How to End Clutter and Make Home Organization Easier
I’ve spoken to quite a few people over the years who say they have very nice clothes they love but the don’t wear them anymore. But my question is this: If you value something so much…then don’t you think you should be wearing it?
The reality is we are a society who likes to accumulate and, dating back to the Great Depression, we tend to keep everything we believe has monetary value when, in reality, it really doesn’t.
For example, a pretty dress or a nice suit you bought ten years ago went for what can be considered a lot of money. And the problem is you haven’t touched it in nine years because, as most clothes do, it went out of style. Could it come back in style someday? Maybe. Styles do often return. But this is not a reason to hold onto things you don’t use…”just in case.”
You feel like, because you spent “good” money on it, you are throwing money away. But ask yourself this… is it putting money in your pocket sitting there in the back of your closet with dust on the shoulders? Is it giving you anything? Do you benefit at all from keeping outdated outfits? Now ask yourself one more question… will you gain anything by getting rid of it and donating it to charity? Of course you will!
The benefits?
More space to be able to keep the clothes you are going to wear (we only wear 50% of the clothes we own, by the way.) I might even suggest buying a new outfit for every three to five you get rid of.
The purpose?
Because new clothes make people feel good. I don’t recommend buying new clothes for the sake of buying new clothes and throwing away your money. But you’ve got to admit putting on a new pair of pants that make us look better is a nice, uplifting feeling. The thing is the items taking up space, yes, you paid for them. But by keeping something you no longer wear or use you are not getting anything in return but more clutter and a lack of storage space you could be using for something else.
Here is something you should do right now with items (they don’t have to be clothes) you are holding onto because you paid good money for them.
1. Go find ten items you own for one reason and one reason only… because you paid for it.
2. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns.
3. Write the items you are having trouble getting rid of in the left column. In the middle column, write “why I am keeping this item” and in the third column write “what will I gain by getting rid of this item.”
My guess is you will have a lot more in the right column than you will in the middle. Be specific with both. If you can honestly fill up the middle column with more reasons of why you should keep it, and they are good, legitimate reasons, then maybe you shouldn’t get rid of it. But I’m willing to bet that won’t be the case.
Does your household include young children with piles of toys or teenagers who always seem to be complaining about having no room for their clothes? Save yourself a lot of aggravation, as well as time and money, by arranging rooms and furniture in ways that create a family-friendly organized living space.
The first step is finding room for the stuff. Kids come with a lot of gear, from the time they’re babies until they’re out the door and into their own place. In the meantime, you have to find ways to accommodate everything from strollers and building blocks to hockey sticks and Barbie collections. When there’s a place for everything, there’s a better chance that the stuff will get put away. Don’t waste closet space. Add a shelving unit and storage bins, and put up hooks on the back of the closet door wherever possible. The small dresser that served your young child can be put into the closet at a later age.
Children’s beds often come with storage compartments underneath, and nightstands can have either drawers or shelves. When children share a room, bunk beds and sleeping lofts are obvious choices for saving space. Teenagers, especially those 6-footers, may very well need a full size bed rather than the standard twin. Again, think storage space underneath or headboards that incorporate storage space.
Even if your school-age child has a computer desk, he or she may still not have enough room for spreading out books and binders at homework time. Consider a large desk if there’s room, or maintain an open policy about using the kitchen or dining room table for homework. But remember that a young child’s feet should touch the floor to prevent restlessness, so if the dining room chair is too tall, use a box or stool under their feet.
Toys and sports equipment can be kept under control by using storage chests, large plastic cubes, or shelving units with bins. Hall trees often come with a storage bench, and are a great solution for coats and boots and skates.
Save yourself a lot of trouble by painting children’s rooms rather than using wallpaper. Children quickly grow out of cute prints, and new paint is a simple solution for changing tastes.
Keep living room and family room furniture looking good by choosing fabrics with a high thread count and tight weave that clean easily and hold up to hard use. Flat weaves are better than textured fabrics for durability. The new microfibers are a good choice for surviving kids and pets, and nothing is easier than slipcovers that can be removed and washed. By the way, sectional sofas are very versatile, able to adapt to any room and comfortable for everyone in the family. Add a set of nesting tables that can be handily moved from room to room for games and projects.
Don’t trip over the stuff of family life. There’s a way to make everyone happy . . . especially Mom.
Closet Organizers – Bringing Order To Messy Closets
Closet organizers are cleverly designed to optimize the use of the space available, and can work wonders at transforming a cluttered closet into a neat and tidy storage place. We all know how annoying it is to have an a closet crammed full of old clothes and to never be able to find what we’re looking for. Or when we do find that favorite dress, all too often it’s lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the closet. A built in closet organizer can change all that, providing a dedicated storage place for different types of clothing and shoes.
Bedroom closet organizers can be installed in both walk in and reach in closets, and can be custom made to meet your particular requirements. Most closet organizer systems come with a variety of adjustable features, such as shelving and hanging rods, which can be fitted to best meet your storage needs. For instance, two short hanging rods one above the other, can be perfect for shorter items of clothing like shirts and folded pants. Wood shelves or wire racks can be useful for smaller items. Hooks are handy for ties and belts. And there are all kinds of options for shoes, from cubby holes to door hanging racks or organizer boxes.
If you’re feeling inspired to tackle your messy closet and have a good clear out of all that clutter, then installing a fitted closet organizer or even just adding the separate components that you need most, can be very worthwhile. Once you’ve got your closet organizer system in place and arranged all your things in the appropriate storage compartments, it should be much easier to stay organized and not succumb to the clutter in the future!
