Monday 27 July 2009

Make Space in your Coat Closet

Now that winter is approaching, it is a perfect time to organize your coat closet. You may just need light jackets now, but the time for big coats, hats, mittens and scarves can sneak up on you quickly. Be prepared by turning your winter necessity dumping ground into a warm welcome on the cold days that lie ahead.

First you will need to get some sturdy wooden hangers to hold those heavy coats and outerwear. If possible, store formal coats, such as long wool or fur coats in another closet. A spare or guest bedroom is a good option for getting the things that you don’t use very often out of the way. Hang your longest and/or bulkiest coats far back against a side wall of your coat closet. They’ll still be accessible, but back out of the way of useable open space. If they’re hanging near the center, they hang down in a space that you could be using for boots, umbrellas or other organization centers.

Install hooks on the walls of the closet to hang purses and bags that you use often. If you have children, you may find yourself needing a larger bag than normal. Once your little ones are bundled up with hats, gloves, mittens and scarves, you think you’re ready to go. Store extra empty tote bags on hooks or on a shelf at the top of the closet. Take an empty one with you to store all those little gloves and scarves that are so easy to lose once you’re in the store or where ever you’re going. You’ll be thankful not to have your purse crammed full when you get to the checkout.

When you’re not using all the little winter accessories, you’ll need somewhere convenient to store them while you are at home. Finding matching gloves and mittens can be time consuming if things aren’t where they are conveniently accessible. Sticking adhesive-backed Velcro strips along the bottom of the door can provide a fun place for little ones to stick their gloves and hats upon returning home. Fun options or special places down low will encourage small children to be organized and put their own things away. Another option is to hang a door organizer on the back of the coat closet door. Install the bar and you can arrange baskets easily to fit your needs. Little shallow baskets for kids’ gloves, a slightly deeper one for scarves and the deepest baskets hold hats. You can even designate different baskets for different family members so that you don’t have to dig through a pile of accessories to find what you’re looking for.

If you have sliding or accordion doors, you might consider a small drawer organizer that can be put on the floor of the closet. Ones designed for crafts are generally a good size for mittens, scarves and hats. A shoe organizer is a great idea for keeping pairs of shoes together for easy access. Once your coat closet is ready for winter, you can relax and wait for the cold knowing that you’ll be prepared and organized.

Tag : closet,coat closet,closet organization,closet storage

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/make-space-in-your-coat-closet-238470.html

Wednesday 22 July 2009

Organize Your Closet Before Going Shopping For The Best Results

People often go shopping not knowing exactly what they want. They browse the racks and shelves at their favorite stores and buy the first article of clothing that strikes them. They may go home and realize that they have an item nearly like the one they have bought. They may find that the item they have bought does not go with anything in their closet. If they had consulted their organized closet first, they would have known.

The first step to making a shopping trip productive is organizing your closet. You will not have to do this frequently as long as you come up with a good arrangement. As you are organizing, put all like items together. Black pants go with black pants, and formal dresses go with formal dresses. Be sure that you can see all your clothes and accessories easily.

Next, go through the organized closet and take out any items that are worn out. A frayed shirt or a pair of jeans with a hole in an embarrassing place could be taken out and put on your bed or a chair. Since your closet is now arranged neatly, it should be easy to weed these sad garments out from the good ones.

Now, look through the closet for clothing that has gone completely out of style. If it has been a long time since you have done this, you may have many clothing items to add to the stack. Anything that you would not want to be seen in goes. You can give them to charitable organizations, where they can be sold or used for their fabric.

When you have your pile of clothing that you will not ever wear again, start making a list. For every item, put down what the item is and with what you want to replace it. For your ripped jeans, you can put on your list the type of jeans you want to buy. If it is a dress that is too dated, jot down the kind of dress you would rather have.

At this point, you can go back to your closet and take another look. You may have one bar that has many items that are almost identical. You may have a dozen white shirts and no colorful ones. You could write this on your list as something you need to invest in. You may realize that you have no clothing that would be appropriate for a formal affair. This could go on your list, too.

Organize your list so that the things you need to get the soonest are on the top. You may be able to do your shopping all at once, but if you have a long list and limited time or funds to devote to it, you may have to make several trips.

When you shop according to your list, you will refill your closet with items that you needed all along. It is only because your closet was disorganized that you didn't know you needed them. Organizing your closet makes shopping productive and satisfying.

