Closet Clutter

How to Avoid a Avalanche

We have probably all seen the classic doodle of where a parent opens a closets door and an avalanche of stuff falls on them. In this post, we will learn how to avoid those and not receive concussions when opening your closet. Let's begin!

Quick note: This post is NOT for walk in closets. That will be in a later post. If you can't tell the difference, have a family member you dislike stand at the enter and walk into the closet. If he/she is able to walk 4-5 without running into a wall, it it probably a walk in closet.

Know then Throw

Most of the time, storage closets are generally small. To begin organizing, start with our general clean, throwing away trash and placing items that don't belong in a separate box/bag to deal with later. Now we can begin. I would like to start with an acronym for this post. If your closet needs cleaning then it is probably cluttered. To start, we must give some things away. This is TOTALLY optional depending on your opinions. Just in case, I have an acronym you can follow to see if you know you must toss it:

Know objects purpose?

Need object?

Outlook of object is sitting the corner in the next 5 years?

Why must you have it? (Come up with 5 good reasons)

If you are getting rid of stuff, I hope you found that acronym helpful. Next section will get a but more technical.

But Mommy! I can't reach/find it!

That is bad news for you. It means walking and nobody wants that. To help with children prob, I have scenarios and measurements to guide you:

For Bathroom Closets:

• Frequently used items like towels or cloths should be placed at a height when you don't have to bend and the little one doesn't need a step stool
• Health/Medicinal things not for kids should be placed in containers and on a higher shelf
• Things only rarely (like my old fish tank) used should be on the lowest of low shelf 
• Don't forget the labels!

For Game Closest:

• Family favorites in the middle shelf
• Games that kids will find boring can be placed on the higher shelf
• Small games like Rook can be placed in a box in the low shelf
• Labels are not really needed

For Any Closet (A ton are out there)

• Frequently used items on middle shelf
• Adult/teenager things on higher shelf
• Non-frequent or small child items on lower shelf

*Measurements You can Use:

• Max Child Reach: 4.5-5 feet
• Max Female Reach: 7 feet
• Max Male Reach: 7.5 feet

*all estimates

Really all that is left to do is to shine things up, sort items, and all that. 

I hope you find your closets easier to navigate. If you have any comments; how I did, things I could add, and suggestions for next time, please let me know. Thanks for reading and look out when you open your closets! :)

-C.