Most closet storage is very inefficient. When you open most closets, what do you generally see? Besides a mess. You will see a pole going from one side of the closet to the other. On top of that you will see a shelf that also runs from one side to the other. Plain and basic, but there are ways to increase your closet storage. Most shelves are unorganized. Most people just pile stuff up there hoping they know where it is and hope to find it when they need it. Often times its gets so unruly that when you go to look for something, a whole bunch of clothes and what not cascade down upon you. There must be a better way. With a little bit of planning and some basic skills, you can make your closet storage more efficient and easier to manage. There are several different closet shelving systems out on the market. What you want to find is one that offers the option to be able to adjust it. After installing it, you may find you want to change a few things around after using it. That is why an adjustable system is better. I prefer a wire closet shelf system that allows me to arrange the rods for clothes hangers as double deckers. This is where you see 1 rod above another in the closet. Arranging your rod like this uses your closet space better. No more large empty space under the clothes on a rod. Since you are using the double rods, you can now increase your shelf storage and make it more useable. Instead of having the one shelf that is always a bit to high to use, you now have shelves at eye level and easy to use. A favorite of mine is the Rubbermaid 3H89 Configurations 4-to-8-Foot Deluxe Custom Closet Kit, Titanium . It is quite literally a closet in a box. Don’t be scared off if you don’t think you are handy. If you read the reviews, it can be done in less than 2 hours. Set up is easy. You will need to plan ahead, but remember it is an adjustable system so you can change it if need be. Stop fumbling in your closet and get organized this year. Go check out some new wire closet shelving.

Rubbermaid 3H89 Configurations 4-to-8-Foot Deluxe Custom Closet Kit, Titanium

A five-tier shelf offers plenty of easy access to folded clothes, shoes, boxes, hats and more with this custom closet organizing kit from Rubbermaid….

Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Rubbermaid 3B2803BLTN 60-Inch Breathable Wardrobe Storage, Blue

Wardrobe features clear visibility of contents. Made of breathable material. Measures 60-inch high.

Whitmor 6071-1723 4 Storage Cubes, White

Whitmor 6071-1723 4 Storage Cubes, WhiteWhitmor 6071-1723 4 Storage Cubes, White Features:; Assembled dimensions: 14.25×14.5×14.5 Inches; Can be creative…

Sterilite 29308001 3-Drawer Wide Cart with See-Through Drawers and Black Casters, White

Sterilite 29308001 3 Drawer White Wide Storage Drawer CartSterilite 29308001 3 Drawer White Wide Storage Drawer Cart Features:; Durable storage cart;…

Closet storage, its such a dream right? I love seeing closets on TV shows showing how clean and orderly they are. But we know the truth, don’t we? I know I have opened my closet and just feel overwhelm by the amount of stuff and clutter in there. It truly got out of hand.

After looking for my right sneaker amongst the mountain of boots, shoes and stuff it was time to get organized. No longer did I want to quickly shut the closet door after putting something in there in fear of the door not closing.

How to start to increase your closet space

Let’s start with the first closet you generally encounter. The entrance closet. That coat closet usually found near the front door. This closet does seem to become a catchall of stuff doesn’t it? This is where kids, husbands stuff seem to pile stuff up. Looking through mine I found shoes and sneakers that hadn’t been worn in years. And mind you it’s a small closet too!

The first thing you need to do is to de-clutter. What I did was to pull all of the shoes, boots, sandals, and sneakers out of the closet. I lined them up in the hall. I then had everyone throw out their footwear that is out of style, no longer fits, or shoes wouldn’t be caught dead in. This took all of 15 minutes, and for the first time in years I could see the bottom of the closet floor!

This was a great start. Next to tackle were the coats and jackets themselves. Here is another place where clutter just seems to grow. Once again I took everything out and put it in each persons pile. They then sorted through what still fits and what was in good condition. Anything that was still in good shape but unwanted was going to be donated.

That is something to consider too when cleaning out your closets. If the clothes and shoes you are getting rid of are still in decent condition, you may be able to donate it and get a tax write off for it! You may even be able to sell it on Ebay! Not only are you reclaiming closet space, you’re making a few dollars too!

Now after the coats and jackets have been cleared, the next step is the top shelf in the closet. This is usually filled with miscellaneous stuff like hats, gloves and whatnot. Once again pull it all out and sort. Toss or donate.

The shelf is where you can a bit creative. There are many closet storage solutions. What we did was get little bins labeled with our names. We use these bins to store our gloves hats and scarves. No more just randomly tossing them to the top of the closet to be lost and forgotten. By simply organizing that shelf with bins, you no longer have to hear a family member asking if you have seen their gloves

Another good way to increase your closet space is the use the back of the door. There are several door organizers that you can choose from. Most easily attach to the back of the door. You will find them useful for hats and gloves (so now you can use the shelf bins for other items) and also for footwear.

This may seem like a long drawn out project. Think of all the time you have wasted in the past trying to run out of the house only to be stopped by a search for something in the closet. By taking about an hour to de-clutter, toss and organize, you will find your closet cleaner and more manageable. Even better, you now have more closet storage!