There are many organization solutions in the marketplace today that can help keep closet clutter under control without spending a fortune on high-end custom closets.  Outfitting your child’s closet with a custom solution may not always be the best idea when they still  have a lot of growing to do.  It might make more sense to use less expensive organization products that can be changed and adjusted as the child grows.

Here are a few ideas that can be incorporated into your child’s existing closet, assuming you do not already have built-in shelving installed:

Hanging organizer shelves for clothing
Storage cubes to corral small toys
Hanging shoe organizer to keep shoes off the floor
Shoe stands, also to keep shoes off the floor
Quality hangers to take better care of clothing

Closet hanging shelf organizer

Magic toy pop-up cube

Closet hanging shoe organizer shelves

Stackable shoe shelf organizer

Childrens' wood hangers

Folding canvas bins

Rolling bins or carts to hold folded clothing or toys can also be helpful.  Find more closet organizers at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer, speaker and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), NAPO-Baltimore Chapter, and Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, she shows homeowners how to reclaim their time and space, and offers organizing and time management workshops and group presentations. Jacquie is also the author of Take Control of Your Clutter Before it Takes Control of You: 101 Tips to Success.  Visit CastAway the Clutter to get a free organizing goals worksheet when you sign up for her organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com

Does your children’s clothing spend most of the time on the closet floor or hung on the clothing rod?  If your child is too small to reach the rod, you may find that you’re spending way too much time picking up clothes and trying to keep the closet organized.  Many closets consist of a single rod and shelf, but there are many affordable closet organizing solutions to help with eliminating closet clutter. To begin with, store their most frequently worn, or favorite garments at their level so that they can be responsible for putting away their clean laundry and choosing their outfits for the day. 

By incorporating some additional storage options inside the closet, you can also teach your child to be responsible for keeping their closet neat and organized.  Set up an easy organizational system so that they can select their outfits each day, with very little help from you.  One way to do this is to install a hanging pocket shelf organizer. Hanging shelves, which usually include at least 5 pockets for each weekday, are a great way for them to feel grown up because they get to pick out their pre-selected outfit for the day, without help from you. 

Here in the mid-Atlantic area, it’s about that time of year when the weather begins to warm up and time to pack away the sweaters and lighten up.  I’m a bit of a wimp where cooler weather is concerned, so I tend to keep my cardigan sweaters out year-round!  However, for the warm blooded, simply thinking about a sweater may make you sweat!  Anyway, I digress.  Switching the closet from winter to spring/summer is an event in my home.  I love rediscovering clothes that I had forgotten about and creating new outfits that I hadn’t thought of.  For me, I always feel as though I have a new wardrobe again, especially if I had purchased a few items on clearance at the end of the season.  

This is also a great time to purge items and to really think about whether or not you will wear something again.  I use this time to be honest about whether I love an item, or if I’m keeping it just because I’ve spent X amount of dollars on it. 

Taking the time to review your clothing from last year will also save you money.  Try some items on and mix and match separates that you hadn’t thought to put together before. You’ll find that you needn’t rush out to stock up on new summer clothes after all!

What if you live in a year round warm state, like Florida or Southern California?  It’s still a good idea to take the time to switch your closet.  Even if you don’t have dramatically changing seasons, it’s simply a good habit to go through your closet once or twice a year. 

So, schedule a weekend morning or afternoon, put on some music and dance your way from winter to summer!

By now, you’re probably in a pretty good routine with the daily school schedule. However, even with a solid routine, mornings can be a little chaotic, especially when Junior decides he’s not going to cooperate about what to wear to school today! Consider trying a different approach – let Junior think that he’s in charge of what he’s wearing by planning ahead with the kids closet organizer.

Your pre-school or elementary school aged child will feel all grown up choosing their outfits from the 6-day closet organizer! This brightly colored organizer features the days of the week on the front section of each storage area with the last section being for shoes. Find yours today at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie’s Tip: At the weekend, after you’ve checked the week’s weather forecast, help your child to select several outfits that can be worn each day of the week. This will save time and frustration in the morning!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Click here to see these and other shoe organizers and shop their Summer Sale.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Young children need all the help they can get to stay organized. Being organized is usually not their focus! Make it a little easier for them with organized storage solutions and teach them how to use it.

Manufacturers are designing unique organizing products specifically for children, creating fun shapes in bright primary colors. Check out the fun Fire Truck Over-the-Door Hook Rack. Its bright red color and fire hydrant hooks add a fun twist which will grab their attention!

Check out the following clothes hangers sized for children’s clothing and the underbed storage bag that fits easily under the bed to store their off-season clothing and/or bed linens.

Visit Home Storage Warehouse for more children’s organizers. Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

If you’re ready to remove your dresses and summer suits from your closet, but would rather not fold them, what are your options? Very few of us have unused closets ready for our off season clothing!

