Top-3 Tips to Get You Organized for the Holidays

The closets and cabinets in your house are intended to be storage solutions that help keep your home organized and clutter free, but sometimes they also serve as the black hole of the house where everything is simply stashed. As the holidays approach along with the need to get the decorations and prepare the house for guests and parties, this is a good time to clean out those black holes and start using them properly.

Ask yourself what the purpose of each closet and storage area means to you. Do you want your linen closet to just store linens and not be a spillover place for your clothing? Then it’s time to keep only items there that is intended for that space. Always start any closet organization job by sorting through items and discarding or donating what you don’t want or what you don’t need.

Actually, the garage is great for storing onsite stuff that was in the

closet and doesn’t belong. It’s perfect for holding seasonal decorations and can easily handle the overflow of seasonal clothing.

Here are three more tips to help you clear out common household spaces in preparation for the holidays:

1 – CLOTHES CLOSET

Purpose: To store your current-season clothing, accessories and shoes.

Our clothes closet can start doing double duty as a place to store everything that we can’t find space for in our home, and if you’re getting low on extra space, the best strategy to maximize your available closet space is organization. Closet organizer systems provide a place for all your clothing items so you have a guide as to where to put everything in your wardrobe. Instead of shoving your clothing anywhere in the closet, you can store your pants and long coats in a long hanging closet unit and your shirts in a double hanging system.

Your accessories can be neatly organized in drawers or hung up on slatboards, so you don’t have to untangle necklaces while you’re in a hurry. A custom closet system will show you that the blow up bed that’s stuffed in the corner of the closet should be moved to the garage, so you can utilize that corner for shoe shelves. Store your out-of-season clothing in the garage, then hang current-season items where you’ll have easy access. Once you organize your closet so that everything has its place, you’ll be amazed at how much space you really have.

2 – LINEN CLOSET

Purpose: For storing linens, towels and extra toiletries.

Since the holidays bring guests and visitors, have at least two full sets of towels (bath, hand and washcloth) for each family member and a few extras for guests. The same goes for bed linens; make sure each bed has at least 2 sheet sets and if you have a wall bed for guests, make sure it has its own set.

For the ultimate in linen closet organization, get a custom designed reach-in closet that will have deep drawers, cubbies and shelves with dividers to separate all your sheet and towel sets. For toiletries and beauty aids, store them in baskets or stackable plastic containers so that they are organized and attractively arranged. Don’t buy more than can fit in these containers as it’s nice to have extras for guests but it’s

more important not to overstock.

3 – GARAGE

Purpose: To store large or outdoor items and house family vehicles.

The garage usually serves as a catchall and easily becomes cluttered and disorganized to the point where people can’t even park their cars inside. Once you throw out or donate unwanted, unneeded items, designate areas in the garage that are for specific tasks such as a toolbox and workbench area, sporting goods storage and storing gardening supplies.

Invest in metal shelving or cabinetry so you can store items such as camping equipment, out-of-season clothing and other sparingly used items behind closed doors, which will give your garage the cleanest look. Most importantly, clear the stuff that’s on the floor, so people don’t trip over it or have an accident. Hang tools and gadgets on a wire grid wall or slatwall. Additionally, you could add overhead storage systems to stack sports items or seasonal decorations to take advantage of your unused space.

Are you ready for the holidays? See how Closet Factory’s custom closets and custom garage storage systems can help you get organized for the holidays.