Closets can become catchalls for numerous items that have nowhere else to live. If you have board games, CDs from the ‘90s, and shoes from your high school graduation, pitch them all to the closet! The trouble is when you need something—or need to put something away—a closet cluttered with crud is horrendous. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. When you’re in the mood for some cleaning, tackling that closet can leave you with a smile on your face. Here are some steps to follow to get an organized closet space:
- Pull it all out: This is the hardest part but you can’t organize without an inventory of what you’re holding onto. You don’t need to go through every box of old books, CDs, and whatnot – that’s a project for another day. Simply take every last thing out and make four piles: 1) give it away 2) toss it in the trash 3) sort through it later and 4) put it back in the closet.
- Clean the closet: Now that the closet is empty, get out the vacuum cleaner to suck up cob webs, dust, and dirt. If you see tiny turds, you might have cockroaches. Get roach killing baits and gels before the issue gets out of hand. There could also be mold and mildew hidden, so you might need to scrub away the mold and mildew with a good Soft Scrub product.
- Add the add-ons: This is the golden era of closet systems and plenty of stores carry baskets, bars, hooks, and hangers to spiff up a closet. At the very least, consider lining the shelves with some shelf paper. You also might want to consider painting the closet a nice bright color and installing an LED light so you can see clearly when you’re done.
- Group stuff together: Now that the closet is as spiffy as it’s going to be, put back the items in your “keep it” pile. The best way to organize is to group similar items together; shoes in one area, sporting goods in another, hats with hats, scarves with scarves, and so on.
- Hang it up: Consider investing in a new set of high-quality matching hangers. Keep similar style garments together or organize your clothes by color. Toss out the broken plastic hangers and the wire ones from the dry cleaner.