Monthly Archives: November 2010

24 November, 2010
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Quick Closet Organization Tips

Organizing your closet can be fun and fulfilling. Do it yourself instead of hiring a professional. You will get your closet just how you want it without spending much money or relying on someone else’s judgment.

Make a plan for yourself and follow these rules:

1) Get rid of everything you possibly can.

2) Give clothing, shoes, purses, belts, ties and coats to a charity that accepts clothing donations. These items are often tax deductible.

3) Items that are in good enough condition can be sold to consignment shops or put out in a garage sale. If you have trouble selling or giving away clothes that mean something to you, go shopping for new items. Set a goal for how much money you need to make to replace the old items with new ones.

4) Commemorate heirlooms. Take photographs of important articles so that you can enjoy them after they are gone. If they are very important to you, then you should have them sealed in an acid free box so that they will last for generations to come. Otherwise, keep a scrap of fabric or just the photo.

5) Get rid of shoes, belts and purses. Many people keep shoes, belts and handbags for many, many years. These items may still be good, but they gave you a blister, or they don’t match anything. Maybe they are just out of date. Give those items to a charity, or have a swap party. Friends can get together and bring all of their gently used purses, belts, hats and shoes. Use dice to determine who goes first and take turns swapping items. When everyone has what they want, you can donate the rest to charity.

6) Sometimes we just want to keep those cute clothes that no longer fit. If it is possible for you to get back into them, keep them. Just store them outside of your every day closet. Large containers can be labeled with signs that dictate the size or weight you need to be to get into them. You do not have to get rid of them if you get them out of the way for a while. Then it will be so exciting when you are able to take down that box and swap out the wardrobes.

Save space in your closet with space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, to complete the task of organizing your closet. It will give you great joy to see your closet spacious, neat and uncluttered. Getting organized does not take long and it is well worth the effort.

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.

16 November, 2010
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Big Living in a Small Home

Many people are choosing to live in small apartments or homes to simplify their lives. Freedom from high mortgages and living costs is a major drive in deciding to live in a tiny space. In bigger cities, living in a small apartment not only cuts down on the cost of rent, but it can also significantly cut down on the cost of traveling to and from work. In many cases, people are able to eliminate the need for a vehicle all together.

Living in a small space can be very rewarding, but it also presents some challenges. Overcoming these challenges can help you to feel like you’ve “won the war” against big house living. Not only must you conquer organization, but you must also use your creative mind to figure out the best ways to live in a small space. Simplifying your life means eliminating useless or unnecessary items from your home and making the most of the space that you have. Many people report better health, less stress, and less spending because of their decision to live in a smaller home. When it comes to spending money, you’re forced to ask yourself “will it fit” instead of “can I afford it”. This change can free you from much of the commercialism and free spending that many people are plagued by.

One way to be successful in a small home is to only buy high quality, efficient products that hopefully serve more than one function. Investing a little in quality will save you from buying more products to replace the one that breaks or doesn’t function as you expected. For example, one set of built-in shelves will last you forever, taking up very little space, whereas multiple cheap plastic drawer systems take up space and break, resulting in the need to invest in the shelves after all.

Buying furniture and storage systems that have multiple functions is the best way to ensure that you avoid buying more later and make the best use of your space. A couch with a pull-out bed gives you a place for guests to sleep, without using precious storage space for inflatable mattresses. A chair whose arms open up to reveal storage for remotes, magazines, and your latest knitting project reduce the need for an end table or bulky magazine rack. A coffee table that opens up to store linens and throws can free up the small amount of closet space that you have. Using areas that aren’t traditionally used for storage will help you save space, too. You can use large, shallow containers for storing items underneath your bed, chairs, or couch.

In your closet, you want to make sure that you’re using as much of the space as possible. You can hang things up really high and use a hanger retriever to get them down. You can use space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, or cascading hangers to use a lot less space than you traditionally would to hang your clothes. Combining outfits or multiple items onto one hanger is an easy and economical way to save closet 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.

5 November, 2010
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Creating a Personalized Closet

If your closet is a cluttered mess, you need to come up with a plan for getting it organized. We have trouble organizing, a lot of times, because the space available to us may seem grossly inadequate. Overcoming the lack of space in your closet can seem like an impossible feat. However, there are some tricks for creating space that you may not have thought of before. Professional closet organizers and designers have spent years developing solutions for inadequate closet space. Here, we’ve assembled some of the best professional tips for making the closet work for you and your belongings. Use these ideas and you can create a closet that fits your personal needs, despite the small size.

1) Sometimes our closets become cluttered because we need to use them for storage, not just for clothes. Storage items can take up a lot of room, especially if the closet is small to begin with. You may have boxes that you never unpacked after you moved. You may need to store blankets, hide Christmas presents, store books, sports equipment, luggage, or any number of other items that are not only bulky, but seldom used. Try to get some of these things out of the closet and store them in creative places around your home. A storage chest can house blankets. A window seat may provide storage for books. Use risers to raise up your bed so that you can store clothes that are out of season. Get creative and try to narrow down the number of items that must be kept in the closet.

2) Go through all of your clothes and shoes that are left in the closet and rank the items that you own according to use. The things that you use the most should be kept near the front and center of the closet. Things that aren’t used as much can go a little further back, higher up, or lower down in your closet. Things that you don’t wear anymore should be eliminated. Most people are able to get rid of about half the clothes in their closet because they just don’t wear them anymore for one reason or another.

3) Separate your clothing into stacks of what needs to be folded and what will be hung. Determine how much shelf room each folded stack will take up and go from there. You may want to use baskets or hanging drawers for socks, underwear, accessories, and other small items. Shoes can be stacked in clear boxes up either side of your closet. Using special space saving hangers, like velvet hangers, can save you so much space. These hangers are flat, so they hang close together. They have movable clips for coordinating outfits or hanging things like shorts that don’t have anywhere else to go. You can also use cascading hooks to coordinate outfits and save around 50% of your precious space. The velvet coating keeps your clothes from slipping so your closet stays organized after you get it that way.

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.