Photo by Tomas Lundahl on Unsplash Boots are beautiful! Boots make you feel beautiful!! But when they are not properly taken care of ... not so much. I often work in closets and I don’t like to see nice or expensive boots, especially leather or suede ones all crumpled up at the bottom of a closet but oftentimes people throw away the original box so they have no place to store them and needless to say... like a drunk.. they don't stand up by themselves ;-) Lately I keep seeing Boot Shapers advertised everywhere, maybe because we are moving into the cooler season. There is no shortage of choices in regard to type, budget, colors; they even have inflatable ones! If that is the route you chose to go I would just stay away from the extra cheap ones especially from sketchy overseas sites, you might not even be able to return them. Personally I have never bought or suggested one. I would keep the box especially for those you use infrequently but it’s your choice. The reason I don’t believe in purchasing these it’s because there is no need to waste your hard earned money and add to our plastic consumption. When you buy boots they come in a box that you can use to store them flat and stack the boxes, especially during warm seasons. Perfect fit! They also have cardboard inserts in the leg portion which is usually folded to fit perfectly to the boot and help it to retain its shape, even if you keep your boots at the bottom of your closet standing up under coats, or clothes by KEEPING the original inserts they will be supported and will not fold sideways. Best thing is they are FREE! Why spend money to replace something you already have? If you have already discarded all that, there are other options that won’t break the bank.
Give it a try, this way you will save money and save the environment from yet MORE plastic!!
If you have different colors and style of hangers, switch to one color and 1 style to create a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing look. Consider the type of garments before switching hangers, velvet hangers work well with slippery and wide collar garments that would otherwise slip and fall from other hangers. While heavy garments like coats, hoodies or sweatshirts work best on wooden hangers or heavy duty plastic hangers, they often break the velvet ones. Even if you need different styles for different garments try to stick with one color, and keep it uniform within the category.
With both hanging and folded items it is always worth it to separate by category. Most often than not when my clients complain of not being able to find what they need in their closet it’s because there is no distinction and everything is hung together. Oftentimes small garments are hidden among bulky ones. It is very time consuming having to sift through everything to find a particular garment. Take the time to separate tops from bottoms, if possible tops in one area and bottom in a separate area, then further categorize bottoms by pants and skirts, and tops by sleeve length, color, season, or whatever works best for you. I always prefer sleeve length, I think it’s easier.
I believe in visual markers to help clients keep the systems we put in place especially while it is still new and they need to get used to it. Labels and markers are useful reminders and it takes a second for your eyes to see it and identify it. They help people to return things where they belong so the system remains in place rather than revert back to a mess. I make these myself for clients to use temporarily, and place them on the hanging rod to clearly identify clothing categories. Much like stores use them for size on Sales Racks. You can purchase these on Amazon in a variety of styles and even in colors.
There are various styles and systems and you will have to find what works best for you, but I prefer the Container Store option because it is well designed and sturdier than other options we have tried, which invariably break. It also allows you to see the shoes and the pockets are quite spacious. Some of the other styles accommodate only flats, and small shoes.
The one below is just an example I found on Amazon. There is much more that can be done with closet organization, from easy to major, depending on budget, personality, style etc. These 5 basic tips can be implemented by anyone with minimal effort and expense. Enjoy.
