Closet systems are like exercise – everybody wants it, but few actually make the effort. I’m a big fan of both, though truth be told, I’d rather spend an hour at the gym than working in my closet.
That’s why I’ve come up with the SPARE closet system. Who wouldn’t love to have a spare closet?
No, it’s not something you can buy to make your closets nice and neat. Instead, it’s a tool for getting your closets better organized. Once you’ve taken a little time to reduce the closet chaos and create some efficient organization, you can also reduce the amount of time you spend in the closet looking for things. You could spend that time, say, going to the gym. Perfect!
The SPARE closet system consists of the following steps:
Sort
Pitch
Adjust
Renew
Enjoy
Sort
Get everything out of the closet. Separate into piles of yes, no and maybe. Yes is what you definitely want to keep in the closet. No is what you do not need to keep in the closet. Maybe is stuff you either aren’t sure about or that you know you just don’t need in the closet right now (seasonal clothing, for example).
Pitch
Nothing speeds up a closet renovation like reducing the quantity of stuff that the closet needs to contain. Get rid of the stuff in the No pile - the clothes and shoes that no longer fit your size or tastes, for example. You can often sell old clothing outright or at a consignment shop, or you can usually find some charitable concern that will take it. It makes no sense to spend time and money creating storage space for items you don’t need.
Adjust
Deal first with the stuff in the Maybe pile. If winter just ended, for example, you really don’t need to keep everyone’s fluffy down jacket in the main family closet, along with ice skates and snowboards. Put all that seasonal debris somewhere else, making room for what you will actually be using in the coming months.
Most houses are full of underutilized storage spaces. Take a look at Top Ten Overlooked Storage Spaces for some inspiration. Plan to rotate the items in your closet to keep it full of the stuff you need in the near term. Out-of-season items are best stored in an out-of-sight location.
Renew
This stage is about making your closet more useful and efficient by filling every possible square inch with storage. Making the best use of a closet means creating dedicated homes for low-hanging items, high-hanging items and smaller items that don’t hang (especially shoes).
Begin by separating items into size categories. Make piles for low-hanging items like shirts, pants and jackets, and another for long dresses, robes and coats. Put all shoes and purses in separate piles, along with ties, belts, scarves, hats, gloves and anything else you plan to put back into the closet.
Take some measurements. Hang all the shirts up in a closet and measure how much space they take up, vertically and horizontally. Repeat this process with the remaining items, taking notes as you go along. Alternatively, use these dimensions to calculate how much space you will need for each category.
With actual measurements of your own storage needs, you can now start the process of designing a closet organization system that is customized to your needs. If you intend to get some design help out of the house, be sure to also have the overall measurements (height, width and depth) of your closet on hand.
You may discover that your needs are really quite simple. No sense in buying a whole new closet system if all you need is an extra closet rod for low-hanging shirts. For less than $20 you can pick up an adjustable closet rod or closet-rod doubler that hangs from the high rod, effectively doubling the space to hang clothes in a matter of minutes.
Shoe storage can be doubled just as easily by adding a shelf a foot or so off the floor to hold a second row of shoes. Alternatively, purchase a shoe cubbie to hold all shoes in a compact space.
Enjoy
There are those who say that disorganized people are (take your pick) happier, smarter, more driven, less compulsive, etc. than organized people. I’d rather not get caught up in that discussion. Instead, I’ll just note that it’s really hard to find someone who doesn’t confess (however grudgingly) to favoring a storage system that allows them to find what they need when they need it.
A well-organized closet will make your life a little more efficient, provided you keep it that way. Sounds like a ticket to happiness and efficiency to me.
