Each time you go into your closet, you want it to be a good experience and not one that is full of stress. If you put a lot of junk in your closet, this is exactly what will happen. When you to go get dressed, you don’t want to be hindered by boxes or golf clubs in the corner. These things get in the way and give you less room for your clothes.

A good starting point to having a well organized closet is to simply purge your closet of everything. When you are moving your clothes out, sort through them and remove anything you haven’t worn in a year or so. You can store these items somewhere else or get rid of them. I suggest donating them to charity.

Once you have a closet organizer in place, you won’t have any room for all of these items. Organizers are meant and designed to store clothes and nothing else. By simplifying the items in your closet, you should be well on your way to having a much more organized life.

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Now the only thing you should have left are the items that are attached to the walls. Since what we are looking for is a completely bare closet, these items need to be removed as well. They will just get in the way and make it impossible to install your new closet organizer. Try to be careful when you are removing the brackets that hold the shelf and rod. For most, this is simply done by removing a few screws. Your closet may have some wooden supports to hold the shelf in place. These can be removed by the same manner.

Once this is all removed, patch up any holes left by the screws. Your walls will show through in some places when you have your organizer kit installed. Once the plaster is dry, sand it smooth and add a fresh coat of paint to the entire closet.

This is the easiest time to check for anything else that may need to be repaired since there isn’t anything in your way. Check all of your trim work and repair it if necessary.

And, that’s all there is to it. Your closet should now be ready for you to install your closet organizer kit.

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The first thing you will need to do is to take out all of your belongings so you can more accurately access the situation. Cleaning out your closet shouldn’t be that hard and there’s a good chance that you needed to anyway. And, besides, when was the last time you completely removed everything just so you could put it all back in an organized manner?

Once you have it all out, then you can remove the organization system that is currently in place. I use the term “organization system” lightly since most closets come with a simple rod and shelf that is standard. And, this doesn’t really hold that many clothes or even help you at all with organization.

Now that everything has been removed, you may need to fix some holes and add some paint but that’s about it. The shell of your closet should look a bit roomier now that everything is out. Now is the best time to take some measurements so that you can pick out the closet organization system that will fit best.

Your new closet organizer should come with all the components and hardware that you will need. Simply follow the instructions and you will have a real organization system that will last for years to come.

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Yes, you could do without a closet organizer if you really have to, but here are a few simple things you can do to really help get control of your messy closet.

First, you need to purge your closet of all the items that you don’t use very often. You don’t have to get rid of them. You can put them in a guest room closet or even store them in bins and put them in the garage. A good example of the kinds of clothes you can store are clothes that are out of season.

You can then add some additional shelves. If you are up to doing a small weekend project, then you can simply add an extra shelf above the existing one. This will double your shelf storage space. And, there should be plenty of room high up in your closet that wasn’t being used efficiently before.

Another great accessory to buy is a shoe organizer. These usually come separate from a complete organizer kit so you shouldn’t have to break the bank to get one.

These couple of things should be enough to get you by for a while until you have saved up for an actual kit.

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Having all your shoes piled up on the floor may make it easy for you when you just want to kick off your shoes, but when they are on top of each other and the weight get heavier, they can lose their shape pretty quickly. That’s why shoe trees are important. You can purchase shoe racks that are actually made with the shoe trees already built in. Just slide your shoes over the trees and your shoes will be organized as well as protected.

Some built-in units have shoe trees that are attached to a drawer so you can simply pull the drawer out to have easy access to your footwear. No more sorting through a big pile of shoes looking for the other pair that matches the one already in your hand. How frustrating is THAT?

Of course, there are other options that are less expensive. One is to buy a shoe rack that gets attached to the back of the door. This is another great way to keep your shoes out of the way and off the floor. And, one of the best benefits is that they are collapsible in case you need to remove it and use it elsewhere.

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This is an easy project that can be done in just a few hours and you don’t need a lot of materials or special carpentry skills. When you add an extra shelf at the top of your closet, you are doubling the shelf space. Most closets have plenty of space in them since they go all the way to the ceiling.

This space may be harder to reach but this can be remedied by using a footstool. It’s also a good idea to only store items on top that you don’t need to get to very often.

Start by measuring the depth and length of the existing shelf. Purchase material that matches this dimension. You will want to buy enough material for the new shelf, uprights on both ends and a couple of dividers. These dividers should be cut about 16 inches but, since this is a custom project, you can make it whatever works best for you and your needs. The best placement for the dividers is directly over the supporting brackets under the existing shelf.

All you have to do after you have all the pieces cut is to simply screw them all together. Its best to use a level to make sure everything is nice and square. This is a quick solution that really helps you to better organize your closet before you purchase a closet organizer.

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Closet organizers are a relatively inexpensive way to help you with this problem. So, shoes easily go back where they are supposed to, socks end up right where they belong, and so on. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but once you install an organizer, you might be asking yourself why you didn’t have one sooner.

