My Little Closet - Part II

I'm exhausted. I worked all afternoon on cleaning up my closet. Right now, I'm not sure it's much better. It still looks crowded, but I can move the hangers back and forth a little bit, so that's good.

What I did:

1. Replaced most of my fat plastic hangers with Real Simple Slimline hangers. I like these a lot so far and would like to get enough to replace all of my old hangers. They made a significant difference in the "move-ability" of my clothes along the rod, since things weren't crammed together so much.

2. I hung most of my skirts on special linking skirt hangers. I would like to get two more sets so all of my skirts are on them. They're a great space-saving device.

3. I hung my belts on a belt hanger.

4. I hung my scarves on a butterfly scarf hanger. This is great, because you can put a lot of scarves on one hanger and they're easy to get to. They don't fall off either.

5. I put my summer shoes in a vinyl space-saver bag designed for going under the bed. It's kind of like this. I'm not crazy about it and will be looking for something better.

6. I tried using a hanging sweater organizer, but it took up too much space in my closet. I stuffed all of my sweaters back in the storage bin which sits on the floor of my closet.

7. I installed a heavyweight double hanger rod from Bed Bath and Beyond. Since my top rod is lower than average, some of my clothes touch the floor, which is not ideal. However, this $14 investment made the biggest difference in my clean-up effort.

THE SHELF: As much as I would like to put more on the shelf, it's not possible due to the ceiling which slants down sharply over it. For example, the space is too small to put a regular shoe box on the shelf.

I still have to figure out how/where to store my tall boots and my purses.

I think that's it! I hope this might help someone else deal with a stuffed closet.

None of this would have been possible if it weren't for the excellent advice I received from YLF. Thanks everyone!!!

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27 Comments

  • Angie replied 12 years ago

    You get the next YLF award, Amy. AMAZING!!

  • Mo replied 12 years ago

    Yay! I am in hanger mode myself. Can I ask how long your closet rod is? It looks about like mine (and since I'm 3,000 miles away it's frustrating to just have to judge). I put boots on the top shelf of the shoe rack under my shorter tops, which is why I never thought the double rods would work for me. It's like a puzzle isn't it?!

  • Amy replied 12 years ago

    Thanks Angie!

    Mo, it's totally like working a puzzle. My rod is 48" across, which is bigger than I thought.

    This may sound silly, but I'm thinking of trying out risers for my bed to get a few extra inches of storage under there. If I do that, I could store my tall boots in boxes under the bed. Right now, the bed frame prevents me from stuffing a shoe box under the bed.

    I hope the Seattle area YLF ladies decide they need a clothing swap, because I have a huge heap of nice clothes I want to unload.

    Good grief, I'm spoiled.

  • Jaime replied 12 years ago

    This is so inspirational and impressive. And intelligent! Ok, can you tell I am still working through my first cup of coffee? Really I love closet organization posts and this great!

  • Isabel replied 12 years ago

    WOW .....really impressive !

  • Mo replied 12 years ago

    Thanks, Amy! I was hoping mine was 48" but then started thinking maybe only 3 1/2 feet. I tried looking up standard closets - no such thing!
    Great idea for under bed storage. I have not used that. So far (knock on wood) I don't need to.
    Your closet makeover looks good! I use the hanging tier skirt racks, too, and they are the best. Also the belt rack - I hang it on the inside of the coat closet door. Perfect.

  • Suz replied 12 years ago

    Great job, Amy! You did well and will feel so much better for it!

  • danza.armonia replied 12 years ago

    I'm so excited to find this thread!

    Amy, your closet makeover is fantastic!
    For purses, have you considered over-the door models like this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Jokari-0.....038;sr=1-3
    The reviews are mixed, but the idea seems like it could work for small to medium purses.

    I too have put closet doubler rods in my two (small/half) closets, but am nowhere near to being done with organization. Mo, my closet doubler rods hang approximately 34 inches below the original closet rod (one of them is adjustable, but I have to say , that you need that whole length to fit adult sized tops above the 2nd rod). You could also hang boot shapers from the lower rod if you don't need that space for clothes.

    For scarves, I am using
    2 of these for the light ones:
    http://www.amazon.com/Richards.....d_sim_hg_3

    and 2 of these for the heavy, substantial ones:
    http://www.amazon.com/Five-Tie.....038;sr=1-1

    My shoes will need a new home as the closet doublers have displaced them. I'm hoping they will fit in the coat closet.
    I would love to hear how the risers work for increasing underbed shoe storage!

