Wardrobe Tips: How to Maximize Closet Storage Space
Saturday, November 13th, 2010Even with a walk in closet the size of a small bedroom, it can sometimes be hard to leverage the use of your closet storage space to its maximum usage. The problem is that we tend to only think of the closet in terms of a place to just “put things”. Ultimately this then leads to the closet becoming a messy dumping ground of clothes – not to mention other odds and ends! – that obscure finding what you’re looking or even being to reliably find the clothes you need without having to sort through mountains of junk.
There is hope! In fact, with a little bit of money and planning, it’s easy to maximize the amount of available closet space you have available to you. For those of us who don’t have a walk in closet, one of the first things to consider is buying a stand alone unit. This can be anything from what’s often described as portable wardrobe, such as this cheap Khaki wardrobe from Whitney Design, to a more solid built armoire such as this white wardrobe cabinet. These stand alone units function as an extra closet so if you’re problem isn’t so much a lack of closet organization skills but a serious lack of virgin closet space, spending anywhere from $30 to $300 for a stand alone closet will make the next steps much easier.
Next is the dreaded step that you know you should do at least once a year: closet spring cleaning. Don’t pass over this step by just buying your way out with a second wardrobe! You should get used to the idea of being frugal in your closet belongings. It will make the future of your closet a much brighter one.
A good rule of thumb when going through your clothes is to simply donate (or sell, trash, etc) any item you’ve not worn in the last year. For those of us who are brave, cut that time frame in half and get rid of anything not worn in 6 months (not withstanding the idea of seasonal clothing, of course!)
At this point you should either have a new wardrobe closet or your old one should have twice as much free space – or both these things can be true. The final step at this point is to simply organize what’s left into a logical system where similar items are near similar items. For instance, all your winter clothes together here and all your summer clothes together there. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this system! Like many plans in life, the simple ones work best if you just buckle down and do the leg work.
