***Closet Organizers that Help Keep Unruly Wardrobes in Check

The bedroom closet is one of the most important spaces in any home. It is where we store our best clothes, shoes and fashionable accessories. One of the most common complaints of American homeowners is that they simply do not have enough closet space. This is particularly true when it comes to the bedroom closet, which people have a habit of overstuffing.

It isn’t their fault, of course. But most of us have a problem letting go. We see an item we like, wear it a few times, and it stays in our closet for years.

In time, the closet becomes overcrowded and it defeats its own purpose, which is to help us find what we need for the day. If it takes you more than a few minutes to select the right outfit or ensemble, it probably means your closet is in desperate need of cleaning and reorganization.

Cleaning out a closet is a simple, albeit ruthless process. The golden rule of closet organizing is that if you haven’t worn it in a year or more, you should get rid of it. This does not mean, of course, that you should just toss it. If you haven’t worn the outfit in while, odds are, it is in pretty good shape. But perhaps your style and tastes have changed. Donating clothing to charity is always appreciated.

One of the best excuses for keeping unworn clothes around is that they don’t fit well now, but after a diet they might. A pair of “skinny jeans” might serve as motivation, but they rarely even see much action. However, if you are truly on the fence about an item, it might be best to place it on a special labeled hanger at the far side of the closet. If the labeled hanger is left untouched for another season or two, it might be best to donate it to charity and let someone in need enjoy it.

Closet Organizers

The more cluttered a closet becomes, the more it will need to be cleaned. But sometimes cleaning it out is a waste of time. If a closet is not properly organized, it may have to be cleaned on an almost daily basis. The simplest and most affordable way to avoid excessive cleaning sessions is to take an afternoon to organize your bedroom closet. Find a place for everything and free up space with some affordable closet organizers.

Start with the Shoes

The biggest difference between a women’s bedroom closet and a man’s are the shoes. It’s not right to stereotype, of course, but in this instance, there are solid statistics. The average American woman has 19 pairs of shoes—about twice as many pairs as the average man. Not to mention the fact that her shoes are often more expensive and more delicate than the shoes the guys wear.

Most women will go great lengths to protect their shoes. Some of them even keep their shoes in their original boxes and stack them in their bedroom closets. As you might imagine, this storage strategy takes up an awful lot of room. Nineteen stacked shoes boxes would take up the entire floor of most closets. What is the alternative?

Clear Shoeboxes

Clear shoeboxes are a slight improvement over the cardboard originals. That way, the owner doesn’t have to open 19 shoes boxes when she’s looking for a particular pair; she can simply look through the top of it. However, clear shoe boxes still take up a lot of room. Our suggestion is to reserve a few clear shoe boxes for your most expensive pairs and hang the rest on a closet shoe rack or a shoe cubby.

Specialty Hangers

The closet rod is there for a reason. But sometimes people make things harder than they have to be. With the help of a few specialty hangers, you can organizer most of your wardrobe on the closet rod. A classic belt hanger, for instance, can be used to hang camisoles, bras, scarves and belts, among other things. Padded hangers should always be used when hanging delicate fabrics and plastic hangers are best for button-down shirts. Last but not least, wooden hangers were designed specifically for suit jackets, as they help them retain their intended shape.

Remove all wire hangers as soon as possible. They do not properly support clothes and may ruin them in the long run. It is also important to remove all plastic dry-cleaner bags, since they do not allow fabrics to breath. Wardrobes can then be organized accordingly by hanger material: wood with wood, padded with padded, plastic with plastic.

Folded Clothing Storage

If they have the room, most folks store some folded clothing in their bedroom closets. This often includes fancy or delicate sweaters that may be ruined if they were simply stuffed into crowded drawers. The best way to store sweaters in a closet is on a shelf. With the help of sweater dividers, they can be stored in nice, even stacks. If, however, you do not have access to a shelf, a sweater storage bag can be filled and placed in the back of your bedroom closet.

No matter how cluttered the closet, organizers can be used to put everything in order.