Americans spent nearly $326 billion on their wardrobes in 2009, the last year on record. Unlike food or gasoline, clothing costs have fallen. And because clothes are historically cheap, people are buying more of them. This has resulted in storage issues for millions of fashion-conscience consumers. The average bedroom closet is busting at the seams. Work and casual clothing and accessories are getting harder and harder to store in one place. Many are forced to store seasonal apparel in their attics or basements. But there is a way increase storage space by arranging your wardrobe efficiently.
Closet Organizers
Sold in most department stores and home improvement centers, closet organizers are an effective and affordable way to get your wardrobe in order. Let us take a moment to review a few of the most popular types of organizers.
Where to start?
The more cluttered the closet, the more difficult it will be to find what you need. Many waste minutes each day searching for something in an overstuffed bedroom closet. As a general rule, it is best to start at the bottom and work your way up. That means creating valuable floor space. Women have an especially hard time finding room on their closet floors because they typically own more shoes and they store them differently. The girls are far more likely to keep their expensive shoes in their original boxes and stack them in their closets. And since the average woman has nineteen pairs of shoes, more than twice as many as the guys, this practice wastes an awful lot of space.
Clear shoeboxes
These organizers may not save much space, but they will save you time in the morning, since you won’t have to go opening 19 cardboard boxes, you can simply see what’s inside. Of course, they do take up a lot of room, which is why we suggest that you only purchase a few of them for your most precious pairs and store the rest in one of space-saving options below.
Shoe Racks
Most shoe racks can comfortably and compactly store a dozen pairs of shoes. We like the adjustable racks that offer separate tiers and can be expanded to fit nearly any bedroom closet. The advantages the shoe rack offers are high visibility and space saving. The only obvious drawback is that it does not protect shoes from damage or debris, which might not make it the best option for expensive footwear. But even so, the rack is an excellent option for women who have large collections of shoes that are worn regularly.
Shoe Cubby
No, they aren’t just for children. In fact, the standard shoe cubby is arguably the best organizer on our list. Not only can it accommodate dozens of pairs of shoes, but it also protects them better than the rack. The compact, open-faced boxes let you see your shoes while it keeps them save and frees of floor space.
Specialty Hangers
Even if you have an enormous wardrobe, it is easy to put it in order with a few specialty hangers. These hangers are designed to store and protect certain types of clothing. For example, all delicate fabrics should be stored on padded hangers. Using any other hanger could cause them to lose their shape or to stretch.
All button-down shirts should be hung on plastic hangers and sport coats and suits require wooden hangers. Last but not least, a standard belt hanger can be used to store bras, camisoles, scarves and belts, of course. It is a breeze to arrange even the most unruly of closets by hanger material. It is important to remove all wire hangers as soon as possible, since they do not properly support clothes and may actually ruin them over time. We also advise against storing anything in plastic dry-cleaner bags because they deprive fabrics of air, not to mention the fact that they are bad for the environment.
Folded Clothing Storage
Most people like to keep all of their clothes in one place. If you have a commodious closet, it may be possible to store folded clothing like sweaters in it. After all, storing delicate sweaters on an open shelf is easier and safer than stuffing them into a drawer. The best way to store finely-knit clothing is with the help of a sweater divider. There are many different models on the market today. We prefer sturdy dividers that are made of metal and can be securely fitted to the bottom of the shelf. They look a bit like large napkin holders, but they keep several sweaters and other folded clothing separated into nice even stacks.
No matter how crowded or unruly the closet, organizers can help you put everything in place.
Jon Baker is a freelance writer who writes about home maintenance topics and products such as closet organizers.
6670060
No comments yet.