Tag : closet,closet organizers,closet design,closet shelving

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/organize-your-closet-before-going-shopping-for-the-best-results-315283.html

Sunday 19 July 2009

Closet Organizers Make the Most of Your Space

Most of us can use more closet space, and since it is usually not practical to take out the wall in your home, you should consider using closet organizers. Implementing a closet organizer will help give you the ability to utilize the space that you do have more effectively. These organizers can range from the simple setup to the type that is built into the closet. Either way will help you to properly organize the limited space in your closet.

One of the simplest ways to organize your closet is by getting accessories that will help you do just that. For example if you have lots of shoes you may consider either a shoe tree or perhaps a shoe cabinet. This gets your shoes off the floor and keeps pairs together so they can be easily located. If you have many ties you can also find tie hangers specially made to hold lots of ties and use the least amount of space necessary. However if you are still in need of space you may want to consider a full built-in unit.

When you are determining whether to purchase a built-in unit you may want to consider whether you want to do it yourself or if you are going to need to hire a professional. Doing it yourself can be rewarding and save you some money and with the economy in a current slowdown saving money is always a good idea if at all possible. You can buy all the necessary components at a local home improvement store and many of these stores also offer free assistance with laying out and designing the organizer.

This is an important part of preparing for a closet organizers. If a mistake is going to be made when you are doing this type of project it is going to be during the laying out of the organizer. This is because you can lay it out on paper and it may not actually work in practicality. This is especially when you are working with angles and corners. You need to allow for the corner and many homeowners over look this important aspect.

Once you have a good working plan, installing it is not that difficult. You will need a screw gun, a level, and a stud finder. When you are installing the most important thing is making sure that it is safely secured and the only way to do this is to make sure that you hit the studs in your home. This will help keep the unit secure, even when you begin adding the weight of your belongings. The other aspect that is very important is to make sure everything you install is level. This is especially true if you have drawers in the unit as they will not open or close properly if they are not level.

One of the most practical ways to increase the capacity of your closet is by adding an organizing system. There are many options from the simple set in place organizers to the more extensive closet organizers that are actually installed.

Tag : closet,closet ideas,closet organizers,closet accessories

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/furniture-articles/closet-organizers-make-the-most-of-your-space-429551.html

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Stuffed Closets

Closets get full so fast today making it hard to keep our clothes looking neat, clean and fresh. Even if you are good at hanging your clothes up when you take them off it doesn’t do a lot of good if you then stuff those pants into a closet where they can’t breathe and get wrinkled from the congestion.

Closets need to be cleaned out every season at least to allow enough room for proper care of the clothes you do wear. There are many benefits associated with having enough room for your clothes. You will save yourself a lot of time ironing. Pants or shirts stuffed into a closet get wrinkles. You find that shirt you want to wear but when you pull it out of the closet it is so wrinkled that it needs ironing. You don’t feel like ironing so you find a shirt that doesn’t need ironing. This shirt might not match the pants you planned on wearing so now you have to choose pants to match and hope they aren’t wrinkled. Meanwhile you have added time and work to getting dressed and if you go through this every day it really adds up. It makes much more sense to take the time to clean your closet of unused clothing.

Let’s face it most people have too many clothes today especially clothes they never wear that lurk around taking up valuable space. Closets get out of hand so quickly particularly during busy times. What can really get your closet in bad shape is putting clothes back in there after wearing that need some attention. They may have a spot that needs cleaning, a button that is loose or a loose hem.
It is eye opening to go through a stuffed closet and look at every piece of clothing and think about the last time you wore it. If you haven’t worn it for a long time determine why. The reasons can be many: it’s outdated, you don’t like the way it fits now but when you lose that 5 lbs. it will fit nice, it has a stain or you just never feel like wearing it. Decide what needs to go to free up space and either get rid of it or move it to another storage area so that the clothes you do wear have a better chance of looking nice and fresh.

Once you have cleared out your closet organize your clothing so that your shirts, pants, dresses are each in their own section. Make sure that you have the proper hanger for each garment as their shape can be ruined by using the wrong hanger.

Tag : closet,closets shelving,closet organizers,closet factory

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/stuffed-closets-878594.html

Monday 13 July 2009

The Various Ways A Closet Organizer Could Help You

When thinking of organizing your closet, there are various things which can help. Shelving makes an excellent addition as do rods and sliding doors. In fact, whilst you may not realize it, the closet door can have an effect on your home so you should always ensure that it matches everything perfectly.

Why the Closet Door Makes a Difference

If you are reorganizing your closet, what better way to start than to give it a whole new look? You can do this with a completely new door and that alone will really help to give the room a better look.

