Creating Closet Storage 

Anyone can create storage attractively and inexpensively with just a little imagination. Think double-duty when organizing your closets and see how many areas you can make work for you instead of against you. For example, most of us have luggage but not many of us travel all the time. