Entries Tagged 'Hang it Up' ↓

Just because you’re going on a trip, doesn’t mean your clothes can’t be as organized away from home as they are at home…

Summer is just about here and most of us are planning at least one vacation.  Whether you’re going camping in the mountains or staying at a beach resort somewhere tropical, there’s a common issue.  We all want a better solution for keeping our clothes organized while traveling.  Sure, hotels have closets with hangers and most come with a dresser.  But is that enough?  It doesn’t seem to be enough at home which is why we have access to so many great closet organizers.

Here are some suggestions for making your closet away from home feel more like the closet at home:

Portable closet shelves perfect if you’re staying at a hotel or family/friend’s house.  Because they’re made of fabric, they folds down nice and flat to fit inside your suitcase.  At home, you would typically use a hanging shelf like this for your sweaters, jeans and shirts.  It’s designed to help you when you don’t have a dresser or have run out of space in the dresser.  Apply the same logic to your vacation.  You might be staying somewhere (like a friend’s house) where they have a place for you to sleep, but no dresser for you to store your clothing.  With a travel closet shelf, you don’t have to keep your clothes in the suitcase the whole time you’re away.

If your vacation involves spending a lot of time in the car (camping or road-tripping), I have a couple suggestions for keeping your clothes organized without a suitcase.  Put a plastic chest of drawers in your trunk area and it’s like having a dresser everywhere you go.  You can even take it out and put it inside your tent and it’ll feel a lot less like you’re “roughing it” out there!  Better yet, use the Auto Clothes Bar – Expandable Garment Rack in your car for hanging clothes.  You wont’ have to worry about nice suits and blouses getting wrinkled in a suitcase while on your road trip!

Remember, for every clothing storage issue there’s a solution – even when it comes to travel.  I hope your summer vacation is fun, safe and memorable!

Running out of closet space is so annoying, right?  Especially when you get new clothes and are so excited to hang them up. They always end up strewn messily across the floor, giving my home the look of a Hazmat site. Sometimes I try to save my floors from the disastrous mess and stuff my clothes into drawers, giving my room a false sense of order. In reality though, the drawers are so stuffed full of socks, shirts, skirts, slips and shorts that I cannot even pull the drawer out to see what is contained within.

One solution for this clothing catastrophe is to purchase loads of bins to place all of your clothes into. The problem with this solution to clothes storage is twofold. For one, bins still take up a ton of space in your closet or bedroom, therefore not really solving the problem at all; two, bins can be hard to organize and make it difficult to find what you are looking for, especially early in the morning when you are all groggy and haven’t had your coffee yet.

The perfect solution to closet and bedroom storage issues is to maximize your closet by using tiered hangers. With tiered hangers, you can place multiple garments in nearly the same amount of space as just one! There are all kinds of tiered hangers, including tiered shirt hangers, tiered slacks hangers or even an Add-On Skirt and Blouse Hanger.

With all the extra closet and bedroom space you will save by using tiered hangers, just think of all the options you have to recreate the space: You could turn part of your closet into a dark room, or a mini recording studio, or better yet, for you ladies you could turn the closet into a vanity room.

No matter where you live, or in what kind of dwelling, a garment rack is a handy thing to have around.  The typical rolling clothing rack can serve a variety of purposes, from storing seasonal clothes in the garage to adding a closet to any room.

The guest room in my home is actually located in a space that was designated as a small office or bonus room, so it did not come with a closet.  I solved this problem by adding a Portable Spare Wardrobe Closet which acts like an instant closet.  It even closes up for a tidy look in the room.

A good garment rack can also help save your laundry room from getting messy, overcrowded and a confusing.  You can use it to hang clothes to dry, which will also save you some money on energy.  If you use a hanging sweater dryer to air dry delicates, you can hang it from your garment rod rather than putting holes in the wall or ceiling.  If you do not have space in your laundry room for a full size rolling garment rack, then there are a number of alternatives.

