5 Tips to Organize Your Closet

Posted on February 6, 2013 by sharper

Organize and accessorize to create a closet that will take care of your clothes.

Is your closet a place to hide things? A cramped space with unknown contents, safe from prying eyes, holding things you’d rather not have to face?

With a little effort, you can turn that all around and create an organized closet that serves you rather than enabling you to keep clutter.

Read on for suggestions how to organize and accessorize your closet for maximum usage.

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Purge the outdated
Begin your efforts to keep an organized closet by getting rid of what you’re not using. This seems simple enough, but sometimes we keep clothes, shoes, purses or ties because they remind of us of our younger selves or of memories that we cherish. As you go through your closet clutter, ask yourself if the item in your hands makes you feel great when you wear it, is flattering on you or projects the image you want at this point in your life. If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, away it goes! For a “maybe” item, wear it for a day and see if you can decide then. In most cases, “maybes” are “no” items that you’re just not ready to cop to yet.

With newly-available closet real estate space, you can now begin your organization efforts in earnest.

Find the right closet system
Depending on the kind of closet you have (reach in? walk in?), this might be the time to install a closet system. You can call a company like California Closets, which can design and install the storage components for you, or use a system available from the Container Store, the Home Depot or EasyClosets. Most systems can be self-installed. Do consider your lease before you choose a product that requires involved installation or which might be difficult to remove.

If you don’t want to go the expense of installing a complete closet system, consider using modular pieces, such as rolling storage caddies, hanging storage caddies or stackable boxes and crates. You can easily create your own system using these portable options.

Coordinate your closet decor
When choosing your closet organization system, try matching it to your room’s decor. You can match colors from your room to the shelves or drawer faces, use wallpaper from the room to accent the closet interior, or simply choose a complementary shade for your modular bins and hanging caddies. With attention to color and style, you can make your closet an attractive annex of the larger room.

Create a personal touch
Regardless of how deep or spacious your closet, you can add finishes to make the space feel welcoming and purposeful. If you have room, add a mirror or small framed picture. Use hat boxes, vintage luggage, decorative boxes or decorative metal locker baskets as containers for sweaters and sundries. To creatively store small items such as jewelry, gloves and sunglasses, try cigar boxes, vintage lunch boxes or even a small (clean!) tackle box.

The importance of hangers
Once you’ve sorted through your excess stuff and come up with storage solutions for the non-hanging items in your closet, it’s time to consider the hangers themselves. Choosing the right kind of hanger for each particular clothing item can not only preserve the piece, but create more room, as well. Non-slip Space Saving Hangers are available through a variety of retailers. Sturdy and easy on your clothes, they are also thin, taking up considerably less space than plastic tube hangers or wooden hangers. If space is not an issue, durable wooden hangers for blouses and jackets work very well, however. Use clip hangers to keep skirts wrinkle free and pants hangers to keep trousers looking spiffy. A multi-hanger (also available with clips) is a great way to save space when hanging multiple pairs of pants.

It’s time to embrace your closet’s potential! Maximize every square inch to store the wardrobe you love, and you’ll enjoy wearing and taking care of each piece. When you design a closet space that’s easy to access, you may be surprised at the difference in your motivation to neatly hang your clothes back up at the end of the day!

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Kekyalyaynen

DIY Unique Jewelry Displays

Posted on January 10, 2013 by tpham

Is your jewelry jumbled in a pile? Use our ideas to properly display (and show off) your jewelry.

Long necklaces, long earrings, studs, rings, bracelets and bangles…oh my! How do you organize your jewelry? Do you dump it all in a drawer or hang your necklaces around a door handle? Do you often lose one earring in a pair? We have a few suggestions for not only organizing your jewelry but also putting it on display. Below are a few unique do-it-yourself and repurposing projects to properly display (and show off) your beautiful jewelry.

Cheese Grater
Sounds strange, doesn’t it? This one is rather simple, but it’s an easy and unique way to display your earrings. You can make it your own by spray painting the grater with a color that goes well with your décor. First, spray paint the grater with a primer. Once it is completely dry, cover the grater with a color of spray paint that you like. Let that coat dry, and if needed, add an additional coat of spray paint. Use the holes to display your earrings.

