In every home, the closet is an area that is typically chaotic and disorganized. You would be amazed at how a little bit of planning and organization can go a long way toward keeping your wardrobe neat and tidy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Clear out your wardrobe and then segregate your belongings into piles of everyday clothes, seasonal items, accessories such as belts, ties, jewelry and handbags; smaller items such as lingerie and socks, and finally, shoes.
2. Use your graph paper and make a note of the various categories of items you require within your closet, and decide how each one of them are going to be stored. Typically, pants, skirts, blouses and other such clothing would be placed on hangers. Seasonal items can be stored in storage bins on the floor so that they do not take up unnecessary space in your closet for the rest of the year. If you have a lot of sweaters, you may want to look into purchasing sweater shelves. Use belt and tie holders. You can organize your handbags in a row on the top rack of the closet, or use a handbag organizer. Jewelry boxes would be ideal for your smaller treasures. Position all of your smaller items in drawers with drawer organizers neatly dividing the spaces. Use shoe storage racks for your footwear, or you can opt for a shoe organizer bag that could hang behind the door of your closet and save space.
3. Take your graph paper and make a note of the measurements of your closet (length and height). Mark this on your graph paper to a predetermined scale (for example, one box could equal to 3 inches, depending on the size of your graph paper). Then begin drawing the existing features, such as the rod or the shelves, into your plan. As an alternative, you could also design your closet online at Better Homes and Gardens' Design-a-closet (see Resources below).
4. Decide if your closet would serve any additional purpose. What else would you need to do in your closet/wardrobe space? Would you require a full-length mirror? Or a dressing space? If so, mark off enough space for these within your wardrobe. The mirror could be behind the door, and the dressing space could be near an area that receives maximum light.
5. Begin filling in empty spaces and adding on other features to match your needs. Perhaps if you have adequate height available in your closet, you could add one more rod beneath it for additional hanging places. You could add some drawers and shelves, or make a place for storage containers, baskets and other organizing units you may require. You may refer to Organize-a-closet (see Resources) for an idea of all the products available on the market.
Tags: your closet, graph paper, your graph, your graph paper, your wardrobe