1) Out with the old, in with the new. We tend to keep things way too long. We hold onto items that are bulky, out of style, scuffed up, doesn’t fit right, or just things that we don’t necessarily need. Sometimes we figure out while organizing that we don’t like hardly anything in our closets. Imagine if you got rid of everything that wasn’t your very favorite how much space you’d have! Start being picky and get rid of all the excess baggage in your closet.

2) When the closet is cleared out, this is the perfect time to get it really clean. We tend to neglect cleaning the closet floor, baseboards and shelves for long periods of time. This can increase the risk of pests, molds and mildews in our closets. Get in there and clean the floor really well. Wipe down the shelves, hanging bar, and other hardware. You may even decide to give the closet a fresh coat of paint while it’s empty.

3) Now, take inventory of what you have. If you have a lot of t-shirts, you may consider designating a shelf specifically for t-shirts in your closet. If you have a lot of shoes, you may want to invest in some cubby-style shelving to accommodate all of your shoes. If you would like to keep things like socks, underwear, pajamas, and swimwear in your closet, you may want to plan for room on a shelf for baskets, buckets, or bins. The key here is to make sure that you plan the space and have it accommodate your personal belongings. Cookie-cutter organization systems often leave people needing more space in one area and less in others.

4) After you have your personal shelving and hanging bar configuration installed, it is time to get serious about making some storage space. Use vacuum bags designed for storing blankets and out of season clothing. Hang your clothes on hangers that work for your closet. Wooden hangers give the closet a luxurious look and feel. Wood hangers also are functional in helping you solve some of your closet problems. Most wooden clothes hangers are curved to fit suits and coats, helping them to keep their shape. You can invest in cedar clothes hangers to keep your closet smelling fresh. When your closet is designed to meet your needs, you will enjoy having it and keeping it organized.

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

First, rearrange your clothing so that your shortest clothes are on one side and your longer items are on the other. This usually frees up some space beneath the shorter clothes. You can add shelves for shoes or drawers underneath the shorter hanging clothes. You can use this space for just about anything.

Next, arrange your clothing in order of color. Make sure that you keep the length of the clothes approximately the same, but group together your shortest black shirts, white shirts, black pants, etc. This will make it easy to find clothes that match when you are getting dressed in the mornings.

Utilize inexpensive items such as over-the-door organizers, hooks and bins. Storage bags that can be flattened with a vacuum are very useful in keeping linens fresh while minimizing the space that they occupy. Store out of season clothes or bulky linens in empty suitcases to maximize overhead space.

Shoes usually end up in a huge pile. Even if you have a shoe organizer, it is hard to keep them all where they go. They fall off, they don’t fit, or you simply have more shoes than shoe space. Use clear boxes for dress shoes. Not only will they be protected from scuffs and damage, but they will be very easy to find. Make a tall stack of clear boxes in the front corner of your closet. You may want to put a dryer sheet in each box to keep shoes smelling fresh. If you plan on storing shoes for quite a while, put them in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer over night. This will kill any odor causing bacteria that may be living in the shoes and ensure that they are ultra-fresh the next time you want to wear them.

If you need additional space for hanging clothes, consider adding another hanging bar. You may have high enough ceilings to have a high bar and a low bar in your closet. Another option is to get an adjustable bar that hangs from your existing bar. You can hang it around your shirts and it gives you another bar just below your shortest items, not all the way across.

Another option for making more hanging space is to buy hangers that can piggy-back on each other. Specialty hangers can hold a lot of pairs of pants, ties, or group together outfits. Some shirt hangers are thin enough to hang clothing closer together, making more room than you might have imagined. Using these simple guidelines, you can make space in your closet and get it set up in an easy-to-maintain order.

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

Wire shelving systems are popular because they are easy to install and don’t cost a fortune to invest in. There are all types of wire shelving accessories that help you personalize the space. You can easily install drawers, sliding tie racks, shoe racks, and laundry bins. Being able to add on to the system later is an additional budget-friendly bonus.

You will need an electronic stud finder, a level, a tape measure, a hacksaw and a power drill. Clear everything out of the closet. Remove old shelves and hanging bars that you are not going to use. You will need to prep the closet for the new shelving system at this point.

Fill all holes with putty and let it thoroughly dry. Sand off any excess spackle with a fine-grit sandpaper. Vacuum up any remaining dust and paint the walls of the closet. Now your closet is ready for install.

There are two types of wire shelving systems. One type has clips that screw to the wall and the wire shelf attaches to the clips. The other type hangs from a track and is more versatile. Draw level lines throughout the closet where you want your shelves to hang. Then go through with your stud finder and mark each side of every stud that touches your lines. Cut the hanging track with the hacksaw to the desired lengths. Attach clips or hanging tracks by drilling screws along the lines into every stud that you can.

Cut and install your longest shelves first to ensure that you have enough length. You may decide to install a few extra short shelves for smaller items if you have some usable pieces left over. Attach the brackets that are designed to go with your system. These usually clamp on to the wire shelf. Putting one at every stud possible will make your shelves very sturdy and capable of holding up a lot of weight. Shorter brackets are available for shelves that you want to hang at forty-five degrees, like shoe shelves.

These shelves are great for hanging all of your clothes. They are compatible with most shirt hangers, pants hangers and suit hangers. If you find that smaller items slip through the wires, consider using bins or baskets for these items. When your closet is done, you can be proud that you did it yourself!

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