The solution is a portable hanging rack or wardrobe that can be stored in another room or dry basement. For long term storage, select a wardrobe that zips closed and hang Cedar Hang-Ups alongside to repel moths.

View these and more clothing storage solutions here at Home Storage Warehouse.

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter!Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007.  A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

Usually around mid-September if I haven’t rotated my closet from summer to fall/winter, it begins to get a little cramped, to say the least. Dealing with a small closet can be a challenge, so I keep only the current season available at one time. If you’re in a similar situation, you’ll probably find yourself getting out some warmer clothes, but may not have sufficient storage space to store them all at the same time. The best way to resolve this is to spend 2-3 hours one evening or weekend to properly rotate your closet.

Begin by removing each item of clothing and decide whether you want to keep, purge or donate. If it doesn’t fit, donate it. If it’s stained or torn, discard. Otherwise, fold or hang and store in a clean breathable container with a zipper close to keep out the dust and bugs.

Store Your Sweaters & Tops in Style:

The following are a few organization products specially made to store folded clothing. Purchase some moth balls or cedar chips to protect your clothing while in storage.

September is Closet Rotation month here at Make it Organized! So be sure to check back to read more tips on organizing and maximizing your closet space.  Summer sale now on at Home Storage Warehouse!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie has been writing for Home Storage USA since 2007. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners and businesses how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com. Visit CastAway the Clutter to sign up for her free organizing tips at www.castawaytheclutter.com.

When visualizing a typical closet, what do you see? In many households the bedroom closet consists of one long closet rod with a shelf above, so it is often no surprise that a good portion of the wardrobe is found on the closet floor, bedroom chair or hanging on rarely used exercise equipment! One closet rod and shelf is simply not an efficient use of space, so in many cases it is not a question of the individual being disorganized, it is simply a lack of efficient space and storage options inside the closet.

A custom built closet is not in everyone’s budget. But even without built-in shelving and drawers you can still have an efficient and organized closet with the help of a few inexpensive closet organizers, found at many local discount department stores or online.

Here are a few tips on how you can maximize your closet space with inexpensive closet organizers:

• Skirts & Slacks: Maximize your hanging space with a 3-tiered skirt hanger or 5-tiered slack hanger. You can also find double hanging rods which hang onto your existing closet rod, creating another row of hanging space below – no tools required!
• Suits: For suits, you will want to keep the jacket and skirt/pant together to save time, so use either a hanger with clips or a hanger with a built-in hook designed to hold another hanger for the skirt or pant.
• Shoes: There are a variety of organizing options for shoes, including multi-level standing shoe racks and revolving shoe organizers. An over-the-door shoe organizer is one of my favorite space saving closet organizers, since it uses a generally underutilized area. Another great option is a hanging pocket shoe organizer that simply hangs onto your closet rod.
• Tops: Sweaters and tops should be folded and placed into a drawer, if possible. However, if you lack sufficient drawer space, consider a hanging sweater organizer. Similar to the pocket shoe organizer, the sweater hanger has several cubbies and hangs onto your existing closet rod. Or use open shelf baskets with “windows”, so that you can see what?s inside. Line them up on the shelf above the rod.
• Socks & Lingerie: Ideally, socks and lingerie should be stored in a chest of drawers or dresser. If you do not have either, bring in a rolling cart with drawers and store below your shorter hanging clothes inside the closet. Other options include over the door hanging pockets, or hanging pockets with optional drawers that you can purchase separately.
• Accessories: Hanging or over-the-door pocket organizers are also ideal to organize handbags and small accessories. You can also find specialty hangers for scarves and belts for around $10 each. Hats are best stored in a specialty hat box or inside a clear container. If you have space to hang items on the wall, install wall hooks to hang hats, jewelry and frequently used handbags etc.

Whenever possible, avoid storing items inside your closet that are not related to clothing, e.g. linens and papers. Store your off-season clothing in containers or specialty storage bags that can fit under the bed, or store them in another area of your home. Include mini cedar blocks to avoid moth damage.

If you find the process of organizing your closet overwhelming, call in a professional organizer. Many professional organizers will help you to completely overhaul your closet and will customize it for the way you live. Or if you prefer to do the work yourself, a professional organizer can simply provide some tips to get you started. Professional organizers generally charge by the hour or by the project.

Having an organized closet will eliminate the “I’ve got nothing to wear!” blues and you’ll find yourself spending less time staring in your closet and more time wearing the clothes you love!

Jacquie Ross is a Maryland based Professional Organizer, writer and owner of CastAway the Clutter! A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, she teaches homeowners how to reclaim their time and space. Jacquie can be reached at jacquie@castawaytheclutter.com.

For Budget Organizing solutions please see us at www.homestoragewarehouse.com