Unclutter your closet on 'Good Morning America'

'Good Morning America' recently had a segment on cleaning out the clutter in your closet. It's about de-cluttering and organizing what you have. Doesn't have to be expensive and you don't need to hang any hardware.

It's time to make room for change and move forward with your life!!

Check out the video on this link!

Closet Makeover

For us city gals out there, we don't always have big walk-in closets in our apartments. (If you do, you are SO LUCKY!) So, we all have to make do. I see this problem all the time. Here's a BEFORE and AFTER closet makeover that came out great!

BEFORE
* Too much stuff piled up on top rack.
* Limited hanging space. Tops, dresses, skirts and pants were stuffed into the small space.
* There are some good features. The four drawers is a good way to keep/organize your 'un-mentionables'. So I'll keep this.
* Shoes piled at the bottom of closet.
* Shopping bags left at the bottom of closet.










Here's how I completed this project in one day and for under $50.
Step 1 - First things first... remove ALL (yes, ALL) clothing, shoes, bags from closet.
Step 2 - Sort all your clothes into three piles - 'KEEP', 'DONATE' and 'TOSS' (For more tips on how to de-clutter, see my earlier posting dated May 15th)
Step 3 - Add a shoe rack to organize your shoes. You can also use a hanging shoe organizer.
Step 4 - Add a 6-shelf hanging organizer. This will be great for organizing T-shirts, sweaters, shorts etc.
Step 5 - Add a hanging rod. This will create more hanging space!!

Now you are ready to start putting back you clothes. Remember to de-clutter first. A good rule of thumb is if you have not worn it in 1-2 years, it's time to toss or donate the item. There are a few different ways to organize the space. It's all up to you. There's no right or wrong way to do this.

AFTER (Three ways to organize the space)

Option 1:
* Hang organization shelf on the far side of closet
* Hang shirts, blouses and tops on top hanging rack. I like arrange each category by color. Makes it easy to get dressed in the morning (Trust me)
* Hang skirts and pants on bottom hanging rack.
* Hang dresses on the other side.
* Keep the four drawer shelf.
* Add organization boxes on top shelf together with handbags. These organization boxes come in different sizes and are great for storing small handbags, scarfs, hats etc.









Option 2:
* Same as Option 2 expect for the removal of the small four-drawer shelf. You can keep you un-mentionables on an armoire drawer.
















Option 3:
* Hang the hanging organizer in the middle.
* Hang the dresses on one side, and the shirts, blouses and tops on the other side.
* Hang pants on the bottom
* Arrange shoes at the bottom of dresses. You can use the shoe rack as well.











At the end of this project, there was a lot of de-cluttering and as a result, a big bag for donations. The closet looks fantastic!!

HAPPY ORGANIZING! Remember to 'Keep It Organized, Keep It Simple'

How to start your closet organization project

It's finally SPRING and what better time to start SPRING cleaning than now. Time to switch out the sweaters and boots for tank tops, shorts and flip flops. In Boston apartments, the closets are tini-tiny. What's a girl going to do?



Here's how to get started:

STEP 1 - Remove all clothing items and shoes from your closet. (Yes, I mean EVERYTHING!)

STEP 2 - Sort all clothing items into three piles - 'KEEP', 'TOSS', 'DONATE'. Go through every piece of clothing. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not worn it in the last 6-12 months or if it has holes, it's time to let it go... 'DONATE' it. If it is torn and can't be mended, 'TOSS' it.

STEP 3 - Next, take a good look at your shoes. Honestly, do you really need THAT many pairs? I say, Quality vs. quantity. Stick to the classics but once in a while, throw in a trendy pair.

Step 4 - Once you have sorted through everything in your closet, it's time to put it back in its proper place. ONLY the clothes in the 'KEEP' pile will go back into the closet. First, organize by season - Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. Since it is spring, only the SPRING/SUMMER clothes will go back into the closet. Put way the sweaters and coats. Keep them in a box and label it.

Step 5 - Now for the 'DONATE' pile. Place the items in a box or bag, and take it to your local Goodwill or women's shelter.

Step 6 - As for the 'TOSS' pile, dispose of it.

Just remember to 'Keep It Organized, Keep It Simple'.

My (inexpensive) closet project

The front hallway closet in my Boston apartment is small but it still has to hold all my shoes (yes, I love shoes), coats, jackets, gloves, scarfs, boots & all other stuff. I completed this project when we moved in about a year ago. I did want to spend a lot of $$ on custom built-in but I still wanted it to look organized & attractive. I LOVE how it looks now.....

Here's how I did it:

• COATS & JACKETS - Replace all wire hangers with wooden ones. Return the wire hangers to the dry cleaner. They will love you for it. Plastic and wire hanger may not hold the weight of your winter coat, or it may distort your garment


• SHOES - Use a shoe organizer. I found this one at IKEA ($9.99 each). Here I have two hanging on each side. You can hang them side my side as well. I like to arrange the shoes with one facing out ad the other facing inwards. This way I can see the front of the shoe and the heel.




• BOOTS - Line them up at the bottom. To keep the boots from falling over, I stuff them with a rolled up magazine. This helps keep the shape of the boots for next fall/winter season.




• GLOVES & SCARFS - I found matching drawers at IKEA what fits into the shoe organizer. Brilliant, isn't it? They were a steal for $4.99 (pack of 2). I placed one drawer in each organizer. The drawers are great for storing gloves and scarfs. I also store shoe polish or wax.




• ALL OTHER STUFF - Again, I found this matching box from IKEA ($14.99 each). You can get a few and line them up on top. I didn't have much space so, I just have one. I also stack the shoe boxes of new shoes that I just bought on top.

Let's break it down and see how much this project cost :

Shoe organizer (2x) - $19.98

Drawers - $ 4.99

Box - $14.99

The total came up to $39.96 (plus approximately 2 hours of organization)

HAPPY ORGANIZING. Just remember to Keep It Organized, Keep It Simple!