Clutter: it’s the ultimate first world problem. When you have just too much stuff to enjoy your closets properly, it’s time to clear out the things you aren’t using anymore to make room for the things that you are.
#1: Be Aggressive About Giving Unused Stuff Away
The best way to make better use of your storage space and your utility rooms is to get rid of things that you aren’t using anymore. It sounds simple, but it requires the development of a different attitude towards your stuff.
If you haven’t used something in the last year, you should pick a time during the year – Spring is traditional – to collect everything that you no longer use and either give it away to charity or to friends & family.
In some cases, giving things away for a tax write off – especially if they have sentimental value – can feel cheapening. Few people want to put a dollar value on a precious possession that has memories attached to it. One way around that hang-up is to make the item into a small gift for one of your friends and family.
That way, items that you attach some sentimental value to, can go towards strengthening one of your treasured relationships.
#2: Organize your Shoes and Boots
One of the prime culprits of modern clutter is accumulating so many pairs of shoes and boots that you don’t know where to put them all.
First of all, you want to pick a designated area to put them. It’s easy, especially if you’ve just spent a long day on your feet – maybe at the mall, shopping, adding to your clutter – to just kick off your shoes on your way to the couch. Resist the temptation.
If you have a small shoe and boot collection, just getting a good-sized mat and committing to putting your footwear in the same place every day is sufficient. If you have more pairs than you know what to do with, an organizer or rack of some kind will be immensely helpful in making the best use of your space.
#3: Get Closet Doublers and Use Them
Closet doublers won’t magically double the size of your closet, but they will make it a whole lot easier to use the vertical space in your closet – or on a free-standing coat rack that you might have in your utility room. These inexpensive tools give you an additional rod that hangs on one of your other closet rods.
What that can do for you is to also make it easier to sort your closet – pants and skirts can go on the lower rod while shirts and all the other great things you put on your top half can go onto the top rod. Logical, huh?
Putting It Altogether
Really, changing the habits that generate clutter will help you get rid of it in a way that lasts for the long run. Once you start getting rid of things that you don’t use, it’s just a matter of thinking smarter about the space in your closets. Once you start putting these tips into practice, you’ll enjoy a less stressful, less cluttered life.