You may be surprised at what types of storage containers are on the market today. The closet accessories that used to only be available to professionals are now available at reasonable prices to the public. Before you go and buy a lot of stuff, examine what you have. You will need to determine what really needs to stay in your closet. Get rid of as much as you can. Then take measurements. You don’t want to get home with a lot of containers that just won’t fit in your closet space.

See if you need to install additional shelving in your closet. Even coated wire shelving has some attractive accessories, now. You can get beautiful baskets that slide like drawers or wooden inserts that make a wire closet system look great, without investing in a solid wood closet system.

You can dress up a closet system by using wood hangers or other high-end hangers that make your closet look nice. You can save space by using specialty hangers. Save shelf space by using comforter or quilt hangers. Get shorts off of your shelves by using pant or skirt hangers to hang them. Pretty much any hanger with clamps or clips will hold shorts.

There are other hangers that will hold things and keep you from having to invest money and space in storing them. Scarves, ties, belts and purses can all be hung. Skirts, pajamas, swim wear, and even lingerie can be hung. Just be sure that you choose the hanger that is meant to hold each of these items so that they don’t end up stretched, torn or on the floor.

If your goal is to save space, consider space saving hangers, like velvet hangers. These are thin, flat and fit close together. However, their ingenious design keeps them strong. The velvet coating keeps clothes from slipping.

Velvet hangers also come with cascading hooks. Simply slip the accessory over the hook of the hanger. Then you can hang more things from that hanger on the hook. Pair up tops and bottoms to make getting ready a snap. Plus you’ll be saving space and making room to store more of your odds and ends.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

2. Hang almost everything. The less bins, shelves and folding you have to do, the better. If you can take your clothes out of the dryer, lay all of your shirts and pants flat, mate your socks and toss your underwear into a bin, then doing laundry will be a snap. Slide space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, into the clothes and throw them on the bar. It’s so fast and easy that it barely takes more time than pulling the clothes out of the dryer. It’s much easier to keep things organized if you have an easy system to follow.

3. Design an efficient space. If everything has a place, then you’ll never have clutter again. If you need to, designate an area, bag, box or bin for things that don’t have a place yet. If you get dressed in front of your closet, then you should have your laundry basket right there. Don’t let clothes get piled up or it will feel less organized every day. You have to commit just a little bit to keeping your closet neat.

4. Utilize unused space. There may be space where you haven’t noticed it before. Can you move back your closet rod and free up some space in the front corners for shelves? What about moving the bar and shelf up so that you have room for a second bar down low for pants? Get creative. If you see some square footage not being utilized, figure out how you can use it.

5. Get seasonal storage out of there. How many of you keep your ski clothing and hiking boots in your closet even though you only use them a few times a year? Do you have a dress coat that you only wear on special occasions? What about sentimental clothing, Christmas decorations, or sports equipment? All of these things can easily clutter up your closet space and make it unusable. Consider putting risers on your bed so that you can store these things underneath in airtight containers. Or, seal them up and store them in a garage. Keep only what you need in your everyday closet and ban the rest.

6. Use stackable bins. Baskets and bins are wonderful, especially if you have some shelves to dedicate to holding them. If your closet is truly tiny, you may be better off going for some inexpensive stackable bins. They take up less space, don’t require shelves, and they’re usually clear so that you can easily see what is inside.

7. Choose hangers wisely. There is no reason to have a closet full of mismatched hangers, flimsy plastic or wire hangers. There are so many high-quality space saving hangers on the market today, that there is no excuse for keeping your closet in the dark ages of crossed up necks, damaged clothes, and clothing lost to the floor mountain. Use slim velvet hangers to keep clothes neatly close together, wrinkle free, and securely on the hanger. Cascading velvet hangers are wonderful space saving hangers that allow you to really maximize space. Velvet hanger accessories also let you piggy-back pants and shirts, getting your wardrobe ready to wear in a tiny amount of space.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.

The best thing to do if you have a small closet is to set up a wardrobe rotation. There is probably no room for a winter and summer wardrobe. So, you’ve got to get a plan. Figure out where you have space around the house. If you have room under your bed, you can invest a small amount in large, shallow containers that slide right under. Some are even designed to work like a drawer so that you can quickly get what you need if you happen to need to get in there. If your bed is not high enough, use risers to lift it. Your dust ruffle or duvet will cover the space and you can make a lot of room for your off-season clothing.

Don’t make the mistake of buying a whole lot of storage bins and expect to organize the closet. If everything is stored, then it becomes hard to get to. In a small closet, you have got to have everything efficiently organized. This means you can’t just buy any closet organizer. You really need to specifically plan for the things that you own. If you have a hundred pairs of shoes, then shoes will be your focus. If you have too many clothes hanging, then shelving will be your main concern. Many shirts do not wrinkle bad and can be neatly folded into a stack and placed on a shelf. It’s easy to see what you have and the space that they take up can be minimal.

Utilize the vertical space. You can install a small shelf above the closet door on the inside. Here you can keep valuables and things that you don’t want children to get into. You can put corner shelves all the way up the front two corners of the closet. You can use a hanging shoe rack on the door, or any other over-the-door organizer for keeping track of everything from ties and belts to gloves and scarves.

Take a look at the space that is wasted near the ceiling. Most people have a good 40-50 square feet just empty up there. Your suitcases are only so tall. Consider moving that shelf up higher and store things like blankets and duffel bags inside of your suitcases. You may be able to add another shelf just below it above your bar and create even more room.

Finish out the closet with space saving hangers, like slimlinehangers, to make the hanging clothes that you have take up as little space as possible.

About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for slimlinehangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.