There are various different types of closet doors to choose from and each will add a different look to the room. Really you will need one which matches the theme of the room already, otherwise it will contrast and it may end up throwing everything off balance. Generally wooden doors are preferred as they give a homely look and they are not too expensive either.

As for the type of door which you get, that needs to be given serious thought. You can purchase sliding doors, doors which fold open and ordinary doors which open outwards. It all basically depends upon how much space you have within the room. If you have quite a large space then there will be no problem having an ordinary door. However, if you have a very small room, a sliding door may be better for you. It is all about choosing one which will save you the most amount of space. Fold away doors can also be extremely space efficient and that is also great for smaller rooms.

You can also do certain things which make a difference to the overall room. For example, you could place a mirror on the closet door which will help to give the room a larger appearance. You can even buy remote controlled closet doors and that will appeal to people who prefer a more modern theme. If however you want a more contemporary theme, thick, varnished pine closet doors would be better suited to you.

Overall the door does make a big difference when it comes to reorganizing the closet. It will help you to not only improve the look of a room but also to add extra space if needed. So, remember to choose the best closet door to suit your needs and do not buy the first thing that you see. Take proper measurements and shop around in order to get the perfect closet door for you.

Tag : closet,closet organizer,closet design,closet shelving

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/the-various-ways-a-closet-organizer-could-help-you-101020.html

Saturday 11 July 2009

5 Great Closet Cleaning Tips

Cleaning out your closets is always a difficult thing to do mainly because there are so many decisions to be made. To help you out, here are some great closet ideas that you may not have thought of or known about:

1) If you are like me, you probably have lots of clothes that have never been worn. If so, you can try to return them to the store where you bought them. The stores will sometimes give you cash but usually they will give you store credit. If you don't want the credit, you can turn around and sell that credit on Ebay. There is a high demand on Ebay for store credit receipts and they usually fetch upwards of 80% of face value. Of course this will only work if you have store credit from a national chain.

2) Many people also use Ebay to get rid of their unwanted clothes whether it is new or used. Children's clothes sell especially well as do sweaters, shirts, and blouses. If you hate the thought of organizing a garage sale, Ebay can be a great place to sell some of your nicer items and get some nice cash for them too.

3) Here is a very neat hangar trick - try putting all your hangars in backwards on the rod in your closets. When you wear an item, turn the hangar around. At the end of the year or season, you will easily be able to tell which clothes you haven't worn and may want to get rid of!

4) Do you need more space to store things? Did you know that you can put the clothes you won't need in large sturdy plastic bags and suck the air out of them? This also works great when packing for a long trip and you need more room. Give this a try and you will be amazed. Put all the clothes you don't need in a plastic bag and use your vacuum cleaner to suck all the air out. It will shrink the size of your clothes significantly freeing up lots of room.

5) If you want to plan a new closet design, figure out first what you plan to put in the closet. Only by knowing what types of clothes you want to put in the closet will you know what types of shelves, poles, and drawers you will nee. There are many closet ideas out there and you need to be organized and create an inventory list first.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/5-great-closet-cleaning-tips-485022.html

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Finding the Best Wire Closet Organizers

You won't regret getting wire closet organizers. They don't cost much and they also give your more creative ways to keep your closet in order. Moreover, wire racks and baskets can hold anything you can think of. If you have limited house space, you can use some of your closet racks to hold toiletries, towels, bags and many more. Here are some tips in finding the best wire organizer for your needs.

Shop Choices

Before you even pick a particular set of closet organizers, you usually pick a store first. Since you do want a wire organizer because of its versatility, you would want to make sure that your set of organizers fit your particular specifications and needs. You can settle for a store with a wide variety of wire organizer sizes and shapes. There are some online stores that also allow customization. You just have to submit your specifications and an online store can cut your organizers into the sizes that you need.

Space Needs

There are some wire organizers that are sold as sets. Depending on your choice, you could end up with a set with more racks and baskets or more rods. You should therefore first determine if you want more space for hanging or for keeping folded items. A better option would be to buy individual wire sections.

Material Strength

Another advantage of wire closet organizers is their durability. Different brands and types however have different levels of durability. The sturdiest kinds can be used for garage storage because they are made of thick wires. Some racks can have thinner wires but have more crossed sections to hold them up.

Organizer Parts

Wire organizer sets have different prices. Some cheaper sets might cost less because they do not have complete support accessories. In the long run though, you may be saving yourself a lot of trouble if you get a set that already has brackets and screws included.

