Declutter and Organize Your Custom Closet for a Tidier Home

Assess and Inventory Your Belongings

Take some time to think about the types of items you have laying around the house that drive you nuts. Do you tend to pile up clean laundry on the living room couch? Perhaps children’s papers are cluttering up your counters. Or maybe you have so many shoes that they’re not only on your closet floor but now leaching out into the bedroom taking up residence by the front door. 

To create a good system in your custom closet, you need to know where your pain points are. Once you’ve determined the biggest issues in your house, it’s time to turn your attention to the closets themselves.

Empty Closets One at a Time

One caveat: You don’t want to jump in and have every member of the family start tearing items out of their respective closets. This is just going to lead to overwhelm and an enormous mess. Nobody needs that much stress. 

Instead, work on one space at a time. Depending on the type of clutter you’re dealing with, the logical choice might be the walk-in closet in your primary bedroom, or it might be the front hall closet if you have one. 

Take out the items that don’t belong in the closet, as well as those you no longer want or need. For example, if you have outfits you haven’t worn in a year or you’re storing seasonal decorations in the master bedroom closet, these can be taken out. Donate the clothes and plan on finding a new spot for the decorations.

Everything that still belongs in the closet can be piled on your bed or somewhere else with enough room to really spread out.

Create Categories Based on What You Have

Once you’ve purged the items you no longer need, it should be fairly simple to categorize the rest. For example, you’re going to be hanging all of your blouses together. All of your shoes should be stored together. As you identify categories, you can start putting these items back in the closet.

You might find items that really don’t belong in the closet you’re working on. That’s not a problem; just put them aside for the moment. Since the eventual goal will be to work through each storage space in your home, you can either put them somewhere out of the way temporarily, or you can place them in the closet or storage space where they belong, if you have room.

Begin putting the items away, starting with the largest categories. If you have a lot of jeans and t-shirts, you can fold these and begin filling your drawers. Tops, pants, and dresses should be hung. Sweaters need to be folded and can go in drawers or on shelves.

Maximize Your Space With Smart Storage Solutions

You’re likely to have items that don’t simply go in a drawer or on a hanger. That’s where smart storage solutions like shoe racks, tie and belt racks, and jewelry organizers come in. Think about how best to store the various items in your custom closet system, and look for accessories and organizers to help.

Hooks, bins, and additional shelving can all open up space, allowing you to find room for those items in your home that just float around from surface to surface. Shoes and clothing should all permanently reside in a closet, and now you’ll have the room to clear those items out of the living areas. 

As you clean out your other closets, you’ll find more room for the other items cluttering up your home. Move these behind closed doors in a neat and tidy manner, and your whole house will look and function better.

Maintain the System Regularly

Maintenance is key when it comes to keeping your home in good order. Spend a few minutes each day tackling clutter and moving it to where it needs to be. You may need to get the rest of your family involved in these clutter-busting missions.

Reader’s Digest recommends quick tidy-ups to keep disorganization from taking over. They also recommend decluttering challenges that might keep you and your family motivated to keep the house looking amazing.

Conclusion

Taking control of your custom closet systems can lead to better organization all over the house. Follow these steps to make your storage spaces neater and more able to hold the items you need kept behind closed doors.

Source

• https://www.rd.com/list/declutter-every-day/