Let’s face it, who needs the extra stress in the morning when we are trying to make it on time to work? It can be hard enough as it is getting ready for work. But you really don’t need to add to the stress level with a mess of a closet to deal with. Your mornings could go a lot more smoothly if you are fortunate enough to have a closet organizer already installed in your closet. But if you don’t, its never too late to install one yourself.

Closet organization begins with a basic closet organizer kit. Kits are designed to be easy to install and there are plenty of configurations so the perfect organizer is out there for you. Your needs are unique and so are the accessories you can get for your organizers. For instance, if you have a lot of shoes, then you can design your closet to store more shoes. This will take up more space so you will have to sacrifice somewhere else.

Once you have figured out how your closet is going to be configured, and you have installed your closet organizer, then the only thing left is to get your clothes set up so you won’t be spending more time in the future getting it all neat and tidy again.

When you have all of your clothes out of the closet, sort through them and get rid of anything you don’t need anymore. Some clothes you will keep for special occasions so its best to store them out of the way if possible. Closet organization is an ongoing process so if you keep up with it, and install an organizer, it shouldn’t be a problem that you will have to deal with later on.

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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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The layout of the house didn’t allow for physically expanding the closet either. At least not very easily. I sure am glad they added the closet organizer though. What a difference from the closets I was used to. I could now hang clothes from two different rods. Shirts go on the top rod and all my pants go on the bottom one. Its actually pretty logical. Now, I don’t have to stack my pants up on a shelf. I can’t tell you how many pairs got buried that way. I can see each pair and even hang them in order of color from light to dark.

My closet also came with a built in tie rack and shoe rack. The tie rack works great for hanging up my ties and even my belts. I didn’t think a shoe rack could be so handy but it really is. My wife uses it more than I do and it really help to keep the floor of the closet from getting messy by just throwing my shoes and boots into a corner (that’s what I used to do).

The last thing that is really helpful is the stack of drawers. They look much neater than a bunch of bins or boxes and they are a lot more user-friendly.

I guess I didn’t realize how important having a closet organizer was until I moved into a house that already had one installed. Now I can’t imagine my closet without one. In fact, I have one in each of the other bedroom closets and I couldn’t be happier.

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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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Unfortunately, having a closet company come to your house and install closet organizers in all the rooms (or even just the master closet) is not really in everyone’s budget. The good news is, you can have well organized and efficient closets in your whole house by purchasing closet organizer kits. And they don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.

Here are some other tips to help you get your closet organized inexpensively:

Multi-tiered Hangers

Instead of hangers with only one horizontal bar to hold your slacks or pants, try three- or five-tiered hangers. These hangers really help to maximize space and keep your pants from wrinkling.

Extra Hanging Rod

These rods hang from your existing rod and don’t require any tools for installation. And they can instantly multiply your hanging space.

Shoe Racks

There are a lot of shoe rack options available to add to your closet. An inexpensive way to organize your shoes is to add a hanging pocket shoe organizer. These pocket organizers come with hooks on the top so all you need to do is hang them on one of your rods.

If it’s possible, allow for more room in your closet by taking out items that either you seldom use, are out of season or aren’t clothing related. You can store most of these items in plastic bins in the garage or in a storage shed.

With a little shopping, you will be able to find the right organizer and just the right amount of accessories to get your closet fully organized and not break the bank to do it.

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There are basically three options you have to getting closet organizers for your closets.

The first option is to hire a company that puts in your organizer from start to finish. They start by coming out and taking measurements of your closets, assessing your needs and designing a closet to fit those needs. Be prepared to spend a bit more over the next two options as they are doing all the work.

Next, you could build one from scratch if you are pretty handy with tools. To achieve desirable results, however, you would need a pretty decent woodworking shop. You would also need to purchase certain hardware for the drawers and rods so its probably not going to save you much money over the next option. You will also need to design the closet and how the organizer (shelves, rods and drawers) will be built

So, the last option you have is to purchase a closet organizer kit. This is a great option if you want to save some money by not having a company build one and you don’t have quite the skills or tools to build from scratch.

Organizer kits can usually be installed in multiple configurations that makes them very versatile. They come with all the required hardware, step-by-step instructions and can be delivered right to your door.

If you’ve never considered a closet organizer kit, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to install and just how much more room you’ll have for all your clothes that were just getting wrinkled in the bottom of stacks in your closet.

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Fortunately, a closet organizer will help maximize this precious space. Of course, a first important step when you do decide to organize your closet is to only put in what is really necessary. You can probably get away without putting in a shoe rack if you don’t have too many shoes in the first place.

Before having a professional closet organizer come in to install a custom unit, you may find it useful to search online for photos of installed closets. This will help you get an idea of all your options. Professional closet organizers can get expensive and they may not take care of all your storage requirements.

So what is the number one advantage to putting in a closet organizer? No more lost or misplaced clothes. Clothes can easily disappear in an unorganized closet. The only effective way of finding them is to actually purge the closet. This should really be done about once or twice a year.

Closet organizers allow you to put your smaller items in specialized bins that free up the other areas of your closet. And, with more free space, you can now add more items all within the original space of the closet.

As far as the types and variety of organizers available, you have so many options that it can be mind-boggling. The best approach is to write down a list of the types of items you have in your closet as a general overview. Once you have completed this step, you can use the list to figure out what organizer components you will need. For instance, if you don’t wear or have that many ties, then a tie rack will be a low priority. Or, maybe a small tie rack will do the job just fine.

You have the choice of going with wire organizers all the way up to professionally installed exotic wood cabinets and racks. It all depends on your own budget and what you are comfortable with. Either option will provide you with satisfactory results. Some homeowners will put most of their budget into their master bedroom closets and have higher end units installed for a better look. The rest of their budget will be spent on wire systems in less used closets or smaller closets such as the ones used for storing linens.

Overall, a closet organizer will help you find items easier, allow for more items in the same volume of space, and provide a great way of keeping your closet organized and neat.

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You probably wish you had a bigger closet. The best way to tackle this problem is pull everything out and really organize it. Once you are finished, it will actually seem like your closet grew. Sort through all your items and donate the clothes you never intend on wearing again. For clothes you seldom wear and just can’t part ways with, try storing them in bins that are out of your closet and put into a wooden shed or garage. This is a great system for seasonal clothing.

If you have a lot of small items, look into closet accessories that are specifically made for holding such items as purses or shoes. These will help you tremendously in getting the most out of your closet space.

There are several ways you can put your items into closet organizers. One way is to hang them or stack them according to when you wash them. This way, you rotate your clothes instead of always wearing the same few items over and over again.

Another way to make your mornings easier is to organize your clothes by color. Now if you have a preference to wear a light blue shirt, you’ll have all your options right there in front of you. The nice thing about a closet organizer is that they are compartmentalized so your clothes are put into small sections.

Combine color categorizing with types of clothes and you get an even better and more specific organization of all your items.

Once all your items are brought back where they should be, you will probably notice a lot more room. Use this extra space to grow into instead of putting all those clothes that you never wear back in.

By keeping up with your closet about once every other week, you shouldn’t have any more headaches in the morning trying to find that special outfit you were thinking of wearing. Life just got a whole lot easier.

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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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