Monthly Archives: October 2010

The Best Solutions for Small Closets

Small closets can be a disorganized mess. Inevitably you run out of room no matter how neat you try to keep them. There are some things that you can do to make the most of a small space while keeping it organized. We specialize in saving closet space, so we’ve compiled some tips for you that will help you turn a cram-packed nightmare of a closet into an organized dream. It may be small, but it can be organized!

1) Correcting wasted shelf space will help you to make space where you didn’t know you had it. Most shelves are too far apart, too deep, or simply aren’t there. Many things that go into the closet need to be separated. One giant shelf just doesn’t help you to do that. Adding shelves and shortening your hanging rod or rods can give you that extra space that you need for organizing. Shelf dividers are great for sectioning off the shelves to keep the space more orderly. Shelf risers help to raise up items that are far back so that you can see what you have and avoid digging and messing everything up.

2) Drawers are really useful in closets. You can add deep and wide drawers to the bottom of the closet for your sweaters, socks, linens, scarves and other items. A small dresser can be used if you move your hanging bar up higher. You can use small drawer systems on shelves for things like underwear, ties, jewelry, and other small things that you need to organize in your closet. Drawers that slide underneath your bed can help you to get some bulkier items or storage items out of the closet.

3) Hanging racks are also helpful. There are ones for shoes, hats, and accessories that hang over the door. There are also hat stackers, purse hangers, and other kinds of organizers that can hang from your bar. You can install a tie rack, belt rack, or scarf rack on an interior wall to save even more shelf and drawer space.

4) One of the easiest ways to save space is to use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers. These hangers have a flat design and a velvet coating to keep clothing in place and hanging very closely together. They also have attachments, like hooks and clips, to help you hang more than one item on each hanger. Clips are useful for coordinating pants and skirts with matching tops. Hooks go over the top of the hanger and make a place to hang another hanger. You can clip outfits together and then two or even three outfits can cascade down from one hanger, doubling or tripling the space in your closet.

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.

Maximizing Closet Space

Are you living with a tiny closet? A small closet can be especially frustrating in the winter months. You have larger shoes, pants instead of shorts, sweaters and coats instead of tanks and t-shirts. Everything can seem to grow when you get your winter clothes out of storage. Did you organize over the summer and now you’re finding out that you didn’t consider the larger winter clothes? Well, now is the perfect time to do it over and do it right. Getting your closet organized to match your larger, more bulky clothing will ensure that your summer clothes fit back in with ease at the end of the season. Even if your closet is super small, we can help you come up with a plan that lasts all year.

1) First, let’s talk about shoes. Winter boots are big and bulky. They can also lose their shape if they get crushed at the bottom of “shoe mountain” in your closet. You can use a low rack for your tennis shoes near the floor, but boots may cut into your hanging or shelving space. Use metallic clips to hang your boots from hooks up one side of the closet. Dress shoes can be kept in an over-the-door shoe storage organizer. Another option is to use a shallow container that slides or rolls under your bed. The shoes are easy to get to, but at the end of the cold season, they are already in storage for next year. Saves you space and makes your life a little easier.

2) Sweaters are also bulky items that will be coming in this time of year. You won’t necessarily want to hang your sweaters, because they could get stretched out at the shoulders. Sweaters should normally be folded or laid flat. You only need an 18”x18” shelf to store all of your winter sweaters. A milk crate or other cube shaped storage container is perfect for storing sweaters whether you have a shelf or not. We like ones with lids so that you can remove the lid for winter and then simply replace it and move the container back to the top shelf for summer storage.

3) Coats are by far the biggest problem in a small closet at this time of year. They can seem to take up every inch of space that you may have had to work with. You should start with your coats when hanging winter clothes so that you can see how much space you’ll have for your clothes. You may want to consider moving things up so that you can add a second hanging bar for your pants at the bottom. Then, coats can be hung properly on coat hangers so that they retain their shape. The rest of your clothing can be hung on space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, combination, or multi-garment hangers to save 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.

Tiny Homes on Tiny Budgets

Do you live in a small house or apartment? One of the biggest complaints of living in a small home is the lack of storage space. It can be impossible to stay organized or to keep you house clean if there’s nowhere to store all of your stuff. You can get rid of a lot of things, but there is always a need for storage. Use this guide to help you find sneaky and creative ways of creating storage in your home without breaking the bank.

1) Living Room: The living room is where you probably spend most of your time, and it’s also the room where family and friends will gather. You need to have space in your living room to entertain and also just to feel relaxed. When you’re surrounded by junk, it’s oppressive and can clutter your thoughts. Get rid of the clutter by storing items underneath the couch. You can purchase inexpensive couch risers that will allow you to slide shallow plastic containers underneath. You can store things here and they’ll be out of sight, especially if you use a slip cover that hangs down far enough to cover the secret storage.

2) Bathroom: Bathroom storage is always short, even in big homes. This isn’t necessarily because the space isn’t there, but mostly because the space isn’t used correctly. A normal bathroom vanity has two cabinets underneath, or one large space. There is plenty of square footage under there; it’s just wasted unless you have the right shelves or drawers to fill it up. We really like the wire racks that can be installed inside the vanity cabinets. Some of these will slide out to reveal two or three baskets that can be used for all of your shampoo bottles, bathroom cleaners, washcloths, and more. Other useful installations are drawers and shelves. Simple riser shelves that hold things up where you can see them behind the front row are useful. Wire shelves that are designed to fit in lockers are very inexpensive and lock together to form useful and adjustable shelving.

3) Closets: Your closets are most likely totally cramped and full, but there is actually usable space in there that many people don’t use. Look up high, in front of your hanging bar, and behind your hanging clothes. If there are a few inches (or even feet!) of space there, then you can rearrange to make better use of the space. Hanging bars can be moved back to make room for shelving on the front walls of the closet. That big shelf at the top could be higher and even wider, or it could extend from the ends to the front of the closet. Figure out how to make more room in there simply by moving things around. You can hang short items together and make room beneath. You can also use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to double or triple the closet space by cascading and coordinating outfits.

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.