A wall garment rack saves you space and gives the same benefits of hanging clothes to store or dry.  Use this kind of clothing rack like a usual closet rod, and even hang sweater shelves or a hanging shoe rack.  Best of all, they can also be folded down when not in use.

As I said before, just about anyone can benefit from having a garment rack in the home.  They can do more than just store and dry clothing – think of unique and creative ways to re-purpose a garment rack!

Closet renovation and organization is a great project anytime you have free time.  I find that when I have a well organized closet, I have an easier time getting ready in the morning and I wear all of my clothes, rather than just the few favorite pieces that are easiest to find every day.  One of my common problems with keeping a tidy closet, is that I don’t like to hang everything up.  Some things just do not need to be hung on hangers, or can’t, (such as sweaters and jeans) but I also don’t have a bedroom dresser.  So I don’t even have drawers to put those articles of clothing in.

3-Shelf Closet Organizer

Another problem with my closet has been all the unused space beneath the hanging clothes.  It seemed like there was a much better way use the space.  So, I installed a bottom closet rod beneath the one that was already there.  Then, I added this awesome 3-shelf hanging closet rod organizer to the bottom rod.  The three shelf closet organizer is made of canvas with metal hooks that hang from the clothing rod.  And the hanging canvas shelves have inserts to keep each shelf sturdy.  I placed three in a row and gained nine shelves in my closet, without having to install permanent closet shelving!
Now I have shelves so I can fold up sweaters, sweatshirts, and jeans and keep them in my closet without having to hang each one from a hanger.  It worked so well in my closet, that my husband decided he wanted one too.  We did the same exact thing in his, and it feels like we have fancy custom closets but did it at a fraction of the cost.  The other cool thing about these canvas closet organizers is that they’re portable.  So if we’re going on a trip, we can have the same closet convenience at the hotel that we have at home!

A great way to keep your closets clutter-free is to store your out of season clothing elsewhere.  That means, during the winter your summer clothes go into storage and vice versa during the summer.  Don’t worry if you do not have a garage, there are plenty of places to find storage around the home – you just need to know where to look for it!  When it comes to managing clutter, especially when it comes to clothing, I absolutely treasure garment bags, which come in various styles.  Some garment bags hang over the closet rod to keep long coats and dresses stored, while others are designed for packing up sweaters and keeping them under the bed.

Ideally (if you have a garage) you should keep a garment rack in the garage for hanging items.  That way, all you have to do is transfer the hanging clothes to the garment rack and zip them up in some sort of protective storage bag.  You’ll want that bag to have good strong seams, somewhat rigid to maintain shape, and be transparent so you can see through to what’s inside.  Never go the easy route and use garbage bags, folks, you’ll regret it!  If you do not have a garage for storing seasonal clothes, you will have to be a little more creative.  But it is not difficult – utilize space under the bed, under the sofa, in a hall closet, etc.

Space Bags and other containers which use a vacuum to suck out the air are a dream come true for people with limited storage space.  Use those to hold your sundresses and tanks in the winter and your sweaters and scarves in the summer.  No matter how you go about it, you are sure to find that storing seasonal clothes is the key to having an organized and de-cluttered closet!

Auto Clothes Bar – Expandable Garment Rack

Every once in a while I come across a really cool organizing tool.  This week my pick is actually designed for use in the car.  If you have a regular commute, you know how important it is to keep your car neat and tidy – it is essential to your well being on the road!  This awesome car organizing tool is great for anyone who uses the services of a dry cleaner, or for anyone who has a long commute and wears a suit.  This In-Car Expandable Clothes Bar is a must have to keep your business clothing in tip top shape.  Whether you simply like to hang up your suit and change at your destination or you have a large load of dry cleaning to pick up, this car organizer is a wonderful solution!  This hanging clothes bar simply hooks onto the existing handles in the backseat of your car and is expandable to fit most models.  Then, voila!  An instant closet rod in your car!
Here are some of my other favorite car organizers:
Glove Box Organizers – These range from envelopes to hold your registration and insurance paperwork to CD holders.
Trunk Organizers – I’ve seen great tools for organizing the trunk of the car, such as little handles and stands that keep things from rolling around while you are driving and large canvas carriers that hold grocery bags upright.  There are even specialty trunk organizers for golfers, tennis players and more.
Kids Car Organizers – With these, it’s important to make sure that your child can reach the items that they need so that you won’t have to turn around and help them.  I love the organizers that fit over the front seat headrests as they take up no extra room in the car and offer easy access for little ones to their toys.

