Closet Organization and Drawer Organization

Is closet organization and drawer organization one of those daunting projects that is getting the best of you?

Do you feel frustrated or overwhelmed when you open your closets and drawers?

These out of sight spaces in a home tend to be some of the most cluttered. By organizing your closets and drawers into spaces that work for you, you'll create a sense of order in your home.

Let's get started!
Where Do You Start When Organizing A Closet?

• Remove everything from your closet or drawer.
• Go through the pile of stuff and decide on what stays and what goes to charity.
• Give away or sell any clothing item that doesn't fit, doesn't make you feel great, or that hasn't been worn in the last year.
• Now you know what you have left to organize.

Closets come in every shape and dimension, but all can be organized into functional spaces. If your budget allows for the purchase of a closet organization system, then by all means, make the investment. However, there are several other less expensive ways to bring organization to your closet.

• Custom build your own shelves and cubbies to fit your shoes, folded clothes, and hanging clothes. This way, you can utilize every square inch of available space to your advantage.
• Store occasionally worn dress shoes in clear shoeboxes.
• A canvas shoe rack hung over the back of the closet door is perfect for slip-on shoes and sport shoes.
• If you have the floor space, shoe cubbies or shoe racks work well.
• Out of season clothing can be stored in clearly labeled bins on overhead shelves.
• Seasonal hanging items should be stored in fabric bags (not plastic).
• Use open baskets or vintage hatboxes to house scarves, lingerie, and stockings.
• If your closet is large enough to house a dresser, don't hesitate to use the wonderful antique dresser in your closet to store folded clothing items or extra blankets and linens.
• Hang that great peg rack you found at the last garage sale and use it to organize bathrobes, ties, suspenders, and belts. Individual wall hooks grouped together can accomplish the same goal.
• Closet rod doublers are handy closet organizing tools that allow you to literally double your hanging space. It hooks to your top rod and connects with a rod below, giving you double the amount of space for hanging clothes. These are ideal for a tall, narrow closet configuration as well as a child's closet.
• Trade out wire hangars for plastic hangars (all the same color) for a sleek look.
• Hang your clothes by type (pants, shirts, blouses) and then by color so you can quickly find the item for which you're looking that morning.
• Hang a full-length mirror on the back of a closet door or at the back of the closet.

• Junk drawers with a lot of small items are easily organized by using smaller baskets or plastic containers to organize like items together.
• Home office desk drawers benefit from pen/pencil trays or drawer dividers.
• Customize your kitchen utensil drawer by using an expandable utensil drawer that pulls out to fit inside your kitchen drawer.
• Drawer organizers can be used to sort and separate socks, lingerie, ties, or stockings.
• Wood drawer dividers with a spring-loaded design are great for separating drawers into sections for folding clothes or smaller items such as seasonal socks and long johns.
• Plastic dividers are available in several designs as well.
• Line drawers for delicate items with paper or fabric to avoid possible snags.

A few more hints about closet organization and drawer organization...

• Clothing can be sentimental for many reasons. Do you sew or know someone who does? If you find you can't part with a clothing item for some reason, make it into a t-shirt quilt, scrap quilt, throw pillow, or wall art.
• Clothing items that are ripped, stained, missing buttons, or otherwise need special care should be put into a separate pile. If you are able to remedy the problem and the clothing item is one you love and wear, keep it. Otherwise, give it away.
• There is no shortage of organizational tools on the market today to make neat and tidy closets and drawers a reality in your home.
• Your closets can reflect your true decorating style just like the rest of the house. Use vintage containers, wood shelves, antique furniture, or rustic wall hooks to house, organize and hang everything in your closet.
• Creatively achieving closet organization as a uniquely decorated space, you'll look forward to visiting each day and you've instantly simplified your morning routine.