Choosing A Closet Organization System Is Like Choosing A Husband

It’s not uncommon for us to have a love-hate relationship with our closets. From our fat clothes to our undies, our closets hold a part of us that we don’t readily show to the rest of the world. That makes these little rooms some of the most personal rooms in our homes. And since we have such an intimate relationship with our closets, doesn’t it make sense that we’d choose our closet organization system with (almost) as much care as we chose our hubby?

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You need an organized closet!

Have you ever had this happen to you?

You open your closet needing to pull together a great outfit. Whether you’re headed to work or to a dinner with your special someone, you need (and want) to look great. In fact, the occasion is is irrelevant because you deserve to look great for  any occasion – or even no occasion at all.

But once you fling open your closet door you’re met with a disaster…a total, chaotic mess! Hangers are jumbled and askew and your shoes…well, that’s another story altogether. How’s a girl supposed to pull a great looking outfit together when her closet should be declared a disaster zone?

But what’s even worse than having the messy, unorganized closet, is how that closet makes you feel. Long before you’ve finished fighting with clothes hangers and working up a sweat from holding mounds of clothing to the side so you can actually look at your clothes, you feel like a total mess on the inside and you’re afraid it’s going to show on the outside.

It’s enough to make a girl want to shlump around in her pajamas all day. There has to be a better way to start the day!

Fortunately, there is.

With a little work, measuring, plotting, planning, and shopping, we can find a closet organization system that works with us rather than against us.

Most folks just aren’t sure how to approach their closet mess so they simply put it off and deal with the consequences on a daily basis.

What. A. Bummer!

So what are the closet problems that most people are dealing with?

Closet issues tend to fall into a few general categories:

1. Basic disorganization
2. Lack of hanging space (or the wrong kind of hanging space – yes, there is a difference)
3. Clothes hangers that aren’t right for the job
4. Lack of shelf space
5. No system for organizing and keeping shoes
6. Lack of a system for dirty clothes and laundry

We’ll talk more about these specific issues in upcoming posts, but for now let’s just take a look at one wonderful, glorious fact…the fact that your closet problems aren’t permanent (did I just hear the angels singing?).

Related: Investing In Yourself Is Never A Waste

Before you get started

Take a good look at your closet in its entirety. How much of the room in your closet is actually being taken up by your clothing? This doesn’t count the amount of clothes you might have piled up on the floor or in “the chair” or that are hung over on the exercise equipment. How much space is just wide open and not being used?

Now, if you’re starting with a blank closet then it’s very likely that you’ve got a lot of wasted space.  Most closets have a similar layout – one long clothes hanging rod and a shelf above it. Sound (or look) familiar?  This is probably the least efficient configuration if an organized closet is your goal and if this is how your closet is currently designed, then why not make some changes and start using that space more efficiently?

The good thing about closets is that just because they are set up a particular way doesn’t mean they have to remain that way. They’re changeable, and there are a lot of products out there to help you make your closet more functional.

Yes, Virginia, you can have an organized closet!

Think of choosing a closet organization system like dating

Before you run out and purchase closet organization system or products, take your time and do some research on your options. Just don’t use this as an excuse to put off finding the right closet organization system! In fact, you might think of this phase like dating – you’re checking out your options before you make a long term commitment to one system.

Make sure that time goes to good use. Think about your ideal closet. Make a list of your must-haves. Figure out what is actually driving you crazy about the closet you currently have.

You’ll want to find out all you can about various closet organization systems, manufacturers, and the materials that are out there to choose from. You’ll also want to find out the various custom closet products and, of course, the cost. The warranty and installation specifications are important to so don’t forget to look into those as well.

Here’s an important point to remember: your search is going to have to include finding quality closet organization products that will work well for the dimensions of your closet space. It can get tricky measuring and detailing the layout, so make sure you double check all of your measurements before you make a purchase or you start the installation process. In fact, whenever I work on a closest for myself or a client, I always use graph paper to make several scale drawings (a “looking in” view and a bird’s eye view)  – after having either taken the measurements several times myself or having had the client measure at least twice.

Nothing will mess up a closet re-do like measurements that aren’t correct!

Doing this type of research is going to ensure you have the best experience possible selecting a custom closet organization system that works great for you. After all, you finally got around to starting the process, you don’t want it to be something that you can’t finish or that looks worse to you than the closet you had before. This will save you stress and frustration as you begin the process of purchasing a custom closet organization kit or products that you are sure will work well for you and fit properly.

Before you make a final decision

Just like you wouldn’t choose a spouse based on looks alone, you also don’t want to choose a closet system simply because you like the way it looks.  Make sure you find out about the quality. You might want to ask yourself if this particular system is “marriage” material – in other words, will it last and make you happy.

Is it something that is going to hold up to the weight of the products you store in your closet area? Are you going to have to replace the items in a year or two or will they last ten to twenty years? It is cost effective to spend more now than to have to invest your time and money having to redo it down the road.

If you have any questions about custom closet organization systems, contact the customer service for the manufacturer. They can assist you with any detailed questions you may have about their closet organization products.

How to keep track of it all

It is a good idea to track all your research in a notebook or to start a spreadsheet with important information. List the manufacturer, the products you looked at, the types of materials they are made from, the cost, installation difficulty, and where you can purchase them. Keeping a notebook of this information makes comparing the various custom closet organizations very simple. This is an excellent method for making an informed choice with so many custom closet organization products available on the market.

Here’s the bottom line when choosing a closet organizational system: you’re going to live with it a long time….make sure you pick the right one!