Closet organizer systems have become very popular these days. Not only do they improve the appearance of the interior of your closet, they make it easier to store and locate belongings and they increase the usable capacity of your closet by up to 35%. Once the closet organization system has been installed you will never have to spend another full day cleaning out and organizing your closet. Proper closet organization hardware will make your life easier and will save you time over the years.
Before choosing the right closet organizer for your family you should think hard about the purpose of the closet. When I first tell my clients to think about the purpose of their closets they look at me like I am mad. "Of course, my closet will be used to store my belongings", most reply. And of course that is the general purpose of most closets. However, I want my clients to think about things like the following:
1. What will be stored in the closet? Will all of the items be of a similar type or will it be a mixed-item closet?
2. What is the size of the items that need to be stored? Will it be a great quantity of smaller things or a lesser quantity of larger things or both.
3. How many times per day or week or year will you need to access the items in this closet?
4. Along the same vein as question #1, how much protection do your stored items need. This question applies to temperature, moisture, etc, etc.
In choosing the right closet organizer system for your family you will need to think carefully about all of the above criteria. Each closet in your house is different and has a different purpose. Accordingly, each closet needs to be organized differently using different closet hardware.
Let's start with the issues regarding protections. Will the closet be used to store delicate items such as lace tablecloths or cashmere clothing? If so you may want to include some cedar panels into the closet system. We also can recommend some storage bags to go with your closet system. These bags, if used properly are air tight and sealed with a zip lock system that expels the air inside the bag. Will the closet be used to store important documents of expensive jewelry? In that case you might want to include a fire proof safe into the closet system. Will the closet be used to store gardening equipment or might the closet actually be located outside of the home, perhaps in the shed? If the closet is going to store dirty of wet items then you will want a closet organization system that will withstand a little dirt and water. These systems will need to be rust proof to ensure their longevity.
Next think about how often you will need to get at the things in the closet. In the case of a front hall cupboard or a bedroom clothes closet, you will need access every day. For closets that will be accessed everyday, the storage system will need to be clear and easy to access. You will want to retrieve your stored items quickly.
Some closets might only be opened once or twice per week. These types of closets include those that are used to store vacuum cleaners or ironing boards or perhaps some kitchen appliances such as blenders or juicers. Access to these items needs to be easy but it doesn't necessarily need to be as quick. We can spend a few extra seconds pulling out the ironing board if need be. Further still, some closets might only be opened a few times per year. These closets are used to store seasonal belongings and include closets that store Christmas decorations or 4th of July decorations. Again, these items must be easy to access but they do not need to be accessed quickly. We can spend many extra minutes pulling out our Christmas decorations out of the closet because we know we only need to do it once per year.
If at all possible try to organize your closets in a manner that lumps things together by the number of times per week or month that they will needed. Putting your everyday work shoes in the same closets as your Christmas lights just does not make sense.
Now think about the sizes of the various things being stored. If you intend to store larger items like vacuum cleaners you might want to include a cubby hole near the floor in your closet organization system that is the same size as the vacuum itself (add a good 6 inches on the height and the width for an easy fit and don't forget to account for the hose and/or any attachments. Will this be a small closet organization or a large closet organization?
Closets organizers for storing smaller items often include drawers while smaller closet organizers often only have shelves. Closets that store larger items often have a combination of shelf and drawer storage systems. Will you need to store longer clothing items? If so, you will require a full length hanging bar in the closet. If the closet will only store mens shirts, for example the a half height hanging bar will be fine. Half height hanging bars are also useful in small children closets.
If you think carefully about the purpose of your closet including the types of things to be stored, the protection your belongings will need, and the number of times you will need to access these items per week or per year then you are well on your way to choosing a closet organizer system that is well suited for your closet and your family.