There are so many of us that spend more time than we would like to trying to neaten up our closets so that we can use them for better storage spaces. We do this so that we can avoid having strayed clothes and other things all over the house. Many of us have asked for help on how to keep our closets neat and orderly. Finally, someone has answered our pleas for help on how to get more clothes and other belongings into our closets while also helping us in keeping them neat and orderly. You can have a neat and orderly closet and be able retrieve items from it much easier now, thanks to a wonderful new tool for increased closet storage and organization. The makers of the Wonder Hanger have designed a clever solution for storing more clothes in closets. This miraculous hanger extension has many other benefits, which also includes a very reasonable price.
The Wonder Hanger can increase your closets storage capacity by as much as three times what it is now. Imagine how many more clothes you could fit into your closet without it becoming an unmanageable and disgusting mess. A Wonder Hanger can hold up to five garments and twenty pounds without breaking! With your purchase of a Wonder Hanger set, you will receive ten Wonder Hangers that can hold as many as fifty garments all while using less space than if you tried hanging them with regular hangers. Furthermore, you will get four bending hangers with your set purchase that are perfect for hanging lingerie, slim strap dresses, and other clothing that easily falls off regular hangers. As a bonus for new customers, the makers of the Wonder Hanger are also including two LED mini lights for your closet with your purchase of the set. This can help to provide more illumination for viewing clothes before selecting what to wear.
The Wonder Hanger is versatile enough that it works in even the tiniest of closets to increase their storing and organizing power, and so much more. How often have you wished for a bigger closet so that you could hang more clothes and keep your closet neat and organized? With Wonder Hangers, you can do that easily and inexpensively. Transform every closet in your home into storage and organizing masters with the miraculous power of the Wonder Hanger.
With the Wonder Hanger, your clothes will be resistant to wrinkling, unlike the clothes that are crammed into a closet with other hangers. Closets crammed full of clothes make getting dressed difficult and they make it harder to maintain even the simplest semblance of order to them as well. You are a busy person, and you most likely do not need the delay and frustration of trying to choose clothes to wear from a messy closet in which you cannot even see all of your clothing choices. The wonder hanger keeps all of your clothing visible for faster choosing. You will not have to deal with stuff falling onto the floor of your closet either as the wonder hanger keeps everything securely in place.
The Wonder Hanger works for hanging and keeping more than just clothes organized. Use them to hang purses, scarves, belts, ties, and similar things that can make a mess of your closet in a snap. Now you can hang these items neatly, grab any of them as needed, and be out the door and on your way sooner and with much less stress.
You may have seen or heard about the Wonder Hanger in advertisements on TV. You can find more information about the Wonder Hanger online and even order your Wonder Hanger set through several vendors, including the official Wonder Hanger website. Learn why the Wonder Hanger has become so popular and are finding their way into many closets in homes all across the country today.
The Wonder Hanger set includes all of the tools you will need for expanding your closets storing capability, and for organizing and keeping everything in your closet in a neat and orderly fashion. Consider how many ways an organized closet can benefit you and it is all thanks to this low cost miracle hanger extension known as the Wonder Hanger. Store more clothes and other belongings in your closet, protect clothes from getting wrinkles, find clothes to wear with less hassle and stress, spend less time having to clean and reorganize your closet to keep it orderly and tidy, and help keep the rest of your home tidier by expanding the storage spaces in all your homes closets with Wonder Hangers.
About the Author: Arianna Jordan is a freelance writer who writes about home organization often discussing a specific product like the wonder hanger.
Most of us have a fairly large closet, but lots of worthless space in its original design. It is no wonder things end up piled up and lost in there. To get organized you are going to need to transform that space into areas you can work with. Once you have decided on the items that will go back into your closet you are going to have to decide how you want it in there. Do you want to hang it? Put it on the floor? Have a few shelves? Or store some items on the floor? This information will help you take the proper steps to get your closet organized.
Multi tier hanging clothes rods are very useful. You can install half rods in various locations as well. This is an excellent choice if you need a full length rod area for dresses and want a shorter hanging space for shirts. Most of us have a standard closet with one hanging clothes rod all the way across. Even simply adding a second one down below will double your storage space!
Use bins, dividers, small shelves, or baskets to separate and organize your smaller closet items. You can even put your sweaters in a basket or on a shelf since hangers can cause them to lose their shape. Cubbies are great for shoes, belts, scarfs, and other similar items. Carousals are wonderful for hats, ties, and purses. If you are creative you may want to use a particular closet organization product for an entirely different purpose. Do it! This is your project so make it work for you.
This is your chance to customize your closet storage space. Make it accessible and convenient for what you need. Some of us have tons of clothes and only a few pairs of shoes. Some of us have a pair of shoes to go with each outfit. Therefore no custom closet organization design is perfect for everyone. For the best results, take a complete inventory of the items you plan on to return to your closet and devise a plan that will give the right amount of space for the items you need it for.
Do you plan to live in your current residence for a long time? If so, a permanent closet organization system is something you will be interested in. For those of you who move often or who rent, consider using removable closet organization products that install and remove easily. Otherwise you will find yourself in the same predicament each time you have to move. You will also want to consider the cost of each type of closet organization system before making any decisions.
Many people don’t realize the amount of space they have on the inside of their closet doors. You can hang a bag for hats, purses, belts, umbrellas, gloves, etc. here. It is also a perfect location for hanging a shoe organizer. Make sure you take this area into consideration while devising your custom closet organization layout.
Don’t spend money on items to design your closet until you are absolutely sure that they are going to fit well in your closet area. Most closet organizing products can’t be returned or exchanged if you have already started putting them together unless they are defective. It is a good ideal to take your measurements twice in the closet as well as when you are looking for products to purchase.