With the cold weather fast approaching, it's time to bring out the coats, sweaters and boots. If you're like me, however, this can lead to a jam-packed closet. While our Cedarwood housing cooperative homes have nice, spacious closets, still, it's easy for them to get unorganized and cluttered quick. Taking a few extra steps now and doing a little maintenance throughout the year can prevent a closet disaster!
Enjoy our tips below on how to keep your closet clean and organized!
1. Store Seasonal and Travel Items.
In the dead of winter, you'll likely not need tank tops, shorts or open-toed sandals. When you're not traveling, you won't need your bath bag or suitcase, so store them all! There are three great ways to get this done and stay organized. One is to grab a portable wardrobe (like shown below) and set it up in your basement. Hang seasonal clothes on top and store shoes, purses or beach bags on the bottom. *Tip* -toss in a dryer sheet or two to repel spiders and keep your clothes fresh.* Then, zip up the fabric cover and done!
Another way is to purchase vacuum-sealed clothing bags and slip a dryer sheet in each one. Again, store in the basement to free up space in your closet. And finally, if you keep the original shoe boxes that your shoes come in, simply place summer shoes back inside them and stack them neatly. Create a nice space in your basement for all these items so your basement doesn't start looking like your closet just did!
2. Use Door Hooks for "Wear-Again" items.
Some clothes just never make it back into the closet. Maybe we've worn them once, but they're not dirty enough for the laundry basket. Maybe we've pulled them for wearing tomorrow. Either way, if you don't make a designated space for them, they can easily build themselves up on a chair or bed. Let's not..it looks bad. Instead, these "in transit" clothes can be stored wonderfully on the backside of your closet door with an over-the-door clothes hook like pictured below.
3. Use A Shoe Organizer.
As I said before, our co-op closet are very spacious, but if you're like many of us, our shoe collection far exceeds the floor space of our closets. Try using a shoe organizer that can store shoes vertically while using much less floor space. This solution is likely to help increase the life of your shoes by preventing unnecessary "piling-up" damage and will give your closet a crisp, organized appearance.
4. Install Additional Wall Shelving.
Our closets come with a top shelf which is very handy for storage. But sometimes, we still need a few extra shelves to put stuff on. Try installing an extra shelf above the one that is already there or get a few wall hooks and install them inside your closet for hanging items such as purses, neck ties, and necklaces.
5. Keep a Donation Bag.
Keep a container or small basket marked "donations" in your closet for those items you no longer want. This is a great way to keep your closet up-to-date and fully functional. If you find a top that no longer fits, toss it in. When the bin gets full, take it to the donation center. *tip* - get your whole family involved by putting a bin in every person's closet.
6. Use Matching Storage Containers and Hangers.
Nothing makes a closet look more cluttered than a wide array of different colored, shaped and sized storage containers and hangers. Even though things are put away, the hodge-podge look of those mismatched bins can really damper the organized look of your closet. Plus, opaque bins make finding things much harder unless you are the king/queen of labeling what's in them. For a modest price, you can purchase a handful of the exact same, see-through storage bins to spruce up your closet and give the appearance of organized harmony.
Also, while matching every hanger may not fit your budget right now, you can achieve the look below by purchasing the same color/variety every time you need more while slowly phasing out the others. Having all the same style hangers really takes your closet's look up a notch.
7. Don't Forget To Vacuum and Wipe Things Down.
Dust accumulates in a closet just as easy as it does in your living room. Don't forget to vacuum your closet once a month (or more) to keep it fresh and tidy. Wipe the walls and baseboards down at least twice a year (maybe when you relocate seasonal items..hint-hint).
There, after your done with all the above tips, your co-op closet will be as good as new. All it takes is a little upkeep after you have a system in place and your closet will never look like a hot mess again! But remember to do the same thing in spring when the season shifts warmer and you change to a cooler wardrobe!
How do you organize your housing co-op closets? Have any great tips you could share? Contact us to let us know!