In reality, the average American household contains more than three hundred thousand items in it. Whether you have more or less than that, without a proper storage system in place, your things will just end up in piles.
Your closets are often a forgotten space in your house, and it’s easy to let them become cluttered because you can just shut the doors. Let’s talk about closet organization, storage tips, and what you can be doing to rearrange your closet to benefit your life. Read along to find out!
Start with Clean Up
There are three simple piles that will make your home look and feel less like a jumbled mess. These piles are…
- Donate/Sell
- Keep
- Trash
Your first step in organizing your space is a closet cleanup. Take everything out, assess if you want or need it, and then place it in the appropriate pile.
This works for clothes closets and linen closets alike. Anything you’ve let accumulate and saved to go through later needs to be dealt with now.
It’s amazing the things we stick in random places because we were in a hurry and guests were coming over. If you’re neurodivergent, there’s a good chance that you’ve forgotten whatever is in your closest existed, and you’ve bought two or three more.
Donate or sell those extra things, and organize your closet so you can see what you have! Not only will it save you time, but it will also save you money.
If you’re purging a clothes closet, take the time to pull out all of your clothes and try on pieces that you’re not sure fit anymore. If you’re a lucky one and all of your clothes still fit you, put anything that you haven’t worn in the last six months to the side.
These are going to be the clothes that you should donate or sell! The same timeline guide should be used for…
- Hats
- Scarves
- Jewelry
- Coats
- Shoes
Anything that has been collecting dust in your closet for the last six months that doesn’t have a specific purpose needs to go. If that’s a struggle for you, just think of all the space you’re going to have in the end or consider extra storage options!
Invest in a System
There are plenty of systems you can buy for closets. However, if you don’t want to invest money, then you need to invest your time into creating one that works for you.
A clothes closet system should consist of rods for hanging and racks or shelving for clothing and items that need to be flat or can’t be hung up. If you are installing a system you’ve created for yourself, consider placing the rods at different levels.
One should be for your shorter garments, and the other should be for your longer ones. Keep both of them high enough that your clothes aren’t touching the ground, as that could be potentially usable space.
Bins & Boxes
Separating things by type into bins or boxes will help you find them easier and keep you and your family putting them back into the right place. Everything needs to have a place that it goes when it’s not in use, otherwise, you will have the inevitable junk drawer problem.
If you’re organizing a hall or linen closet, have a bin for medicines. This is where you will keep things like…
- Bandaids
- Cough Syrups
- Thermometers
- Tylenol
- Rubbing Alcohol
With any bin or box that will be used by more than one person, be sure to label it appropriately. In this instance, that bin would be labeled “Medical.”
Another great tip is to use clear storage containers for the items people forget about easily. This keeps you and your family from routing through every bin trying to find the item that’s evading you.
Bins and boxes can also be used for closet storage. If your closet is deep enough, you can even use an entire dresser in your closet to free up space in your bedroom. Try bins and boxes for clothing items like…
- Bras
- Socks
- Sweaters
- Hats
- Belts
You may decide that a dresser isn’t for you because you can’t see and access everything as much as you’d like. In that case, try open shelving or a cube organizer instead.
A cube organizer would allow you to have some open shelving to stack sweaters while still giving you the option to use bins.
Sort Your Shoes
It’s difficult to know what to do with shoes sometimes because they come in a range of heights from flip-flops to knee-high boots. The best way to take advantage of your clothing closet space is to get your shoes up off of the ground and onto tiered racks.
If you purchase or build shoe racks that have about an inch of space underneath, you can store your flat shoes, like flip flops, easily underneath. Then, it leaves you the next two tiers for dress shoes, heels, and tennis shoes.
For taller shoes, like boots, purchase boot shaper inserts that keep the shape of your boots intact. Store them next to your shoe rack instead of on it so they don’t fall off. They also make special boot hangers if you want them up off of the ground!
If you don’t have the space for a shoe rack, opt for an over-the-door shoe holder instead. You won’t be able to fit your boots inside, but it works for your tennis shoes, dress shoes, and other low shoes.
Maybe you have a lot of closet space. Try using shoe stacking boxes for an incredibly organized look.
Out of Season Items
Out-of-season items can take up a lot of unnecessary space, and, if you’re working with a smaller or shared closet, you need every inch you can get. Rotate these in and out depending on when you need them.
If you haven’t tried vacuum sealing, now is your chance to get started. In the summertime, take your big, bulky sweaters and seal them down to be stored away.
There are wonderful storage container options for below the bed that you could use. Another possibility is to box them up, label them appropriately, and put them into storage.
Untangle Accessories
A mangled mess of necklaces and earrings sitting atop your dresser is an eye sore. Get them up and onto a jewelry organizer.
Use one organizer or utilize multiple for different types of jewelry. Use a multi-level necklace hanger for your short and long necklaces to hang without tangling.
For rings and earrings, use a jewelry box. It’s even better if you get one with a glass top so you can see through to what item you need.
Another option is an all-in-one standing jewelry chest that looks like a piece of furniture in your room. If you have the room, then why not?
To display your jewelry on a wall, you can create your own storage with some corkboard. There are also lovely linen pinboards that have a rail underneath for all of your jewelry needs.
Scarves and belts can easily be hung in your closet by using inexpensive shower curtain rings on a hanger. This allows you to see every single one that you own at one time instead of digging through a bin for them.
Handbags can be stored within one another if you’re short on space or displayed proudly on handbag stands. Your purses could also be hung on your door or placed on hooks under your clothing rods.
Hampers
Don’t let your clothes lay around on the floor or a chair. Keep a hamper in your bedroom or make sure the storage system you buy has a hidden one included.
If you are the type of person that doesn’t like to hang things up after you’ve worn them but also doesn’t want to wash them yet, purchase a cute little basket for the corner of your room. It will look like a small decorative basket, but it will help you not allow your clothes to pile up.
Once that basket gets full, you know it’s time to go through it and either wear some of the clothes or put them in the wash. At least this way, you have a plan!
Extra Closet Organization Tips
Using identical hangers, organizing by color, and inserting clothes dividers will keep your closet looking like a professional designer came in to help you with your closet organization. The most important part is sticking to a routine that will keep your closet maintained and together like the first day you went through it.
Contact BlueBox for Extra Storage
Take advantage of these storage tips to get your closet organization up to speed. For those of you who are in the Oregon area and are needing some extra storage, get started today with our storage container options!