One of the biggest keys to succeeding while you are away at college is to keep your workspace and living spaces as clean and organized as possible. As someone who learned to change my ways and plan ahead to stay organized after consistently struggling to keep my surroundings structured while in college, I am an excellent authority on the subject. Unfortunately, I learned to get organized after I graduated from college, which did my academic career no favors but has prepared me for the world of employment. Learn from my mistakes and successes and you will find being organized is easier than you ever expected.

The Variety Stash – Hanging 23 Pocket Organizer

One of the biggest road-blocks to organization while in college is the simple fact that there is not much space in the dorm to store everything you need to survive for a semester. From snacks and cleaning supplies to notebooks and clothing, there are a lot of items that need to be stored and not much room to put it in. Because of this dilemma, it takes a great deal of ingenuity to get all of your stuff stored into the often cell-like college dorm (especially for freshman who always end up getting the worst dorms on campus).

A great way to save space and add organizer to your dorm room is to utilize every space available for storage. Over the door organizers are a great way to maximize under-utilized spaces in the dorm and have a variety of uses, from handbags to backpack and from jackets to classroom supplies.

The Variety Stash hanging 23 pocket organizeris perfect for catch-all organization and storage in the dorm room. This organizer has a variety of pocket-sizes, making it perfect for storing everything from pens to notebooks. What makes this organizer perfect for the dorm room is that it provides the perfect place to store small items that always end up cluttering a dorm room and making it uncomfortably messy. When there is an item that you cannot find a home for, simply find a slot in this organizer to keep the item, clearing up the coffee table, counter or desk that it would inevitably end up on.

Over the Door Hooks with Basket – by Richards Homewares

Over the door racks are also a great accessory for the bathroom. In my experience, one of the most hotly contested areas in dorm-life is keeping the bathroom organized and separating your property from your dorm-mates’. An over the door hooks with basket is a great addition to your dorm bathroom. This rack has five hooks so you can assign a hook for each roommate, clearing up the icky and confusing game of “Whose towel is whose?” There is also a large shelf area that is great for storing extra bathroom materials and cleaning supplies for the bathroom.

Of course, not all of college is studying and hard work. Video games, music and movies are all important parts of social life in the dorms, so keep all of your gear organized by using a game storage over the door rack. This rack makes it easy to keep your games, controllers, gaming guides and other entertainment materials organized and in one convenient place. This over the door rack might have to be more of a supplemental organizer for your media, as many college students have gargantuan music / movie / video game collections, but it is a great way to keep frequently used items close at hand.

Over-the-Door Message Center

Lastly, communication with your roommates is a key component to keeping the dorm room organized and comfortable. Using an over the door message center is a great way to keep track of chores and to let your roomies know what your plan is for the day. The top corkboard is perfect for posting paperwork, bills and other items that always end up lost when left on the desk or counter-top.

