Tips on Organizing a Shared Closet

If you have ever thought about organizing your shared closet, chances are you didn't think about it long. The price and sheer effort it seemed to demand may have deterred you, living with the mess and confusion just seemed easier.

If you really want a simpler, easier way to access the items in your closet, without spending a bunch of money, it can be done with a little time and creativity!

Sharing a closet is often a necessity, especially with children who often share a room. Trying to keep track of whose clothes is whose, allotting space and keeping a sense of order can feel a bit over whelming. The first step is to set aside a designated time and day to organize. It doesn't have to be a large block of time if you have a big job, try focusing on one problem first, and then go from there.

A simple, easy solution for children , and adults alike are color coded hangers. While it sounds complicated, it's really not. Designate one color of hanger per each person sharing a closet (more then one person in the house can use the same color, as long as they don't share a closet). If you don't have several colors, separate using wire and plastic hangers.

For children, if you want to separate "good" clothes from "play" clothes, you can further this by adding additional colors! For instance, blue hangers are school clothes for Billy, red hangers are school clothes for John, light blue hangers are play clothes for Billy, and orange hangers are play clothes for John.

Another way to simplify clothes is to label your hangers with a piece of tape that will be visible once clothes are on the hanger. Label, Monday, Tuesday and so on so everyone knows what to wear and there is no last minute scrambling! You could also use this method for labeling play clothes if you didn't want to track down a ton of different colored hangers.

To separate the closet space , simply wrap a piece of tape around the bar as a visual reminder!

Storing belts, scarves and ties is a snap when you wrap them around a sturdy plastic hanger and simply hang them up!

Another big, and seemingly obvious (but often over looked) tip is to store seasonal clothing! There is no sense in having something in your way that you're not going to wear for another five months!

If you still need more room, consider adding over the door hangers which add additional space for hanging clothing, which is perfect for longer items, or just special clothes that you don't need in your weekly routine.

Your floor space is also valuable, so use it wisely. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, or space, on shoe storage an oldie, but goody, is a hanging shoe organizer (available at most one dollar stores). Then you can use floor space for storing tubs of bulky winter clothes, or even putting in a low shelf to put jeans and other pants on.

If you have a lot of baseball hats, or purses to store, a simple, inexpensive way to do it is by installing a foldable coat rack! They are great to display favorites, and store!

Last, but not least, go through your items. If you never wear it, hope to someday fit into it, or can't remember it, chances are - you don't need it! Sell it, donate it, or (if rough) throw it out, just move it over for what you do wear, and do want! Once you get started organizing, you'll see just how easy that small effort will make your life!