“The Last Time I Wore That Shirt Was In My 8th Grade School Photo” Read These Tips Before You Declutter Your Closets

[caption id="attachment_9636" align="alignleft" width="365"] Declutter & Organize Your Closet[/caption]

This is the perfect story for me to read today (I will be unpacking all my things in my house today, tomorrow and dreadfully Sunday). In the few times that I've moved into a new house or apartment, I never took the time to see what exactly I was putting in there. Why should I make space in my closet for a pair of pants, or a shirt that I've never worn? There's always that little [sentimental] voice inside my head that's saying, Well...you might wear it someday you know. No little voice inside my head, I will not.

Read these tips before you declutter your house, but more specifically your closets. Need help decluttering your house? Let your Cleveland Contractors bring our team, which includes our Feng Shui expert Martha Royan.

Start with what's hanging. Place clothes flat, on their hangers, in two piles—one for short items, like shirts, and the other for long items, like coats and pants hung full length by their cuffs or waistband. Measure the height of each pile to get the desired lengths for short- and long-item rods. Keep in mind that hangers need sliding space.
• Next up: Clothes that fold. Arrange foldables in 10-inch-high stacks—any higher and they could topple. Each stack needs 14 inches of shelf length.
• Extras. Size up items like ties and T-shirts that also need real estate.

No room for swing-open doors? Avoid sliders, which block the view, and invest in sturdy, solid-core or solid-wood bifolds and heavy-duty fittings (we like those at johnsonhardware.com). Lightweight doors with bad fittings wobble and constantly fall off their tracks.

Courtesy of This Old House