away, it is likely that almost everything will go on the right.

3) Use containers and closet accessories that help you make a specific place for everything. Don’t just pile all socks, hose, underwear, swimwear, and pajamas into one bin. You’re bound to have to dig and mess everything up. Even worse, you will constantly be buying new items that you think you need because you can’t find what you already own. Use smaller bins to separate and organize so that when you put things away, you know exactly where they go. As for your hanging clothes, you should always use the clothes hangers that protect your clothes, make them easy to access, and save you as much space as possible. You should always use wood hangers or coat hangers for heavy items, but you can save space with cascading hangers or coordinate hangers.

Read Part 2 of this article to learn more rules of staying organized.

Storing All of Your Accessories

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:32:29 +0000

We use our closets for a lot more than just clothes and shoes. This is why a lot of clothing organizers don’t often solve all of your closet problems. We like to use our closets for everything that we want to keep out of sight. Everything from sports equipment to camera equipment can end up in your closet. Learning how to store these things correctly can help you to better manage your closet while making room for the things that you do use every day.

One option is to stop using your dressers for clothing and start using them for accessories and other closet clutter culprits. Dressers aren’t really designed very well for clothing that you use every day. You end up digging through folded stacks, folding and unfolding as you go along, destroying whatever semblance of organization that you once had. If the drawer isn’t large enough, you end up stuffing and cramming, wrinkling and possibly damaging your clothes.

You may be thinking that you need your dresser for your small items, like swimwear, underwear, socks, ties and belts, but there are plenty of specialty hangers on the market that will help you organize and hang these items to get them out of your dresser. Buckets and bins are great for storing socks and underwear in your closet, making room in the dresser for a multitude of storage items that you would like to get out of your closet.

Shoes are another thing that often clutter-up the closet. Are you tired of digging through a mountain of shoes to get to the ones that you want to wear? Are you tired of finally finding them only to see that they’ve been crushed or scuffed by the rest of the shoes? Why not consider getting the shoes out of the closet? You can store them in an orderly fashion underneath your bed. Choose a rolling drawer or container that easily slides in and out from under the bed. Use risers to make more room for taller shoes. You can use a trunk for out of season shoes, or stack them neatly up the corners of the closet in clear plastic shoe boxes.

Use specialty hangers to get your clothes organized as well. Skirt hangers, pants hangers, and other specialty clothes hangers are great for hanging multiple items from one hanging spot. Coordinate hangers allow you to pair items into outfits, quickly doubling the space. Cascading hangers allow you to hang a lot of items from the neck of one hanger. With just a few adjustments in your bedroom, your closet could be organized and free of clutter in no time.

Inspiration for your Closet

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:53:33 +0000

Closets can be helpful or they can cause you distress. Most people feel like their closet could be organized better, most of the time. The problem is finding time to do it right and making maintaining the organization easy. If you’re ready to make some upgrades in your closet, as well as get it organized, then you can use these few simple steps to make the endeavor go more smoothly and cost you less than you might have imagined.

1) The first step to any closet organization project is getting rid of the clutter. Studies show that most people only use about fifty percent of what is in their closet. We hold onto things for a variety of reasons. We often have memories and experiences tied to our clothing, so we don’t want to let go of it. Taking pictures or even samples of clothing and putting them into a scrapbook can help you to get motivated to go ahead and get rid of these space-stealers.

2) If you’re holding on to clothing that you hope to fit back into someday, then you might consider rewarding yourself with new clothes after you lose weight. If your weight fluctuates a lot and you actually need several different wardrobes in different sizes, then separate them and store the ones that you aren’t wearing right now. Get rid of old shoes and other items to make room in your closet for what you actually need and use.

3) When it’s cleared out, it will be much easier to get inspired. Imagine extra hanging rods all the way around. Imagine shelves for containers that can hold storage items, socks, underwear, and other things that can clutter up a closet or dresser. Take a look around and figure out where you have empty space that can be used. Shelves and rods do not have to be a certain height, so if you try, you can utilize space closer to the ceiling for things that you don’t use often.

4) Make more room and keep your clothing organized by using specialty clothes hangers. You can get hangers that cascade or attach to each other to save you tons of space. Most people report saving double or triple the space by using specialty hangers. Choose ones that are designed for certain items to keep your suits in shape, coats hanging, and other clothes wrinkle-free. With just a few closet adjustments, you could have your whole bedroom organized in no time.

