Closet Organizing

If you have ever lived in a big city or rented a small apartment then you know what I am talking about. Storage space in most apartments (especially in larger cities) can be hard to come by. And if you are a shopaholic like myself, then you are desperate for every tiny nook and cranny that you can find to store all your stuff.

But you have to work with what you got so use the storage you do have to it's most efficiency. Organizing your closets (or maybe just closet) can feel daunting but once you get the right tools you will see how you can fit it all.

It's also not that expensive, you can get many organizational items on the cheap. If I can do it, then so can you, so lets roll up our sleeves and get started!

You want to be able to see all the shirts and pants you have and keep them nice and wrinkle free when they are in your closet. But what if you have so many that it becomes a big ole mess of hangers? Also, they are all taking up way too much space!

Welcome the double hang closet rod! Lo and behold your closet space has just been increased 2x.

Hang your shirts at the top, pants at the bottom and you are all set. Yes, depending on your size and how long you wear your shirts, sometimes the shirts might run into the pants. That's ok. It's still neat and you can see everything you have.

How about sweaters, light jackets or blazers and hoodies? Those take up a lot of space because they can be so bulky.

You can use the Wonder Hangers! I know this is an infomercial product but they actually really work and I can honestly say this since I use them myself. Caution, only use the steel Wonder Hangers not the plastic which are cheap and break. Its worth the few extra bucks more.

If you are female its a known fact you probably own more than 2 pairs of shoes. Actually, you probably own closer to 50 than 2. Heck, you might be the Carrie Bradshaw of your town and own hundreds.

Even men nowadays own several pairs of shoes (most guys I know own 7 or more). Shoes are fun and can be bought for cheap (especially $1 Old Navy flip flop sales!) but they take up tons of space and its hard to keep them in order. Plus you need to see the shoes you have as well as be sure they aren't dirtying up your clothes or getting scuffed.

Clear plastic shoe bins are the best invention for your nice shoes. And you know what I mean by the nice shoes, the pretty heels you wore to your cousin's wedding, the nice Oxford loafers you wear with your business suit to client meetings, these are the kind that deserve to have their own shoe bin to protect them.

Buy as few or as many as you need. You can stack them straight up and down in your closet and they don't take up too much room. You can even go overboard like some celebrities, (Mariah Carey showed us this in her MTV "Cribs") and take a picture of the shoes and put them on the side of the shoe bin.

But what about the shoes that don't need so much protection, the flip-flops, thong sandals, flats, sneakers, where should you put those?

Since these are shoes that were probably were cheap buys, then you can just throw them in a cheap canvas hanging shoe bag as I have done. Best news? Flip-flops and sandals are so thin you can fit 2 or 3 in each slot!

T-shirts and tank tops are like shoes...you can never have enough. And this is where both men and women are equal: we each have an enormous amount of t-shirts. In fact, men usually win this category as they wear t-shirts more than us females.

But hanging up every single t-shirt and tank top will take up valuable space in your closet. And why bother? They are casual pieces of clothing that can take a beating and keep on ticking. So why not fold them up and put them in a nice canvas bin on top of your closet?

Girls, you can do these with your tanks as well as your intimate apparel (bras, panties, etc). Its fantastic because its all folded up neat and nice and doesn't waste any valuable closet space.

These bins also range from basic to very stylish and you can buy a set for pretty cheap, so have fun with it and save money + space.

We all have tons of accessories to go with our outfits. Belts, necklaces, ties, hats, etc. And these are important and take up space as well.

For men, its assured that you probably own at least a couple of ties even if you work somewhere that doesn't require it. And if you don't, please go out and get some ties. Trust me, eventually you will attend a wedding, a funeral, a graduation, recital, religious ceremony, etc and will need to wear one.

And women's fashion has belts in style so nowadays you may own more belts than you know what to do with. As well as long necklaces and cute hats which are also very trendy right now.

Be creative like me and buy a cheap tie rack for storing all of these things. Buy a wall mount one you can nail to the side of your closet same as I. If you are a man, this is where all your ties would go.

And girls, I know what you are thinking, why would I need a tie rack? Well it has many uses! See my picture, I hang all my belts and long necklaces on it. I love that I was creative enough to try this and it really works!

Ok so now you have tried all my tricks and really doubled or even tripled your closet space. All your clothes, shoes and accessories are neat and in order.

But what about the rest? Linens, out of season shoes, towels, etc. Maybe you have an extra shelf on top of your closet for those. Maybe you don't.

This is where you have to get real creative and think outside the closet to the nooks and crannies about your house that you can use.

For shoes that are out of season (its Summer and your snow boots do not need to be in your closet) use an under the bed shoe storage. Put all the shoes you don't need in the closet in this storage and shove it under your bed.

Linens and towels can also take up a ton of space and not all of us are blessed with the ability to have a separate linen closet for these (that is my one dream for the day I can have my own home).

To store these you can use space savers bags! Yes, we have all seen the infomercials for but they do the trick. As long as you have a vacuum (or can borrow one from somebody) just place the linens and towels you are not currently using in these and then store under the bed or anywhere else until you need them. They will not get damaged in these at all and will be flat as a pancake, making it easy to store anywhere.