Don't Space Out

Make every closet inch count

By Constance H.F. Miller
CTW Features

Image courtesy istockphoto

Lisa Zaslow makes a living by taking cues from her diminutive big-city life. "In Manhattan, where I live, space is at a premium. We've got a million-odd people on a tiny island."

Manhattan is where Zaslow, a professional organizer for Gotham Organizers, gathers inspiration for her tidy philosophy.

"When thinking about your closet, think like the Manhattan real estate moguls do - vertically!" she says.

Organization of any kind is fast becoming a hot topic, if not a necessary one. There's a specific container for everything from magazines to socks. There are fully designed modules, myriad television shows and entire mega-stores devoted to achieving clutter-free life. Experts agree that there are no hard and fast rules of closet organization, but there is help for those of us who are disorganized, overloaded or, as with Zaslow, just small-closeted.

Stuff

"Store things near where they are used. This is why most people keep clothes in the bedroom and umbrellas in the front hall closet, says Zaslow, who's work has been featured in Real Simple magazine and on HGTV's "Mission: Organization."

Before you start the shifting process, however, Zaslow says the first step is to open your closets and circle all that apply: too much stuff, lack of space and/or plain old-fashioned messiness. These three major sources of concern can be a thing of the past with a few affordable and, above all, timesaving strategies. Professional organizer Gayle M. Gruenberg, president of Let's Get Organized in Park Ridge N.J., explains the first step to tackle any closet or pantry is to "gather and sort."

Jason Baldner, president of La Crosse, Wis.-based Kitchen Solvers, a kitchen and bath remodeling franchise that specializes in updating closets for the consumers on a budget, believes purging is the essential step. "Do not keep what you don't wear or use!" he says.

Space

Make every inch count, says Peggy A. Eastman, president of Chicago-based Saving Spaces. "Make sure there isn't a lot of unnecessary space between shelves," a common waste of storage opportunities, she says. All of our experts suggest raising or lowering shelves as needed, and attaching hooks, shelves, sorters and rods on closet walls and doors.

Sloppiness

Tell the truth. Are you messy? Do you try to keep things in their place and somehow they don't stay that way? Gruenberg has your number.

"The 'repeat closet mess offender' is a predictable type. Happy to throw things behind the closet door and deal with it later, the offender actually creates a bigger hassle for themselves than if they would have put everything away originally," says Gruenberg.

Connect the Dots

Closet organization does not have to be daunting. The best plan will emerge once you answer a simple question: what is this closet for?

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