Closet Room Organizing
Mrs Clean Recommends:
Organizing A Room Closet
How To Organize A Room Closet
The longer we live in our house, the more it seems to shrink. With over-stuffed closets, crammed cabinets, and a basement and garage jammed full; it’s time to get start getting this organized.
You will feel so much better with this clutter cleared out and tamed to a reasonable dimension and if you can organize your room closets, you will get back some of that time and energy that you’ve been missing.
How many wasted minutes have you spent looking for the top to a pot, or the other blue shoe or even those insurance papers that you know are in here somewhere??!
Once you learn how to organize a room closet, you will be able to use the same system on each closet in the house with great success! And it’s not as overwhelming as it may seem right now. The key is to take one step at a time.
Have you heard the old riddle? “How do you eat an elephant?” “One bite at a time!” Well, your closets may look like elephants right now, but by taking some organizational tools and using them wisely; your closets are going to be de-cluttered today.
Getting started:
The first time you tackle an overstuffed closet it is going to take the good part of a day. So, just plan on it. After you get the hang of it, it will go quicker. To begin with, evaluate your entire home for closet space and any other storage space keeping an eye out for any unused space, like under the beds, etc.
On a notebook, make a list and designate what the main purpose is for each closet so it doesn’t get confused when you are in the middle of organizing - for example, kitchen dishes or bathroom linens and supplies. Make a list of items that you will need from the store, and remember that you can get as simple or as creative as you would like.
You’ll need 30 hangers, 2-4 1ft x1ft crates, they are perfect for kids toys and shoes and serve as a catch-all until you’ve collected all the like items, tie rack, metal baskets, hooks, hanging racks, shelf paper and plastic containers with lids for storage. Once you’ve done that, the rest is standard for each closet, no matter what’s inside.
Organizing: The Five Stacks
Typically you will want to start with an “easy” closet, one that isn’t too overstuffed so that you can experiment with your skills. All the items should be separated into four stacks:
- Trash
- Over 2 years rule
- Dirty and needs washing.
- Things that belong somewhere else.
- Goes back inside.
Organizing Tips
Start at the top and work your way down. Take everything out (except hanging clothes, those you will sort according to type-shirts, pants, etc.) and wipe off the shelf. Put all like items in one place until you have decided where it will end up. As you are going through the closet, try to stay right there. Make the 4 stacks and take care of them later. One step at a time!
Now the time is to be thinking about how to regroup and store the closet clutter in a better way. Use your supplies. Would another shelf help, maybe a hanging shelf, or some hooks added to the wall, or by taking all the items out that are rarely used and putting them in plastic boxes that stack or putting them neatly under the bed. Or, you may have all your spices and condiments on a shelf in the pantry, and by adding a spice rack to the door or wall, you’ve freed up a complete shelf. Be creative. Paint the shelves, or use contact paper if you want.
Condense items and put them in baskets so the items can be found easily. When the closet has been re-filled, use large garbage bags for the trash and things to give away that you haven’t used in two years, and put away the miscellaneous stuff. Now you can move on to the next until all your closets are de-cluttered and renovated. You are going to find an uncluttered house much nicer to live in. Enjoy!
