Organizing Closet Chaos!

Organizing Closet Chaos!

You open the bedroom closet door and see crammed, packed clothes and scream! Items are wedged so tight you cannot find a thing to wear.

The shelves above are a pile of cotton, linen and wool clothing – are they shirts or pants you ask yourself? The bottom of the closet is a sea of sneakers, shoes and boots. You shut the door and decide to go out in your bathrobe for the day. We have all been there – yes, even me. Controlling the chaos is a task that you need to stay on top of each day. However, there are tons of solutions on the market that can make closet life easier. I live in a house that is over 100 years old and when it was built, women had one dress and one pair of shoes. My bedroom closet is small, but I make it work for me and I put in the effort each day to keep it in order.

Below are steps to win over the closet clutter!

1. Remove all clothing from the hanging rod. Decide what to purge and what to keep. Use the old rule of “if you have not had it on your body in over a year, donate it.” Replace your chunky wooden or plastic hangers with slim Huggable Hangers. I use these hangers in all of my bedroom closets.  The hangers are thin, strong and you can use about 100 of them in a small closet. They even come in a size for kids.
2. Next, remove all items or clothing from the top shelf. Add shelf dividers.  Shelf dividers are fantastic for keeping shirts, pants or even purses from toppling over.
3. Lastly, remove all sneakers, shoes and boots from the bottom of the closet and add a shoe rack. Shoe racks come in all sizes, styles and colors. Choose what will be the best fit for your closet. To keep your newly organized closet….well….organized, follow a few simple rules. If you add an item, subtract an item. Keep a small hamper or large shopping bag in the closet or in the same room for items that are to be donated. When the donation bag is full, drop it off it at your local charity center. To avoid dragging out the ironing board, remove items from the dryer and hang them up right away so wrinkles do not set into the clothing. I have been living this rule for years and it works like a charm – giving up my iron was very nice!

For the special needs child, organizing their closet does not have to difficult. I have set up some great systems for my clients and they love them! One of my favorite and inexpensive solutions for the children that can dress themselves, but still need some assistance in matching items, is to add a hanging shelf. Label each shelf with the day of week and put in the cubby: pants, shirt, t-shirt, etc. for that day. If your child uses a dresser, hang a picture label to each drawer. Visual labels for kids clothes by StikEez are removable – how convenient!

If you feel as if your closet is just too much to handle on your own, team up with a friend to organize each other’s closet. You will get the job done while spending time with a good friend! Note: All of my closet product suggestions are available at Amazon, Target or Wal-Mart.

Helpful Articles

• Clean Up! Clean Up! Everybody Everywhere
• What would Mary Poppins Do?
• Live an Organized Clutter-Free, Less Stress Year
• New Year, New You: Helpful Organization “tips”
• Organizing Your Filing System
• Household Organization & Your Child’s Behavior
• Shopping Tips
• Organize Your Food and Cookware to Keep Safe
• 10 Tips to an Organized Medicine Cabinet
• How to Stay Organized Teaching Essential Life Skills
• Help Your Child Get Organized For School!
• Keeping Your Toys (and Your Child) Organized
• Keep It Simple Apps For Organization

This post originally appeared on our May/June 2011 Magazine