Household Hints
Tips for Organizing Your Closet Space
By
Apr 10, 2007, 21:08

(NewsUSA) - Closets look great in model homes, but when it comes to upgrading or redesigning a closet yourself, the result can sometimes be less than thrilling.

With some planning and organization, however, assembling and maintaining the closet of your dreams doesn't have to be a task of your nightmares.

Here are some tips to help your next closet-organizing project go off without a hang-up:

* Properly prepare. Missy Gerber of Organizers Northwest in Portland, Ore., a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, recommends setting a specific date for a closet remodeling project and allowing five hours to get started. Remove everything from the closet and clean it thoroughly. Make wall repairs as needed and apply a fresh coat of paint.

* Decide which clothes you will keep. Apply the "20 percent rule." In general, 20 percent of clothes are worn on a regular basis, 10 percent on special occasions, and 70 percent are not worn at all. If you do not love the item and feel great wearing it, get rid of it.

When arranging the items you decide to keep, visibility and accessibility are key points to keep in mind. If you can't see a piece of clothing in your closet, you probably won't wear it.

* Categorize. Sort the clothes by categories: pants, shirts, blouses, skirts and so forth. Gerber recommends purchasing a set of swivel-head plastic hangers. These work best and are inexpensive.

* Consider installing an organizer. Organizers can be great tools for immediately getting the most out of your closet.

Racor's new Gravity Closet System, for instance, is an easy-to-install unit that fastens to the wall in two areas and is immediately ready to use.

The organizer features an extruded-aluminum frame that anchors its support system. The shelving and hanging rods are adjustable, giving homeowners the ability to customize the unit to almost any configuration. Combined, they can support loads of up to 200 pounds.

The basic two-shelf and rod system measures 32 inches wide by 72 inches high. An add-on, four-shelf extension kit is 16 inches wide by 72 inches high. Racor products are available at retailers nationwide and online at www.racorinc.com.

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