5 Pain Free Tips For Organizing a Closet

Just knowing that there is a mess of clutter hiding behind those closed closet doors can be stressful and distracting. Then when you open them to try and find something, chaos is unleashed, and the tranquility of your life is despoiled in a mess of useless junk.

Don’t despair!

Using the five simple tips below, you can tame the tempest and bring order back into your closet, and your life.

1. The Six Month Rule

The six month rule states that if something has been sitting in your closet, and has not been used, worn, or referred to in the last six months, it is time to get rid of it. This applies to old clothes, accessories, and clutter of every kind. It is time to get serious and toss that stuff, or at least donate it to a reputable charity

2. Organization and Strategy

Before you start organizing a closet, you have to have a vague sort of strategy in mind. You don’t have to know exactly where everything goes right from the start, but it helps to have a general idea that shoes go in one corner, hats go in specific bins, and ties are hung on that specific side of the space. This rough idea lets you develop the space further as you go along.

3. Storage Bins and Hooks

The numbers of storage accessories you use will depend on your personality. Some people prefer to lump things together in bins or boxes, and then search around whenever they want to find something specific, while others will want thousands of containers, clearly labeled, so that they can put their hands on anything as soon as they want. Which ever way you prefer, make certain that you have as many bins as you will actually use, on hand at all times.

4. Consistency

Consistency refers to putting things back in their proper place, each and every time. Will power is the only way to ensure this.

5. Balance

In the end, achieving organization is a balance between your personality, your possessions, and the space you have available. You can’t spend all day every day putting each earring in its own bin, but if you throw all of them together in one box, you will never be able to find a matched pair. It is important to be aware of your own personality, and the constraints of the space, whenever setting out to organize your closet area.

This article was provided courtesy of PebbleZ Rustic Stone Home Decor store, and was written by artist Joey Pebble

5 Common Space Bandits

Picture: Flickr.com

Seeking less stress and more space?

Here are 5 common space bandits that can take your space captive. Rally today, and get that space back!

Clothes

If you're like most people, the clothes you wear on a day-to-day basis come from a mere 20 percent of the clothes in your closet. In other words, 80 percent of those clothes are just taking up space and never worn. Go through your closet and remove jeans, sweaters, blouses, skirts, dresses, shoes and coats that you never wear. Donate them today. Your closet will be ready to store any outfits you feel wonderful wearing, and you'll be helping out someone who could be making use of those unused garments.

Appliances

Bread machines, juicers, griddles, mixers and other similar appliances are wonderful--if you use them. However, if you have some, or all, of these appliances, and you haven't used them in, conservatively speaking, a year, chances are, they'll never be used in your lifetime. Say goodbye to them today, and you'll be freeing up cabinet and counter space.

Magazines

Do you keep every single magazine that enters your home? If you do, you most likely have a few piles growing throughout your home or office. Try to go through your magazines and cut out and file, only the articles or recipes, etc. that most interest you. No sense in keeping the entire magazine, once you've read through it and have chosen those pages that you'd like to keep for future reference.

Mementos

While it's fine to keep some very meaningful things stashed away in a mementos box, if you've accumulated more than one or two boxes of these treasures, you may be going a bit overboard. Being sentimental is wonderful, but not when it's at the expense of your living space or storage space. Go through these boxes of stuff from time to time, and weed out the things that no longer have significant meaning to you. Commit to 1-2 boxes at the most, and you'll have lots of memories to look back on in the future, and lots of new space now!

Furniture

Is your home or apartment filled to the max with furniture you never use? Perhaps it was passed down from a loved one? Or maybe you've made a move to a smaller place, but brought all of your big furniture with you.

If it's not functional or you truly don't have the space for it, consider letting go. Imagine all the free space you'll have when it's gone.

by Maria Gracia -

http://www.getorganizednow.com