How to Make the Most of Your Closet Rod

Most people would love to buy a fancy closet system. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have endless storage and a place for everything to go! But, most busy people just don't have the time or the money to spend on the closet. It gets pushed further and further down the to-do list until it is highly unlikely that it will ever get done. These steps will give you a quick and easy alternative to that major closet overhaul that you would like to do, but can't afford to do, or that you simply can't find the time to commit.

1) Quickly get rid of excess items. A lot of us will store clothing in our closet for years before we decide that we'll never wear it again. If something has a stain, toss it. If it just doesn't fit right, get rid of it. If you haven't worn it in a year or two, give it away. It really doesn't take long to bag or box up items to give to charity. Sift through clothing and quickly and try not to think twice about what you should give away. If you're nervous about it, box it up anyway and store it in the garage. After a few weeks or months, see if you still really care about giving it up. Shoes, purses, ties, blankets, sheets and even suitcases can be cleared out. Most people only use a little over 50% of what is in their closet!

2) Help yourself find what you need when you need it. Group together like items so that you can quickly get ready in the mornings. Do whatever works best for you. Put your work clothes on one side and your casual clothes on the other. Divide up the groups by length and type of clothing. You can even organize by color if you choose. Whatever you do, it won't take but about five minutes to tackle.

3) Find ways to keep the closet clutter free. Hang a hook in an inconspicuous spot inside of your closet. Hang a plastic grocery bag or trash bag there. When you run across clothing that you've decided to not wear again, toss them into the bag instead of storing them back inside of your closet like you normally would. Maybe you wore a shirt that you thought you liked, but were constantly pulling at it all day, or it just has an itchy feel to it. Just make a point to continually get rid of clothing that you don't really need.

4) Make space in the closet using clothes hangers. You can make the most space on your closet rod by using different types of hangers. Hangers designed for certain items also keep them from becoming misshapen. You can purchase shirt hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, and dress hangers to keep your clothing nice and neat inside of the closet.