Organizing small closets

A year ago I moved to Bloomington from northern Indiana.  Before my move, I lived in a home with a HUGE closet, well, I had a few closets.  I used to work for a clothing designer, so I had samples from years of selling clothes.   I had a lot of samples…like A LOT.

When I started searching for a new home here in B’ton, one of my (admittedly) many requirements in a new place to live was a big closet. I needed space. That was one of the deciding factors in my move to Steeplechase. 

Even with the seeming large closets we have here, let’s face it…they aren’t huge. I had to find some creative ways to fit everything into my new space. Over the next few weeks I’ll share with you some tips and tricks to get the most space out of your storage areas here at Steeplechase. I might even show you how much stuff I have neatly organized in my closet! Believe it or not, I have roughly 150 pairs of shoes cleverly organized in my “walk-in”!

TIPS FOR CREATING MORE SPACE IN YOUR CLOSET

1.      BE HONEST – the first step in organizing anything is purging.  Be honest with yourself about the things you have.  Do you really need them?  Do you use them? How often?  

2.      CURRENT INVENTORY – keep only the things you are currently using / wearing in your closets. This means, all out of season clothing should be stored elsewhere. Under bed storage is a great solution for those out of season things.

3.      ORGANIZE – make sure your closet is organized. Keep alike colors together and alike items together.  In other words, all of your white tops should be grouped together, and all of your black pants together. 

4.      USE VERTICAL SPACE – you aren’t going to be able to fit everything horizontally (hanging), so don’t forget you have useable storage space on the floor and on the shelves. Using tools like baskets, additional shelving and hooks will double the space.

5.      LAYERING – not just a fun fashion tip, it is also a great idea when getting more space out of your closet.  I found these great pant hangers that have hooks allowing for a waterfall of pants. I can fit 4-6 pairs of pants in the space of one. Nice! Check out http://www.hangersfactory.com/pants_Skirt_hanger.html and look for item L523517N.

 

BE SURE YOU CAN SEE EVERYTING – this is a good check for you. If you can’t see everything in your closet, time to get rid of some things. You aren’t going to wear those things you can’t see.