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Branch
This one is simple, and you can use supplies you may already have around your apartment. First, head outdoors and search for a small branch. Next, hammer smaller nails into the branch on the same side. To attach to your wall, hammer two larger, stronger nails into the wall, and prop the branch on the nails. Next, hang your necklaces from the nails on the branch.

Rake
To continue the theme of repurposing old items, enter the garden rake. Living in an apartment means not having to worry about raking leaves in the fall. So repurpose that old rake and turn it into a jewelry holder. Take a head of an old rake and clean it off. If you’re feeling spontaneous, prime and spray paint the rake to match your décor. Next, tie jute twine around the top part of the rake for extra earring storage. Mount the rake head with a screw onto the door of your closet or on the wall. Use this to hang your necklaces.

Knobs
Craft stores, antique markets and stores like Anthropologie all have collections of old door knobs, drawer knobs and drawer pulls. Install small knobs on the wall to hang your necklaces and bracelets. Select three or five different knobs that go with your décor to display your jewelry. Drawer pulls are perfect for rings and earrings.

Picture Frames
You have several options to display your jewelry using picture frames. One way to display your earrings is to attach picture wire to the back of a frame. Use an old frame, if possible, and repaint it with acrylic or spray paint. Attach picture hanging wire to the back of the frame with a staple gun. If you don’t have a staple gun, use small thumb tacks. Repeat this step several times until your frame is filled up. Space the rows about 2.25 inches apart. Place this on top of a dresser, chest of drawers or your bathroom counter.

Another option is to attach a peg board to the frame. Prime and spray the picture frame to match your décor. Next, attach a peg board to the inside of the frame with Gorilla glue, and apply some weight. If you want the peg board to be a different color, paint it before attaching it to the frame. Then, attach small accessories to the peg board, such as baskets and hangers. The baskets are useful for rings, bracelets and stud earrings. Use the hangers to display your necklaces.

Photo credit: iStockphoto/Hofmeester

Solving Your Small Closet Woes

Posted on December 22, 2011 by ag-admin

With a few inexpensive items, your small closet can go from a mess to an organized space.

Apartment life might mean living with a small closet or very little closet space. You have to fit your entire wardrobe in a tiny room, which can become a challenge. Additionally, in some apartments, you probably have more than just clothes, such as random knick-knacks and even appliances. However, before you start purging items because they don’t fit in your closet, here are a few items that will help you get the most use out of your space.

Hangers
Bulky hangers take up a lot of space, but there are ultra thin varieties that will help you save some space.

Ultra Thin No Slip Velvet Hangers are 1/5” thin.
As Seen on TV’s Magic Hangers hold five garment on each hanger, and it keeps your clothes neat and organized.
Often times, there is unused room under your shirts that are hung up. Use Wonder Hangers to double your hanging space in your closet.
Use Huggable Over Door Hooks to take advantage of that space.

Closet Door
In addition to the over door hooks suggested above, there are a variety of other items you can use to take advantage of the space. Add a shoe organizer to your closet door. This will save you space in your closet, and it will allow you to see your shoes, making it easier to choose which ones to wear. Another item that can be useful for winter coats and other bulky items is an over-the-door garment rack.

Closet Bins
Using see-through storage bins with lids will be useful in a small closet. This is perfect for your winter clothes during the summer months and vice versa. Using the medium-sized clear bins is perfect for your winter gear – hats, scarves and gloves.

Miscellaneous Items and Tips
These other items are a perfect addition to your closet to save space.

A tie rack/organizer that can hold up to 20 ties. It hangs on the rod in your closet, and it allows you to see your ties easily.
Use windowed boxes for your sweaters. These boxes will protect your sweaters, and it makes it possible to find a specific sweater quicker.
If you are using boxes or bins in your closet to organize items, clearly make each bin so you know the contents of each. This step makes it easy when you change items out; you just have to change the label.
If you keep your shoes in boxes or bins, take a picture of the shoes and tape it to the outside of the bin.

Photo Credit: iStockphoto/STEVECOLEccs

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