  • Jonesy replied 12 years ago

    You are a closet organizing warrior!! It looks so much better! I think it makes perfect sense to fix your bed so you can fit some boot/shoe boxes under there :).

  • velvetychocolate replied 12 years ago

    I am so impressed! You post about a closet problem one day and go about tackling it the very next day - you are someone who can just get it done. I'd hire you in a New York minute to take care of something that needs taking care of. No angst, no 'deciding' - just going ahead and doing what needs doing, even if you don't have it all quite figured out yet.

    Wow...and double-WOW. I love how you go about getting down to business. Just fabulous!

  • Amy replied 12 years ago

    LOL, VC, that's the paralegal in me. I problem-solve day in and day out and I'm only allowed very short time frames to work "miracles." I don't always come up with the best solution, but usually some progress is better than no progress.

    Obviously, I haven't done much problem-solving when it comes to my home, though. I need to tackle the kitchen next ;)

  • Debora replied 12 years ago

    I am so impressed! I will have to check out the Slimline hangers - love the idea of them. Thanks so much for sharing, Amy!

  • Parsley replied 12 years ago

    Wow! those are some great solutions!
    I'm such a sucker for organization- you've inspired me to work on my closet!
    I can't believe how much progress you made in a short time!

  • lyn* replied 12 years ago

    Now that's a fabulous closet! :)

  • Sveta replied 12 years ago

    Good for you, Amy! It does feel liberating to get back control over your closet, doesn't it?
    We did a similar closet overhaul several years ago. This double rod is a real space saver, adds a lot to a closet capacity.
    I asked my hubby to move up the upper shelf and move the upper rod up too. It gave me enough room for the lower rod so clothes do not touch the floor. I will take the pictures tomorrow.

  • replied 12 years ago

    You great Amy! I really think you did the best possible job with what you have to work with. *patting you on the back* Your mornings will be smoother for sure!

  • MsMary replied 12 years ago

    Wow, Amy! You certainly didn't let any grass grow under your feet, did you? Great job! I love the butterfly scarf hanger!

  • lyn* replied 12 years ago

    BTW; I totally scored 3 of those linking skirt holders in a dumpster a few years ago; I cleaned them up and use them to separate different articles in my closet (i.e.: dresses and tops and cardigans).

  • goldenpig replied 12 years ago

    Wow, that was quick! Impressive what you've done in so little time! I love the double rod, pencil skirt hanger and scarf hanger! Great job!!!

  • Marley replied 12 years ago

    Amy! Great job! You are my inspiration - I've been agonizing over my closet for a year now, but done nothing much about it. ToMORROW is my day! (or, I should say - my CLOSet's day!)

  • Deborah replied 12 years ago

    I love those linking skirt hangers! Well done your closet looks super organized.

  • ButterflyLady replied 12 years ago

    You've done a great job! I wondered if you could move up the top hanging rod (and the shelf above it, so your clothes weren't touching the floor at the bottom? You also seem to have a lot of unused space above the shelf - is any of that useable for out-of-season storage?

  • Jjsloane replied 12 years ago

    Fantastic job! Excellent solutions and quickly done. You are an inspiration to all (us procrastinators especially). Have you tried boot hangers for the long boots? They might fit on your lower bar (but they do take up more room than clothing)

  • Queen Mum replied 12 years ago

    Amy- this is looking great!
    I hope you don't mind another suggestion. Have you thought about using your shelf as the hanging bar for your top row of clothes? Using those slimline hangers, you should be able to fit 2 or 3 hangers in each little square. Then can your new double hanging rod hang from that as well? That would lift your lower rod up a few inches and keep your blouses from dragging on the ground.

  • Amy replied 12 years ago

    Go for it, Marley! You'll be glad you did!

    Butterflylady - there's no space left above the shelf. I'll have to look at the closet a little more closely, but I'm not sure I can move the rod up much. The closet is shaped funny.

    QueenMum - Bring on the suggestions! I'll take a closer look at using that shelf as a rod; however, I suspect that might prevent the closet doors from closing since there isn't much wiggle room.

    Perhaps I should just remove that shelf and move the rod up. I could then put a shelf on the floor. Hmmmm....

  • nancylee replied 12 years ago

    Nice work, Amy! You must feel great having organized everything so beautifully. The visuals are stunning....and I'm sure they'll be helpful to anyone here who is planning to tackle their closet.

    This is a good time of year to do it....hmmmm.....now you've got me inspired. :)

  • Transcona Shannon replied 12 years ago

    Wow - very impressive Amy! Obviously when you decide to tackle something, you just get right to it! This looks great and I bet you feel like you've really accomplished something!

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