As an example, if you used to just kick off your shoes and let them lay where they fell, then a closet organizer with a custom shoe rack makes it easy to keep them organized. Just take them off and set them in their designated spot that not only keeps them from cluttering up the floor but also makes it easy to find them the next time you want to wear them.

There are other tricks, too that help you keep organized longer as well. Try keeping clothes that you wear more often where you can get to them quickly and easily. You can even group them by season so if its summer, all your winter clothes would be stored in bins or on shelves that are more out of reach or not as accessible.

Always try your best to put the items back in their place right away or you will find that, over time, you’ll be taking it all out again and you’ll be right back where you started.

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A closet organizer kit can actually help to eliminate the need for large dressers and cabinets that you would have in your bedroom or other parts of the house. This is especially important if you happen to have a smaller sized bedroom. So, if you feel the need to go out and buy a new dresser, you may be better off looking at options for your closet. Organizers can greatly expand the storage area in any size closet.

Common organizer kits come either as wall hung units, freestanding units, or a hybrid of both. For example, the main drawer unit rests on the floor while other shelving and rod systems are wall-mounted. Even though you don’t have to, for safety reasons, freestanding units should be anchored to wall so they won’t fall forward. This should be a must if you have little kids running around the house.

Other considerations for closet organizers are whether you want a kit produced from wood, wire, or even melamine. Melamine is particleboard that has a resin laminate applied to all its surfaces. It usually comes in white but there are other color options available. A lot of people like melamine because it’s easy to maintain and its very affordable.

The most inexpensive option is a wire system. They don’t always look the best but they are easy to install for the average handyman (or DIY enthusiast). Wire closet organization systems are also very versatile and they come with a lot of components that you can pick out individually to suit your needs.

The last option is to use solid wood. It may be more expensive than wire or melamine, but the results speak for themselves. This option is best for walk-in closet and brightly lit closets where it is more important how the closet looks.

Hopefully, if you’ve done your research, you will have enough knowledge to make some solid decisions. Choosing the best organizer for your needs is not as hard as it first appears.

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My first step was to figure out the amount of space my hanging shirts take, as well as my pants, then shoes, and so on. By knowing how much room all these items take up, you can get an idea of what closet organizer kit will work best.

I looked through all kinds of styles and materials used for closet organizers and finally decided on a nice mahogany wood system. Mahogany fit my style and matched my liking of dark furniture. And, I found one that was perfect for my budget (which was under $500.00)

One of the really nice benefits of closet organizer kits is that you can usually configure them in ways. Mine can with eight different configurations. Kits are also versatile (to a point). Make sure the one you buy will fit within the desired space.

On my ten-foot wall, I was able to add 22 feet of usable shelf space and over 15 feet of hanging space. It’s pretty easy to see the value in that.

For the installation, you will need a few basic tools. If you don’t have a level, I really recommend buying one. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it will make all the difference when you are finished and step back to see how it looks. If it’s off, even a little bit, you will notice it.

Look for units that attach to the wall and are up off of the floor. This will help you to keep items up in the unit where they belong. Although tempting, keep your shoes off the floor by using a specially made shelf (or shelves) to keep them organized on. Not only does this help keep things neat, it can also help on your back.

Take your time when organizing your closet and putting things back. Allow time each week to keep up with your closet organization and you will never lose a shirt or pants again.

This post provided by contributing writer Kelly Griffen.

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Space that is normally wasted can be utilized as a good starting point. The key is how you use all the small spaces in your closet. If you are like most, when you open your closet, you’ll find a simple rod and shelf system. This really isn’t a system at all. The builder that built the home made them as a minimum requirement that was necessary to sell the home.

These two elements (shelves and rods) are actually the foundation of a closet organizer. You will have to remove the existing rod and shelf as they aren’t as efficient as they could be. A closet organization system includes multiple shelves and rods.

In fact, with closet organizers, you will easily be able to double the amount of storage space in any closet. An excellent illustration of this is to simply stack the rods on one side of the closet so you have an upper rod for your hanging shirts and a lower rod to hang your pants on.

A tower of shelves is almost essential for any closet organizer system. Look for shelving systems that have vertical tracks with slots that are inset on the insides of the tower shell. These slots accept clips that hold the shelves at whatever height you want. This makes for a very flexible system.

Another option you have with closet organizer systems is to place drawers instead of shelves in the tower. Its better to leave some shelves for stacking pants and shirts but it is possible to fill your whole unit with drawers. Some people like this look. But, if you leave some open, you can easily glance through your options for picking out your clothes. Drawers do make great holders for your smaller items like underwear and socks.

Another common component is a specialized rack or shelf made to hold your shoes. This will keep them nice and orderly and also off the floor.

We could all use a little less stress in our lives and we’ve barely scratched the surface on the topic of closet organizers. Hopefully, you will now have an understanding of how beneficial these systems can be.

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