***Expand your Wardrobe with some Clever Closet Organizers

Few people ever have enough closet space. It seems like the smaller your home, the smaller the storage space. If this describes your living situation, you need to investigate some clever closet organizers.

Shoes

Your shoe wardrobe is a great place to get organized. Left unorganized, your shoes can get mismatched, misplaced and dusty. With a little organization, you will be able to find them easily, even before you’ve had your coffee in the morning.

• An overdoor shoe rack will either hang over the closet door or the bedroom door. Or it can be mounted on the closet wall. It has open access shelves that will hold 24 or 36 pairs of shoes, depending on the size you choose. If you prefer to keep your shoes in boxes, slide the boxes onto the racks. The racks are made of polymer with steel rods to hold the shoes.

• If you want to keep your shoes clean and visible, check out the clear shoe or boot boxes. You’ll know right where they are at a glance. The shoe boxes come in a set of four; boot boxes in a set of two. You can also use these handy boxes to keep your belts, scarves, hats and gloves organized and within sight. Just stack them in the bottom of your closet or on a shelf, and you won’t forget what you have.

• Another option for shoes is a hanging 10-shelf open front shoe organizer. Designed to hang on the closet rod, it won’t take up precious floor space. It has two sturdy hooks to ensure it stays on the rod. The shelves are made of a breathable canvas, protecting the shoes from dust and letting air circulate around them. You can also use this device to hold smaller pieces of clothing, like scarves or camisoles, as well as household items like CDs and books. It comes in natural tan with brown trim, and measures 5½ feet high. Each of the 10 shelves is eight inches across by 14 inches deep.

Shelves

Even if you are lucky enough to have a shelf running across the top of your closet, that by itself won’t do much to keep you organized.

• Shelf dividers will help you organize that shelf, creating defined spaces for sweaters, shirts, sheets, towels and more. Instead of your sweaters falling into a pile, the dividers run perpendicular to the shelf and keep piles straight. The dividers come in two styles: one for wire closet shelves and one for solid wood shelving. The dividers are easy to remove and adjust as your wardrobe changes. They come in a set of four 12-inch by 12-inch dividers.

• A similar device is the chrome shelf divider. It is a one-piece bracket, made of heavy-gauge steel that locks over a solid shelf. The chrome divider comes in a set of two, each measuring 8¼ by 9 inches.

• Another option is the two-tier stackable shelf, made with a metal frame and silver mesh shelves. At almost 30 inches wide, it will store clothing, accessories or even shoes. But since it’s so sturdy, it would be a safe place to store smaller items that you don’t want to lose. It measures 29¾ by 10¾ by 17 inches.

Hangers

There are any number of hanger devices that expand your closet space.

• The steel Hanger Cascader Closet Solution will hold about six times the number of shirts, skirts and pants than the space taken up by one traditional hanger. It’s made with one hanger that goes over the closet rod. The hanger drops down vertically, creating six hooks for your hanging clothes. This system takes advantage of the space not normally used in your closet, unless you have all long dresses. You may have seen a system like this created in plastic, but you will find this steel system is far sturdier and will accommodate the weight of even heavy winter coats. Each Hanger Cascader Closet Solution comes with two of these hangers. You get hooks to hang 12 pieces of clothing, while taking up only the space of two hangers.

• Another great space expander is the Closet Doubler. It too takes advantage of the space not normally used in your closet. Hang it on the closet rod so that the second rod falls underneath your shirts, blouses or skirts (which do not fall to the bottom of the closet). This will almost double the number of pieces of clothing you can hang in that one section of your closet. The bottom bar is height adjustable. Each is 30 inches wide by 33¼ inches high.

So don’t worry if you are stuck in tight living quarters. With some clever closet organizers, you will be able expand your closet space beyond anything you imagined.