Organize in a Flash

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:31:51 +0000

Most of the time, the reason you need to organize is because you don’t have time to organize! It’s a catch 22, but there are ways to make it go faster and more smoothly. Have you ever decided to organize and only ended up making a huger mess than you had before? It’s pretty common to start going through things and then get stuck in a rut of not knowing quite what to do. Or, you get plenty of ideas about what to do, but they require a big investment in a closet system or other large furniture. We’ve been studying home and closet organization for years and we’ve gotten pretty good at helping people quickly organize with only a few quick steps. Plus, when you do it right, maintaining the organization is easy and continual, so you don’t end up having to start over any time soon.

1) The first step to organizing anything is clearing out the things that you don’t need to waste your time on. Go in with a lot of trash bags or boxes and get ready to give things to charity. Things that you don’t wear because they don’t fit right, they have a stain, or you’re just not into the style anymore can go directly out of the closet or dresser. If you can’t decide very easily, set some limits for yourself. Say, “I can keep twenty shirts.” Pick out the twenty and then the rest goes. If you don’t have time to drop off a donation, most places will pick it up for you if you call.

2) When you get that part out of the way, it’s time to categorize. Make some large, general categories and make sure that everything has a category to go in. Avoid miscellaneous piles that can slowly turn into more clutter. Keeping the categories large will help you to envision how much space you’ll need for each one more easily. Decide which piles can be hung, folded, or stored in a spare closet or on a rolling garment rack outside of the closet.

3) If you want to keep more stuff than actually fits, you may want to consider some space saving clothes hangers. These hangers fit flat together, can be cascaded from each other, and can double or triple the amount of space in your closet. Investing a little in some specialty hangers that organize your ties, belts, scarves and more can help you to clear out space in drawers and cabinets making room for further organization.

Saving Time with Organization

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:58:34 +0000

Many of us get frustrated with trying to keep up with everything in our busy lives. Many things become disorganized around the home and they can rob us of our precious time. Do you ever look around, running through lists in your head, thinking that there is no way that you will ever get it all done? You’re not alone. It can be, not only frustrating, but overwhelming to take care of a house, children, a job, meals, appointments, bills, a car, and more. It is a lot to handle, even for highly organized families. Learning to get certain areas of your home in running order can make a lot of other jobs run more smoothly. Saving time by having the most crucial elements of your life in order can help you to make time for some of those other things that have gone along the wayside for far too long.

1) There are a few things that just must be done on a daily basis. One of these things is dishes. We must plan and prepare meals to save money and eat healthy. Plus, we want to spend that quality family time sitting around the table just talking to each other and enjoying each other’s company. However, these meals inevitably create a lot of dishes. Pots and pans, plates, endless cups and glasses; they can quickly turn into a mountain of dishes that nobody wants to touch.

Get a handle on dishes and make them easier to get done by changing your habits just a little bit. Reward family members for rinsing their dishes before they go into the sink or dishwasher. This will eliminate the need to scrub and make washing them a lot faster. Institute a restaurant rule for yourself that helps to keep dishes under control. That rule is to wash as you go. Every time you are done with a measuring cup, frying pan, spatula, or bowl used in preparation, go ahead and quickly wash it by hand. This will reduce the nightly dishes to simply plates, silverware and glasses.

2) Laundry is the other big problem in most households. Many people can get the laundry into the washer and dryer, but hesitate when it comes time to put the clothes away. It’s not that we don’t really want to do it, it’s just that we know it will be a hassle. Using hangers, like specialty clothes hangers, in your closets will make the job easier because you’ll save space and everything will have a place. Plus, the closet looks neater and inviting. Your clothes are easily found and put away, saving you more time than you would think.

Organizing Essentials for Closets

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:13:31 +0000

Do you dream of having an organized closet? Does yours look more like a nightmare than a dream? It’s time to get your closet in order! You may be thinking, easier said than done. Even if you can open your closet door and an avalanche of junk comes pouring out, there is hope. There are ways to make the most of the space that you have by minimizing, categorizing, and making things more accessible.

Start with the things that you use most. This could be your jeans and t-shirts, or your work clothes. These things that need to be accessed most often should be in the front and center of your closet. By putting the things that rotate in and out the most in an easy access area helps to ensure that they’ll go back where they belong when you’re putting them away. If you have to get a box from the top shelf every day to put away your t-shirts, you’ll end up avoiding it and just piling them on the nearest shelf.

As a general rule, put the things that you use least up high, out to the sides, in the back or on the floor. Things that you want to keep organized and that need to be accessed most often need to be in the most accessible place.

Next you should make sure that you have a container, drawer, or special clothes hangers for each type of thing that you keep in your closet. Shorts should go in a drawer, stack neatly on a shelf, be kept in a big basket, or be hung on a special hanger with clips. Socks, scarves, mittens, gloves, hats, shoes, tote bags, robes, ties, belts, purses and other little things should all have special bins, baskets or hooks. You may have to install some shelving to accommodate everything that you want to keep in your closet.

