When you think of a closet you envision a space within a room that opens with a door. For some it means enough room to hang up clothes or store larger items. It has, however, evolved to become much more than a mere stash and go to spot for necessities. From hall closets, to pantries, to linen, and bedroom, closets serve multiple purposes. Today it can be a mini dressing room, a place to keep all the kids’ sports equipment and even a place of meditation ( really, it’s a thing). It is a great way to gain extra storage in the bedroom for personal items and considered an extension of the home. Even though many of us enjoy having a closet it is often not used to the fullest potential and can even leave us feeling stressed when we can’t find anything due to the disorder. Today we share some tips for each closet in your home so you can get the most out of  these great spaces.

Bedroom closet tips

Let’s start with the most common closet in the house and the one that is used on a regular basis. There are actually three different classes of bedroom closets, walk-in, reach-in (known as wall closets), and wardrobes. Let’s break it down a little more and discuss what can be done to maximize the use in each.

• Walk-in closets:  Closet envy if you are watching HGTV or The Housewives of Atlanta – It yields sufficient space to walk around comfortably and see everything inside, not to mention they increase the home’s value. Adding custom shelving and hanging rods provides storage solutions and organization that helps everything have a place plus allows you the peace of mind of knowing where everything is at a glance. Having extra storage cubes is great for keeping smaller items or even folded clothing like pants and shirts leaving room to hang up dresses, suits, and coats on the rods. Depending on the size you can also include an island where personal items can be kept including your jewelry and have a seating area so you dress right in there making it even easier to get ready. Reach-in closets: often called wall closets and the more common option in many homes today. With these closets you simply open the door and reach in for what you need hence the name. These are great closets for offices, craft rooms, and kids since everything can be seen fairly easily. Because it is smaller and the layout different from a walk-in it is best to be strategic in the placement of your accessories such as hanging rods and shelves. Double rods make it easy to hang shirts and blouses while shelves can store shoe boxes or supplies. When used properly these closets provide enough space to keep that part of the house organized smoothly..
• Wardrobes: though not as popular as they once were, wardrobe closets are an excellent way to gain some extra storage in any bedroom or home office. Built-in or freestanding they offer you additional space to put clothes, books, supplies, or other large items. Consider using boxes to store loose or random items inside the wardrobe to keep things orderly and easy to reach.

When you choose the right option that works for you, it can make your daily routines go so much better. Choosing the right organization tools means your routines stay better.

Hall closet tips

These can be some of the most useful spaces in the home due to the amount of traffic that goes by and the items often stored inside. On the flip side they also have a reputation for becoming oversized junk areas too. Here are a few ways you can keep the clutter down and the efficiency up. 

• Hooks: installing hooks inside the door or on the inner closet wall makes it easy to hang something up and take it back off in a jiffy. 
• Shelves: double your capacity space with shelving. They allow you to store items in an organized way. Don’t forget to place your most used items at chest level making them easy to find and use.
• Boxes: never underestimate the value of a good box. Use labels to easily keep track of the contents and never waste time opening boxes that don’t have what you need. Because they stack well it means more efficient storage in closets too.
• Plan: be strategic in what you place where, if it is the hall closet then only keep items that pertain to that such as coats, purses, hats, briefcases, shoes you are currently using, and even the kids backpacks. If you don’t use it going in or out of the house it should not be stored in the hall closet. The same principle applies to the linen closet, only keep what goes in that area of the house to avoid clutter piling up.
• Purge: Make time once a year to go through your closets and remove items you don’t use anymore, consider doing an online yard sale or making a donation. 

Different closets serve different purposes and when each runs according to what they were made for it helps keep the house from becoming disorganized and everyone is able to keep track of their belongings. Read a few more tips from HGTV here.

Pantry closet tips

While they may not be considered a true closet according to definition, they are a kitchen’s best friend. Pantries have the ability to store everything from ingredients to the small appliances and pots and pans. They save your kitchen cabinets from having to do double duty of dishes and food items plus they are all strategically located in one area. Here are a few things that will aid you in maintaining its orderliness. 

• Keep it together: when organizing your pantry try to keep items together that go together such as flour, sugar, salt, or canned goods with boxed items. This makes it easy when cooking or baking instead of rummaging around to find the right things.
• Order of use: things that are used everyday like flour and sugar should be kept at chest level so they are easy to grab. Snacks for the kids should be placed on lower shelves where they can have access to it. Things that are heavy like crockpots should be placed on the floor or lower shelves while light items can be stored up high.
• Containers: small items like muffin liners, spice packets, tea bags, and individual snacks are easier to organize and find when they are in boxes or drawers. Consider purchasing a few, especially clear ones, to use in the pantry.

A pantry is a great asset to your kitchen as it allows multiple items to be in one convenient spot making meal prep or snack time a snap.

Ready to get started?

Your closets are a valuable asset to your home, sometimes all it takes is a little help. This is one reason we partnered with Traci Miller, owner of Spatial Solutions, who can help you get your home running the way you need it too. Learn more about Traci here and how, together, we can help you get organized.