If you are looking for great tips on how to get your closet in order before the Holidays, and your family comes to visit, follow this link to the REDFIN Blog. There you will find useful tips and organizing solutions to get a great looking closet that will impress even the most difficult mom!! ;-)
Let's not forget it will start your New Year on the right path, an organized place is a place of positive energy, clutter charges energy negatively, and chaotic energy is one of the causes that prevent restful sleep. So if you want to start somewhere start in your bedroom to enjoy a sense of peace and restful sleep. To know more you can read articles about Feng Shui, they often talk about the effects of clutter and negative energy. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a great start of your New Year! WIRE HANGERS These are the first thing I discard when organizing closets along with the plastic wraps. Wire hangers are too flimsy and usually lose their shape causing clothes to wrinkle and bunch up and they leave sharp creases. They tangle easily and it is really frustrating to handle them especially when your closet is full. Their sharp ends cause stretch marks on the garments shoulders and it is hard to use them with slippery items. Many Dry Cleaners will take in your wire hangers for recycling, so drop them off next time you bring your clothes in for cleaning. WOOD HANGERS I usually recommend wood hangers for the gentlemen’s closets as their garments tend to be a bit heavier, or for coats and jackets on the heavy side. Good quality wood hangers will support heavy loads, even without those super wide shoulders that will take up too much space in your closet, especially the curved ones.I try to remove as many of those as possible and replace with thinner ones especially when space is at premium. The curve in each hanger steals inches of space that can be put to better use with an equally supportive but straight wood hanger. There are various styles, the ones in the pictures will accommodate pants and light blazers, and have notches for garments with straps. CURVED HANGERS Unless I am working in a large walk in closet or for a family with multiple large closets I don't keep or use many of these, as you can see in the picture they require more space than straight hangers. So use these sparingly. VELVET HANGERS I love velvet hangers for multiple reasons, the main one is that they are very thin and take up very little space, secondly it make is so much easier to hang silks, and nylon garments without them slipping off over and over.In every closet I worked there were items on the floor for this reason. Tops with wider than normal neckline can be hung on velvet hangers as well without fear of them slipping off. Lastly, it is visually pleasing to see uniformity. The only downside is that they should not be used for heavy garments, these hangers were made for delicate and slippery clothes. PLASTIC HANGERS Plastic hangers are not my favorites but if you stick with one color and a neutral one like black or white it will still create a pleasant and uniform look. Your closet will look more stylish and peaceful. I have heard it many times from clients and I never get tired of it. It makes a difference. The ones in the picture are non-slip with little indents for straps. I mostly use them for t-shirts and tops as they are a bit slippery for pants but they can work if you use this particular style. Some of these have notches or little hooks that make them useful for garments with straps. They work fine with tops that are not too slippery or with wide necks. Depending on their thickness they will bend and lose shape if you use them with heavy garments. It is possible to find thicker ones if you need them for heavier items. BELOW you can see the change, from chaotic to organized and peaceful. This was done just by streamlining the hangers and rearranging the garments. Uniformity is very important.
SUITS HANGERS These type of hangers combine jackets and pants, or blazers and skirts on one hanger thus saving “hanging space” and making use of vertical space rather than horizontal space. Considering that some of these have wide shoulders you kinda make up for it by combining 2 pieces and saving space. SKIRTS/PANTS HANGERS These are great if you want to hang your pants vertically without a fold, as we know the other option is to hang pants folded in ½ which leaves a crease if you don’t wear them often. They are optimal for skirts as well, if you can’t fold them, because they are very long, of slippery material or a delicate garment. You can usually fit more than one on each hanger, I usually double it up to save space. I prefer the type without the clips because if the item is unworn for long the clips will leave marks. This style is a bit more gentle. SPECIALTY HANGERS During the course of my organizing I have handled many, many closets and sometimes the only way to save space is to purchase those hangers that have a special purpose. If you don’t have drawers available for ties and belts for example, these hangers are the best. I often see belts bunched up on one hanger creating a bulk that wastes space in a tight closet, and make it very difficult to untangle a single belt when needed, switching to a specialty hanger spreads the bulk creating more space, making it easier to retrieve and put back the items, and easier to find at a quick glance. The one in the picture is an example, I have used similar ones for belts with great results. TIES HANGER I have used similar hangers to the one in the picture to organize ties, there are different styles but I found this easier to work with for these 2 features. It rotates 360 degrees and it has little clips to keep the ties from falling. Consider this when purchasing ties organizers. PURSE HANGERS A few words about Purse hangers. Most people just store bags and purses on a shelf, sometimes I find them hanging from hooks or doorknobs but if so inclined and you have the space there are a couple of options to hang your purses, totes, and bags. If you have space in your closet they can hang with your clothes but if you don't, make use of the back of the closet door. The ones in the picture are just one option I found online at Miles Kimball these rotates and can accommodate 2 purses, keep in mind they are plastic so best suited for light weight purses, for heavier ones there are similar styles in metal. OVER THE DOOR PURSE HANGER If you opt to make use of the space on the back of your closet or other door, this is one option that will allow you to store multiple purses and keep them both accessible and visible. This is best for purses that you use often and need to grab quickly. It also makes it easy to put them away. For fancier and more pricey purses, it is best to store on a shelf in their dust bag. To protect not only from moisture and dust but to prevent the leather to stretch. In conclusion choosing the right type of hanger is very important if you want to make the best of your storage space, increase the life of your garments, make them accessible and easy to see. It will save you both time an space. With a little research you can find options for every budget. I found all of them on Amazon. I purposely did not add links as I don't want to advertise or push a particular item just give you options and ideas.
For more Hangers options CHECK OUT the PRODUCTS tab on this website. I hope you found it useful and if you think I left something out please let me know. |
AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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