The Top 4 Tips to Maintain a Tidy Custom Closet System

Rob Dunn • Mar 14, 2023

Do you only clean your custom closets every couple of months? By taking a few minutes each day to maintain your closets, you’ll have far less cleaning and decluttering to do. What are some daily tasks you can commit to?

Here are the top tasks to add to your routine each day to keep your custom closets clean:

Take dirty items out
Put clean items in
Remove surface dust and dirt
Check for pests and mold

Ahead, we’ll elaborate on each of the tips above so you can restore your custom closet to pristine condition and keep it organized long into the future.

1. Take Dirty Items Out

You don’t want dirty items in your custom closet. The grime and sweat that lingers on your clothes can attract many pest species, and the odors from your dirty stuff can linger in your custom closet, making the whole area smell a bit funky.

People have differing opinions on how many wears constitute dirty clothes, but you should have a hard and fast rule: Once you decide it's dirty, it should only be in the closet if it's in a hamper. Don't put it on the floor, don't lay it on a shelf, and don't toss it on top of an island or chair in the closet.

2. Put Clean Items In

If you have a bustling family, you know how laundry day isn’t just one day of the week but seemingly every day. You’re always carting up laundry baskets full of fresh clothes. Don’t let those baskets sit for long!

Each day, you should fold the clean clothes or put them on hangers and store them in your custom closet. Do the same for linens or those shoes you just cleaned up.

When you leave stuff to accumulate in your bedroom, that’s how clutter starts. The pile becomes bigger and bigger, leaving you feeling so overwhelmed that you put off dealing with it for too long. It’s better to take five or 10 minutes each day to add clean items to your closet, as it’s easier and less time-consuming.

3. Remove Surface Dust and Dirt

It doesn’t take long at all for dust to settle on surfaces. According to Martha Stewart, you can clean a surface, and a day later, it could have more dust.

Breathing in dirt and especially dust does your health no favors. Dust can irritate your skin, throat, and eyes, leading to symptoms like sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes. If you have allergies or asthma, you could experience more severe symptoms.

Before you get dust bunnies building up around your custom closet, tackle the issue. Each day, commit to spending a few minutes wiping down surfaces so they’re clean of dirt and dust. You and your family will breathe much easier!

4. Check for Pests and Mold

Unfortunately, your custom closet can attract both pests and mold.

If you put unclean clothes back in the closet and those garments happen to have any food residue on them, that can lure in creatures like silverfish and cockroaches.

How do you know if you have pests in your custom closets? Well, do your clothes or linens suddenly have unexplainable holes in them? Maybe stains or tears? Those are pretty clear indicators.

You have plenty of solutions for warding off pests, some of which you can do daily. Vacuum any carpeting in your custom closets, keep your closets neat, and use scents like dried lavender or cedar, which are proven pest repellents.

Besides pests, make sure you check for mold. With the door closed, your custom closet can become humid. Packing in clothes and other items too closely can also contribute to the warm air that mold enjoys. You'll know pretty quickly if you have mildew hanging out in your garage, as it has an unmistakable musty odor.

Call a mold remediation expert if your custom closet has become moldy. In the future, only store clean items in the closet, keep items spaced apart, and let the closet air out regularly.

Conclusion

Keeping a tidy custom closet system isn’t something you should do once a quarter or even once a month. It’s a task you should commit to every single day.