Design Flexibility

The most common type of wire organizers are racks that you can screw on the wall. Some manufacturers however have come up with better models that you can adjust to provide different storage space sizes and storage types. If you can't seem to keep just one arrangement, you should try these flexible models.

Coating

The traditional wire organizers come in white coats. You can however also opt to go for a chrome finish. This will lend more elegance and sophistication to your closet.

Special Sets

There are some wire organizers that are specially made for particular closet types and brands. If your closet does not match the special wire organizer set, it would be better to look for a universal wire rack set.

Wire closet organizers are a great bargain for your money. If you choose the right set, you'll never have to worry about your closet getting constantly cluttered.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/accessories-articles/finding-the-best-wire-closet-organizers-570066.html

Friday 3 July 2009

How To Pick Out The Perfect Closet Organizers For You

If you have a lot of clutter around the home, you may automatically just throw things in the closet or in drawers around the home. However, things could be so much easier if you purchase a closet organizer or two instead.

Closet organizers are designed to help you remove the clutter and live a more organized and tidy life. They are available pre made or you can create them yourself, the choice is entirely yours. However, it is essential that you know which closet organizers you will need as otherwise purchasing the wrong ones would just waste money and not benefit you in any way.

Choosing the Right Closet Organizer for You

In order to pick the right closet organizer for you, you need to first understand what it is that you need the organizer for. For example, do you have books, clothing, magazines, old ornaments or even DIY equipment just lying around? Is most of the clutter big or small? Knowing what clutter you have will really help you to determine what sized closet organizer you will need.

Now generally the bigger the closet organizer the better as you will be able to store more things in them. If you have a lot of clothes lying around then the best closet organizer for you would be a rod. A rod can attach from one side of the wall to the other and it can be used to hang old clothes and jackets on it. Shelving would also do an adequate job for clothing but if you have quite a lot of clothes it would take up a lot of space and you wouldn't be able to store anything else there. So, a rod is generally better for clothing.

Shelving can be used for practically everything else. You can use shelving to store ornaments, books, DIY equipment and any other equipment which you may have lying around. You can even hang a few nails in the walls of the closet to hang things such as a drill for example. Just use your imagination as to how you could best save space and that will help to find a closet organizer to suit you and your space needs.

Measurements are extremely important when it comes to purchasing closet organizers and it is essential that you take and write down the measurements that you need. It is not such a problem if you buy a shelf which is too big, but if you buy one which is too small there is nothing which you can do to rectify the situation. With longer shelves you can cut them yourself to a size which better suits you. However with shorter shelves you cannot exactly glue on an extra few inches if needed! So, keep that in mind and take the measurements carefully to ensure that you purchase the right sizes for you.

Overall closet organizers come in really handy just as long as you choose the right ones to suit you. Choosing the wrong ones would be a complete waste of time and money so be careful and always shop around before you make a decision.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-pick-out-the-perfect-closet-organizers-for-you-101659.html

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Rubbermaid Closet Organizer - Your Secret Weapon To Being Organized?

Rubbermaid closet organizer - is it your best choice to get your home organized?

The Rubbermaid company is generally well-known for its food storage products. Well, wait till you check out their closet organizers... They are just as good, if not better!

Rubbermaid has different closet organizers, and one of their most impressive and flexible closet organizer range is the Configurations range. It is so flexible that it allows you to mix and match different parts of the organizers. You can almost store anything with it - be it your shoes, clothing, ties, jewellery and much more!

Installing it is very easy and it can easily fit closets from 4 to 8 feet. There is nothing to measure, no cutting, no trimming, and "almost automatic"! These inconveniences are overcome by the systems' rails, shelves and rods which are designed for a dummy proof installation. If you need any tools (be it pliers, screw drivers, and so on), you will probably be able to find them in your shed.

Having many flexible accessories, the Rubbermaid closet organizer also allows for easy expansion so that as you "grow" your things, you can "expand" to store them. Add-ons include telescoping rods, extra closet shelving, a shoe storage rack, wire baskets, and tie and belt organizers. You can buy them piecemeal as and when you require them. It is indeed flexible and convenient!

You can easily find the Rubbermaid closet organizer in Home Depot and other home improvement stores. Walmart and other DIY stores are yet other places to find them.

Maintenance of a Rubbermaid closet organizer is really easy. Simply use a damp cloth to wipe off any dust or dirt. If you don't dirty the closet organizer, you probably don't even have to clean it!

If you are getting your home organized, consider a Rubbermaid closet organizer - it may just be the solution you need!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/rubbermaid-closet-organizer-your-secret-weapon-to-being-organized-125064.html