Closet Case

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Every spring is a reminder that things can be made clean and new. How we use the "things" we have, says a lot about how our homes make us feel. Have you ever walked into a room that you dislike so much, you walk right back out? Are we closing that closet with a shoe horn or does it all fit neatly and have a proper home?   When things are crowding us, we will feel that pressure.


Organizing a closet can be very overwhelming. The first thing that I have my clients do is decide what they want to have going on in that closet.  If it is for a child or bedroom, we talk about what needs to have a home in that closet. If its a craft or storage closet, what are the items that need to be stored?

Purging is hard for everyone. The best thing to do is have options. Have a box for give away, one for storage, and one for trash. Sometimes we keep things because someone gave it to us and we wouldn't want to hurt their feelings. If you are not using it, don't hold onto it., put it back into rotation. Find someone who can get good use out of it. When I help kids organize, it is helpful to give them storage items for the things that they have outgrown. They can decide as they get older, if that painted rock and note from their buddy is something they want to save forever. One reason their rooms are cluttered is we haven't offered a storage solution.

Now that you have pared down, find containers, baskets, bins, shelving that will accommodate what you need to put back in.

For this client, we put additional shelving in and added shoe racks, baskets, and bins. Most closets have more room, but are not custom to the needs you have.   We replaced the wired hangers for plastic with gripped sides. It will hold your clothes better and keep them newer longer. If that seems overwhelming to replace them all. Just buy a little at a time.

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The closet below was for picture storage. The artwork should be arranged front to front and backs to backs so that the hardware won't scratch your art or frames. The rest of the pictures were personal family shots. Most of us take them down and replace with updated ones, but we don't want to throw them away. My system is to take a look at the photo. If you feel that you would hang it again, then keep it together. If you don't think you will, take the photo out and organize it in a photo box. Place the empty frame in a storage bin. When you have new shots you need to frame, you will have frames ready to go instead of feeling your replacing the picture, it will be empty and ready. The cedar chest has plenty of room to open without taking out of closet.

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The next closet was going to be for crafts. As all homes have, we discovered that there were things that didn't need to be there. We used a storage bin for her sons martial arts belts and trophies. Then we added shelving and grouped our like items into storage bins. Now each art and craft project is easier to see and get to. Organizing does take time, but when its done, our lives are easier!

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