Organizing Your Closet Clutter

Those of a certain age will remember the old radio programs featuring Fibber McGee and Molly. McGee had a closet he would go to, at least once a show, to look for something. When he would open the door, you would hear all sorts of crashing and banging as everything stuffed inside would pour out through the recently opened door.

A lot of us can identify—closets seem to collect all sorts of clutter, and it only gets worse over the years. What is a person to do?

For one thing, you should reconsider how you use your closets. Many of us tend to use them for long-term storage, but this may not be the best decision. Instead, try using them for everyday things; place your long-term storage items in a different part of your house, perhaps a basement or attic. If you haven't used an item for some time, move it to longer-term storage. This should go a long way to keeping the closet uncluttered.

In addition, you might consider moving bulky items—such as coats—to a different storage area, such as an entry closet or a mud room in your home. Putting them in these areas makes sense, as it makes them more accessible as you need them when you are leaving the house. It also frees up a lot of room in the closet.

If you have high shelves in your closet that seem to be primary collection places for clutter, consider adding a level of concealment to those areas. Perhaps you can hang a decorative blind over the opening to the shelves, or you can get some decorative bins to hold the clutter.

As a final note, you can keep your closets clean, dry, and fresh smelling by placing open, empty perfume bottles or unwrapped bars of soap in the corners. You can also make moth-repellent sachets from dried lavender, whole peppercorns, orange peel, or a fifty-fifty mixture of dried rosemary and mint. If you can't find sachet bags, make your own sachets out of baby socks or pieces cut from a clean stocking.