More Closets

There are some other guiding principles for organizing one's closet.

First, the things you use regularly need should be easily accessible. In my closet, the shoes I wear the most are at the top of my shoe shelves. The clothes I wear the most, or which are in season, are in the front of their section. The workout clothes are in the top drawer or on the shelf. 

Conversely, storage and out of season items are towards the back, on the very high shelves, or in lidded boxes.

Second, items should be put in the closet of the room where they are needed. For example, spare hangars should be in the laundry room or the guest closet.

Third, long-term storage should be organized by category and clearly labeled. You might have a medium-sized plastic bin of "2T Pajamas," or a box with your "Olive Wood Nativity," or a space bag of "Baby Blankets." Do not put items in long term storage unless you actually want to reuse them. Worn out baby clothes, for example, should go.

I do not favor space bags except for very long term storage because they are not sturdy. They re-inflate if jostled too frequently. Neither do I use very large plastic bins. They are too difficult to store and access without undoing a lot of other work.

Fourth, all old junk must be removed. If it is truly junk, take it straight to your trash can. If it's usable, put it in a bag or box and then take it directly to your car. I like to keep a medium-sized paper bag in my closet to collect Goodwill items.

Fifth, all items should be neat and readily usable. That means all clothing, sheets, blankets, towels, etc. must be folded or hung. Hanging is a great option for table linens. Shoes should be matched and clean. Bags should not be crushed. Items that need repair should be together in a separate location.

Sixth, do not build towers. A tall stack of games, books, boxes, blankets, or whatever else is almost impossible to access without causing a landslide. Instead, find a way to subdivide with shelves, drawers, hanging baskets, or hanging shelves. I have found the Michael Graves line of hanging shelves at Target to be very sturdy. I use them for shoes, sweaters, and kid items.