With these space-saving and dorm-organizing over the door racks, you are one step closer to having an organized semester, perhaps for the first time in your college career!

plastic hangers

I remember the week before I started college.  My mom took me to the local drugstore to purchase “the basics”, or what she thought I would need to set up my dorm room, and to set up my new life as a professional student.  A few of the things I probably would have thought of on my own (toothpaste, deodorant), but beyond that, I have to admit that I was clueless.  She had been “furnishing” my life for 18 years up to that point for me, but now she was about to send me off, and clearly, by the look of the list she brought along, she wasn’t quite ready to hand over the reins for some reason.
It went something like this:  “Laundry Detergent?  Check.  Staples?  Okay, if you say so!  Roll of Quarters?  Huh?  What do I need those for? “
If you are in the shoes my mom found herself in (some 15 years ago, I might add), you’ve probably got the basics down yourself.  But here are a few more things you may not have thought of that you should add to your back-to-school shopping list:
·         Plastic Hangers – Why? They’re just so darn cheap!  And something I know that my mom forgot to send up with me (Imagine my surprise that closets don’t come complete with hangers).  Wire is great too if you have a bunch left over from the dry-cleaners (and free).
·         Roll of Quarters  (or two or three) – Yep, your not-so-much munchkin anymore is going to have to do his laundry all by himself, and he will have to pay for it.  And if you think he’s going to run out to get change when he runs out of clean sox, think again – he’s got better things to do now.
·         A jump-drive – also called a flash drive, barely yet invented when I was in college, but now an absolute must-have for every student.

Around this time of year one of the most comment inquiries I hear is are from flabbergasted parents that are sending their oldest child away to college. This is the first time their children are going to live away from the organizing hands of Mom and Dad; having their children ready to live on their own is very important to them, even to the point of near nervous breakdown!

3-Shelf Closet Organizer

The first thing I tell these concerned parents is to take a deep breath and relax – everything is going to be just fine. There are many ways to get your child prepared for the rigors of keeping a dorm room in order, and they are actually very simple and affordable.

A product I would recommend for a parent to get for their child is a 3-Shelf Closet Organizer. This hanging closet organizer is pretty much a standard fixture in the college dorm. Three shelves are good for shorter closets, but I would recommend getting a couple that feature more shelves.

There are a few reasons why these shelves are so popular with college students (and others that live in tight quarters). One reason for their popularity is first off, they are extremely inexpensive. For less than twenty bucks you can get the same storage that an expensive wood or metal shelf provides at a much higher cost. Because they are made from flexible fabric material, they are easy to pack up when it comes time to move out.

I have seen these organizers be used in a variety of functions, from standing in as de facto linen closets to serving as a shoe rack! I have even seen kids use them to hold their textbooks, though depending on what the closet organizer is made from, I would recommend avoiding this practice.

Easy to install onto any closet pole, hanging closet organizers are a great way to get help get your new college student ready to be organized!

With long, hot days that never seem to end, summertime can be quite expensive on energy costs. For most of the United States, an air conditioner in the summer is not just a luxury, it is a necessity. Unfortunately, air conditioners can be pretty costly on your energy bill as they take a lot of electricity to operate. However, the good news it there are some things you can do to even out the cost of running an air conditioner all summer long.

A great way to utilize the excellent summer weather and cut down a bit on your electricity consumption is dry your clothing on an outside line or a drying rack. I for one get very sweaty in the summer, so I am always doing laundry to keep up with my demand for clean clothing. Drying loads upon loads of clothing can add up quite a bit on the energy bill. Cutting down on mechanical drying is a great way to lower your energy costs in the summer, bringing them down closer to spring or autumn levels. I like to take advantage of that hot summer air while I can – I find that it dries clothing just about as fast as a dryer!

Pullout Wooden Clothes Drying Rack

The Clothes Drying Rack – Wall Mounted – wood is a great choice for those that have a space to wall-mount a drying rack. This is a great option because it does not take up any floor space and will always be right there for easy use.

Collapsible Clothes Drying Rack

However, some of us do not have a good spot to mount a drying rack – or others, like me, are renters and cannot be making permanent installations in the wall. In this case, I would recommend purchasing a product like the Collapsible Drying Rack. It is like this product is tailor-made for my situation. It can be folded down to a very small size, which is perfect for someone that is tight on space like me. It is pretty lightweight as well, so it I can move it all over the house so it is always in the sun.

While I try to cut back on my AC use to save on electricity, this just goes to show there are many other alternatives one can take to cut back on energy costs in the summer.