Minimizing what you own makes everything a lot easier. Most of us hold onto clothing for ten or more years. However, a lot of these clothes have been stained, lost their shape, are out of style, or we are just simply never in the mood to wear them. Use the old trick of turning all of your hangers around backwards on the bar. As you wash and wear clothes, hang them back up in the normal fashion, with the hook facing the back. At the end of a year, give away whatever is still facing backwards without thinking twice. This will help you to really get rid of what you don’t need and free up some closet space.

Use specialty clothes hangers to make more space. Coordinate outfits or use hangers instead of bins for little things like belts, scarves and ties. You’ll notice a huge difference in how easy it is to maintain an organized closet when everything has a place that is easy access and when you’ve minimized the amount of clothing that you have to organize.

Continuously Organized

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:06:08 +0000

Most people can figure out how to organize things around their homes. However, most people also have trouble staying organized year round. Keeping your home in perfect order may seem like a fantasy. If you can’t keep up with everything perfectly, do not fret. Becoming a truly organized person often takes years of practice and many baby steps are taken along the way. Use these organization tips and hints to start getting one small part of your life truly organized at a time. When one is under control, you can move on to the next thing. Your life will continually improve making that dream of being organized and staying that way much more feasible.

1) Doing things right the first time is important. Don’t camouflage problem areas or rake things into a box that you’ll never get to. If you haven’t been able to keep the area organized before now, then simply clearing it off is not going to get to the root of the problem. Figure out why things in this area keep getting messy. Create a solution to the problem so that things don’t pile back up putting you right back where you started. In fact, the focus of organizing shouldn’t be to get things “cleaned up”. Truly think about the fact that you are working on finding a solution to the clutter problem.

2) Develop good habits by training yourself for a few days. As you move around your house, talk to yourself out loud. When you set down your purse, wallet, keys, or cell phone, commentate your activity so that you are not mindlessly making messes everywhere that you go. This practice helps to focus the mind and keep the concentration on taking responsibility for your actions. If you have to say to yourself, “I am laying my jacket on the ottoman” instead of “I am hanging my jacket in the coat closet”, then you’re more likely to do what you’re supposed to do instead of taking the shortcut.

3) If shortcuts seem to be the way things go around your house, then cater to them. If coats come off the second people come in the door, then hang a hanging bar there stocked with clothes hangers, like coat hangers. It doesn’t matter that the coat closet is just a few feet down the hall. If habits die hard and it’s going to cause a daily fight in your home, then it just isn’t worth the stress. Figure out ways to make life easier for yourself when you organize and you’ll be on your way to being an organized person all of the time.

DIY Closet Tips and Tricks

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:31:47 +0000

Fixing up your closet can be fun and rewarding. Because you know your own habits and desires, the results of a do-it-yourself closet job can be better than if you had hired a professional closet organizer. Use these tips and tricks to get you started. There are plenty of things to think of and feel free to use all of your creativity to make your closet one that you will truly love to use. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot, either. Closet organization can be a fun, rewarding and economical experience that has a big impact on your life.

1) Determine what you use your closet for most. Some people use their closets mainly for storage while others use them in place of a dresser in their bedroom. Categorizing items in your closet will help you to start to develop ideas about how much space you will need for each type of item.

2) If you’re using your closet for storage, then you need to keep the things inside of it safe. Cedar closet liners, cedar wood hangers, and other cedar products are great for closets. Cedar absorbs moisture, neutralizes odors, and repels pests. Use sturdy wooden hangers for coats, suits and dresses. You may want to invest in some garment bags to protect things from dust. If you don’t want to spend much money, you can get some inexpensive plastic shoulder covers to keep off the majority of the dust that might settle on your expensive coats and suits.

3) If you use your closet mainly for your clothing, then you may want to take everything out and decide how much room you’ll need for each category. You may have twenty pairs of pants, fifteen skirts, eight tank tops, four cardigans, and forty shirts. Arrange things by length to free up some space below the shorter items. You may want to use some cascading clothes hangers to coordinate outfits. You can also use these hangers for hanging multiple pants, skirts, or tank tops on one hanger.

4) Saving space is a good idea because theoretically, you want to end up with about 20% of the closet empty. This leaves you room to maneuver and find what you need when you need it. It also makes space for collecting items that you decide to give to charity, or for new items coming in. Keeping a small stash of out of season clothing on hand will help you to avoid the dreaded mix up of summer and winter clothes.