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Organizing Closets.

It’s time to get those closets cleaned and organized. You know that the time is now but you have no idea on where to start. Let’s go through this together. This will include cleaning out your closet, linen closet and young children’s closet. When getting to an older child give them the privacy that they need and have them clean out their own closet. If in a reasonable amount of time your child does not get it done then jump in and discard of unused items (next time they may want to get to it a little sooner).

Let’s start with your closet first. It may need the most attention and you know it. First step is to buy a few organizing items, such as, inexpensive storage containers with plastic lids, plastic clothes hangers (30 of one color for you and 30 of a different color for your spouse), a couple of skirt/slack holders and a tie/belt holder (if necessary). 

Start from scratch, remove everything from your closet and start with it completely empty. This is the time to apply a fresh coat of paint if needed. 

Remove all clothes from current hangers and dispose of all wire hangers, wire hangers seems to destroy shirts and sweaters. Separate all your clothes into piles and place in boxes (shirts, sweaters, slacks, jeans, etc.) over 50 percent of these clothes you do not wear, never intend on wearing and may not even fit into anymore. 

To make this easier have them separated in boxes and as you wear an item such as jeans or a sweater place on hangers and back in your closet, continue doing so for six months, what remains in the boxes gets packed up and taken to a donation center. 

If clothing need minor repairs such as a button or a hem repair do so or toss out. You are not getting any use out of it this way.

Organizing your shoes: sort the shoes you use the most and place them in a small shoe organizer in the bottom of your closet, any others place in a clear plastic container with a lid. 

Other things such as holiday decorations or books seem to get stored in a closet. Sort through these items before placing back in your closet, are they items that are necessary to keep, if so place in another clear plastic container with a lid. These are easy so see through and easy to stack to make your closet looking nice and organized.

A child’s closet could be sorted the same way. You’ll find more out grown clothes and toys in their closet.

Be prepared with plastic storage containers for toys (always drill holes in these containers to reduce the risk of suffocation). These are very cheap toy boxes and the best way to keep toys sorted. Buy several sizes to accommodate an assortment of toys.

Have a pile of out grown clothes and donate them. 

When hanging your child’s clothes place an additional closet bar to have a lower hanging bar that your child is more likely to reach. 

Place a laundry bag or hamper in your child’s closet, encourage him/her to put dirty clothes where they belong.

Have a wastebasket in their room; will mean less garbage lying around and getting shoved in their closet. (It also makes for a good chore to dump the wastebasket in his/her own room.

Organizing a linen closet is sometimes difficult. I used to have to shove and slam the door shut just to keep the stuff in. Then I got organized by taken everything out and having the proper shelving installed. The more shelves the better. I donated my unwanted linen such as towels and blankets to the humane society. 

They are in urgent need for these items. Go through your linens and blankets returning only what you truly are going to use.

Hope these ideas help you get that organized closet that you long for.

Visitors comments

Organization made easier Comments By: Lori on 2005-04-20 With Spring cleaning rappidly approaching so is the chore of the closets. With these helpful hints I hope to save time and have a little fun doing it this year Â