HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: So many of my girlfriends tell me that their closets are messy and disorganized, which makes getting ready for work a chore in the mornings. For example, shoes are scattered all over the bedroom, or they can’t find their white blouse or their gray purse. Since I work for a company that sells custom designed closets to help people organize their closets, I have a few hints that might make getting organized a little easier.

1. Start by removing everything from your closet and cleaning the shelves and floor. If your closet needs to be repainted, this is an excellent time to do it. While the paint is drying, go through your clothes and make three piles: one to keep, one to donate, and one to sell. Be ruthless.

2. Utilize other areas of your home. For example, maybe luggage could be stored under a bed or in a guest closet. Rarely worn evening gowns can be placed in a cloth bag and stored in another closet somewhere else in the house.

3. Do you have room for a dresser in your closet under blouses or other shorter items? If so, move one of your dressers or buy one that can fit in your closet.

4. Hang all long-sleeved shirts or tops together and all short-sleeved tops together. Some people like to organize by color after separating these two categories. Make sure that all suits and all dresses are together, and use hangers with clips for skirts and slacks.

5. Store smaller handbags inside larger ones. Sweaters should be folded and placed on a shelf.

6. You can store shoes in a hanging door rack to save floor space for the pairs of shoes worn most often. Or you could use clear plastic shoe bins and store them on a shelf in your closet.

7. There are numerous videos online that show how to fold clothing items to save space. In the back corner, you might want to have a basket where you store clothing that needs to go to the dry cleaners or that needs ironing or mending.

Getting organized isn’t hard; it’s a habit you can develop. It will make your life a lot easier.

— Kate P., Los Angeles

DEAR READER: It seems that whenever I needed to go anywhere, having my closet organized made packing for the trip so much easier. I know where to go in my closet to find everything. No more frustration over a lost shoe and no more hunting for the right purse to go with an evening outfit.