4 Closet Organization Tips for Your New Home

Moving to a new home provides the perfect opportunity to maximize closet organization and functionality. Before you hang your first shirt or pair of pants, it is critical to consider your closet’s layout first and then design it based on your storage needs and daily routine. If you’re looking to enjoy many years of clean and functional space, here are four closet organization strategies to consider:

1. Know Where to Start

It all starts in the home you’re leaving. That is where the necessary purge must happen. Start by clearing out your closet and assess each item, deciding on whether to keep or discard it. As a rule of thumb, those clothes that are rarely worn or items that still have tags on them should go. Donate or sell them now!

According to Homes & Gardens, the 80-20 rule goes beyond simply organizing a space, and can be applied to different aspects of our lifestyle. For instance, when it comes to our closets, the 80-20 rule tells us that we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Everything else just sits untouched in our wardrobes. With this in mind, it becomes easier to separate the clothes and accessories you seldom or never wear, and either give them to friends or family or donate them to your favorite charity. Another closet organization tip: If you haven’t worn it in over a year, you never will, so best to just let it go.

Once you’re done decluttering, take an inventory of your remaining items. Ask yourself how you use them and how you would normally organize them. You can ask questions like: How much of your clothes do you tend to hang and how much do you keep folded? How many shoes do you have in your closet? Do you like drawers in your closet or do you prefer having many chest of drawers in your bedroom?

2. DIY vs Professional Installation

3. Key Design Features to Consider

A custom closet’s significance goes beyond providing storage for your wardrobe—it improves home organization, enhances aesthetics, and streamlines your daily routines. If you want to maximize your closet’s potential, consider designing it with features that enhance its functionality to better cater to your specific storage and organization needs, such as:

• Double hanging rods - For your new closet, implementing double hanging rods is imperative. They allow you to immediately maximize the amount of hanging space. Dedicating a section in your closet for longer garments like coats and dresses is also helpful. This section may be positioned into less accessible and awkward corners as they hold items that are often used less frequently. In general, you do NOT want hanging items over shelving to maintain accessibility of items and overall closet organization.
• Adjustable shelving - This feature allows you to customize your storage space based on your current needs. Shelves can be placed close to the floor and may be used for folded items, undergarments, jewelry trays, shoes, and more. For shoes, you can fit more pairs on each shelf if you alternate the direction each shoe faces (i.e., heel to toe). Be sure to measure how many shoes can fit on one shelf before committing to a standard shelf width. Note that more women’s shoes can fit on the same shelf space compared to men's shoes.
• Drawers - These drawers offer hidden storage for smaller items such as undergarments and accessories, helping avoid clutter and making it quicker for you to find what you need. They are also good storage for less-used items. As the saying goes: “If you can’t see it, you don’t wear it.” – so it’s best to keep sweaters and shirts on shelves rather than in drawers. Depending on the size, drawers may be customized to double as pull-out laundry hampers.
• Baskets - Likewise, bins and baskets may be used to store anything that needs to be quickly accessed. They can also hold bulkier items such as jackets and even blankets. In kids’ closets, baskets are useful for storing toys and books, and may be stored under the shelves for easy access.
• Accessory organizers - If you want to further enhance your closet organization, accessories like tie racks, jewelry trays, belt and scarf hooks ensure smaller items don’t get lost. They make it simpler for you to keep your accessories in a designated place where they remain visible and accessible.
  

4. Utilize Your Space Efficiently

Aside from having essential features and organizers in your closet, it’s important that you also take steps to maximize any available space that can be turned into storage. 

For example, consider placing a hanging system on one of the side walls rather than just using the rear wall of the closet. Typically, to use adjacent walls and have them properly function, the walls will need to be at least 54". This allows for clothes put on one wall to still be easily reached while the other clothes on adjacent walls are hanging perpendicular to them. In most cases, you can gain two to four feet of hanging space using this design since the hanging poles will not be crossing each other.

You can also consider using vertical space and the space at the back of your door. To maximize vertical space, you can install high shelves where you can store items you rarely use. You may also install hooks and racks for your accessories. Likewise, adhesive hooks and over-the-door organizers offer real estate for shoes, clothing accessories, and even some seasonal items.

Other things you can do to up closet organization include: Storing your clothes in clear and labeled containers; storing seasonal items elsewhere like the top shelf, under your bed, or in your garage; adding corner shelves or rotating shoe racks; and just making it a habit to declutter your closet.

Conclusion

Moving into a new home is always exciting, especially when it comes to your closet organization. This time presents the perfect opportunity to revamp your closet space and tailor it based on your needs. With the four tips above, ranging from performing a thorough declutter to zeroing in on key design features and practices, you can easily establish a closet space that is beautiful and functional.

Source

• https://www.homesandgardens.com/life-design/8020-decluttering-rule