9 Simple Hacks That Will Help Organize That Mess You Call A Closet
By: Christopher Discipio
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It’s finally time to get your organizational act together and clear the clutter. Not only does having clothes strewn about everywhere look unsightly, it’s also incredibly inefficient because a) you’re not even really sure what you own, and b) even if you did know, you wouldn’t be able to access the clothing anyways. The 9 simple hacks below will transform your mess into a lean, mean, coordinated machine so you can actually wear what you’ve spent your hard-earned cash on.
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1. Call your local plumber What you need: PVC pipe and a pipe cutter/hand saw. What it does: Creates a handy storage compartment for your watches, belts, suiting accessories, etc. You can store the tubes of piping in a drawer, plastic container under your bed, in a box on your desk, etc. If you do indeed store ‘em in a drawer or something with a cover, measure the height of the compartment and cut your pipe accordingly. Roll up your belts and ties, use them to hold watches, tie bars, and other assorted jewelry. You could even put one near your front door to act as a catchall for keys, change, etc.
2. Use a pegboard What you need: A pegboard and pegboard hooks. What it does: Creates a space to hang and store clothing, accessories, etc. Install it on your bedroom wall and hang up tomorrow’s outfit so it’s ready to go the next morning. Use it to store jewelry and other small items (ties, scarves, etc.). A pegboard and a few hooks results in an invaluable space to hang, well, just about anything.
3. File your t-shirts What you need: Hands. What it does: Makes storing your t-shirts more efficient. Instead of storing them in the traditional fashion, put your t-shirts in the drawer using a filing system. This allows you to fit more shirts and get a much better sense of what you own (so you don’t continuously wear the same six tees).
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4. Drink up What you need: An empty cardboard wine box. What it does: The box that got you drunk becomes a place to store your shoes, ties, belts, accessories, etc. A 12 bottle wine box will hold six pairs of shoes (one shoe per slot). You could also use it to store off-season items, ties, and belts. Keep it under your bed so everything stays out of the way.
5. Get your hanger game up What you need: Identical hangers in different colors and/or closet organizers. What it does: Helps sort your clothing by type, color, and occasion. There are three routes you can take here. Either you can buy the same exact hanger in different colors to coordinate your clothing (i.e. shirts on blue hangers, pants on white), or you can use closet organizers to separate everything. But the ultimate step in clothing management is to utilize both techniques. For example, put all your shirts on blue hangers and use closet organizers to further separate them into work shirts, going out shirts, etc.
But, regardless of the route you choose, always sort your clothing by color to make everything more accessible and tidy.
6. Double up your rods What you need: Two tension rods. What it does: Creates additional space to hang and store clothes. Using two rods is an ingenious way to make more space for yourself in a small closet. Put your shortest clothes on the top rod, and then hang the bottom one as close as you can to the first. Theeeeen, use the space at the bottom of the closet to store bins of shoes, off-season clothing, etc.
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7. Continue to drink up What you need: Can tabs. What it does: Makes a double hanger. If you don’t have the space to perform the closet rod move outlined above, or just need more storage space in general, do this to turn one hanger into two.
8. Use shoe holders for things other than shoes What you need: Shoe holders. What it does: Provides additional storage space and filing compartments. Sure, you can use it for shoes, but those holders you hang on the back of your closet door, on a rod in your room, etc. offer an invaluable opportunity to organize and find a place to put those smaller trinkets you have scattered about everywhere. Store gloves and hats, belts, extra underwear, t-shirts, and even grooming products & other toiletries.
9. Sort your laundry beforehand What you need: Wall hooks (temporary or permanent). What it does: Keeps your dirty clothes off the floor and makes life easier come laundry day. Install the hooks at the back of your closet, in your room, or wherever it is you store your laundry. Use these bags to sort your underwear and socks, delicate items, like colors, etc., so you can literally grab and go come wash day. This also helps to keep your room/closet neat and laundry off the floor.
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