Closet Organization Tips

The trick to successful closet organization is lies in the title. You must pay attention to the organizational aspects of closet organization. It sounds blindingly obvious but the "organization" in "closet organization" is quite regularly over looked. This common mistake happens because people confuse organization with being clean and tidy. People really want to organize their closets but do not know how. People know how to clean and they know how to tidy but they don't know how to organize.

As an interesting exercise, try to substitute the word "organize" for "tidy up". Make this substitution the very next time you are about to tidy your living room or kitchen or closet. Say to yourself "I am going to organize my kitchen" instead of saying "I am going to tidy my kitchen". By switching these words, you are likely to approach the task very differently.

You can use this same approach when it comes to closets. When start to organize your closet space, really try to focus on the organizational aspects of the task. Remove all of the contents from your closet. That means everything.  Once the closet is empty make your best efforts to get rid of some of the contents of the closet. A good rule of thumb is to try to get rid of at least 15% of the closet contents. That amounts to 3 out of every 20 items. If at all possible try to get rid of 20 % of the contents which amounts to 2 out of every 10 items.

Reducing the amount that needs to be stored is an important first step to proper closet organization. Remember, over our lifetimes we keep accumulating belongings and bringing new items into our homes. It is absolutely critical that you get rid of some belongings at least at a rate not dissimilar to the rate at which you accumulate. It is the accumulation or gathering of stuff overtime that makes your home look cluttered.

Once you have made a sincere effort to reduce your clutter and before you start to return items to the closet you must start to organize. Start to organize your belongings into like groups. For example, gather all of your mitts and knit hats and and scarves together. Put all of these items together in a clear plastic storage bin. Develop the habit of putting your gloves in the bin as soon as you get home. When the weather gets warmer you can move the entire storage bin to another part of your home (ie. the attic or basement) or simply push the storage bin to the back of your closet. As you can see organizing one group of like items necessarily makes your closet neater.  Start with organizing and the result is tidy.

Perfect storage solutions are not difficult. Use plastic storage bins as much as possible.  These bins work wonders as a method to organize your closet. These bins are relatively cheap and very long lasting. Do settle for a disorganized closet. If you focus on "organization" then closet organization, even small closet organization is possible.