ORGANIZING ON THE FLY
Organizing your home and closets involves a lot of personal decisions. Most people would prefer to do it themselves, even if they had the money to hire a professional. You know yourself and your belongings best, so it makes sense that you would be able to make the right decisions for your personal space on your own. However, it may take several tries to get it right, which leave many people feeling helpless when it comes to home organizing. We've assembled these tips to help you figure out what common problems you can avoid and how to figure out what will work best for you. With just a few tips, you could be on your way to figuring out the best organization plan for yourself, your family and your home.
1) As you clean your home, keep track of problem areas and jot down ideas to review later. Let's say that you find a mound of shoes by the front door, crammed in the coat closet where everyone has to dig for them every day. You may have ideas such as cubbies by the door, a shoe rack in the closet, locker-style areas designated for each person, along with other ideas. Writing them down gives you a chance to brainstorm about the cost, pros and cons of each idea before deciding which would work best for your home. Ask the opinions of your family members to gauge which one they are most likely to want to use. If they feel like they took a part in the decision, they are more likely to go along with the plan once it's in place.
2) Rethink conventional means of storing things. You may keep your clothing in a dresser, but realize that the clothes do not stay folded in there, making it hard to find what you need. When you do find it, it's likely to be wrinkled, musty or misshapen from being stuffed in the drawer for so long. Hanging your clothes instead is a great way to keep them in good shape while making them easy to find. You can use a rolling garment rack to store out of season clothes so that they are out of the way, leaving your closet free for your everyday clothing.
3) Your closet shelf may be the best place you can think of to store books, luggage, and other items, but have you ever thought about how much storage space that actually wastes? Moving these items under the bed can free up a lot of free square footage in your closet. Moving that shelf up higher frees up space below for shoes, laundry baskets, or even another hanging bar. Thinking outside the box will help you to make space where you didn't realize you had it before.
4) Use your clothing hangers to keep things nice and neat while they're hanging. Wooden coat hangers are curved and sturdy enough to hold heavy items without letting them droop. Skirt hangers can be used for shorts and other items so that you can keep everything in your closet. Cascading hangers help you to keep like items together in a very small amount of space. Use your clothes hangers wisely and you could eliminate many of the problems that you associate with storing your wardrobe in no time.
About the Author: Jo Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for high end, luxury hangers for clothes. For more information, please visit OnlyHangers.com.