Give yourself the Gift of Order.

Read the latest e-Tips by Eileen Koff, Professional Organizer - helpful information and strategies to help you achieve the efficient and orderly environment which you can have.

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The Clothes Closet

Are you still playing Russian roulette when you open your closets? Taking back your closet is easier than you thought possible with a few tips from To The Next Level. You’ll be wondering why you waited so long to enjoy opening up your closet door. Here are my top 7 strategies and techniques that will have you singing instead of moaning when you enter the dark and mysterious space that was once your closet.  

1. Start with a bright light. How can you see anything in the dark recesses of your closet unless you shed a little light on the subject? Using florescent is the safest choice, although incandescent shows your clothes colors more truly and is safe if you enclose the bulb or recess it.
   
   
2. If you’re clothes are crammed together like a can of sardines, the best approach is to get more hanging space. No, you don’t have to bump your son out of his room and make that your closet; all you need is to create a double hanging rod.  Hanging rods that hook over existing rails are a smart, inexpensive, and an instant way to create extra room for short hanging clothes. 
   
   
3. The valet rod. When was designing my own closet for my birthday present to myself, I have decided that putting in a valet rod was my best decision. I use it every single day for helping me decide what I’m going to wear the next day and using it to hang my dry cleaning on before it goes back into the correct section of the closet. I really have fun deciding what to match with what when I can see what I want to match. The valet rod allows me to do that.
   
   
4. Count the number of free hangers in your closet. If you have more than 10, then you win the award for the “They’re free, so why do I have to pay for expensive hangers.” There's a good reason wire hangers are free: They're basically worthless. If you want to prolong the life of your clothes, don't keep them on wire or flimsy plastic hangers. Wood and padded hangers are the best ways to go for maintaining the shape of a garment.
   
   
5. Hooks for your scarves and/or belts are another organizing wonder for the closet. Until I installed my belt hook, my belts and scarves invariably got tangled up or lost on the floor. Remember men, these also work great for ties.
   
   
6. I don’t know of any woman who doesn’t need more space for shoes.  A shoe rod that is a shorter version of the traditional hanging shoe bag will fit in a double-hanging rod system or, another nifty trick is to make use of the back of your closet with an ingenious rack that can hold up to 12 pairs of shoes along with other accessories that have no home.
   
   
7. Clear shoe boxes are not just for shoes. These smart organizing items make great storage for anything from bras, underwear, socks and hosiery.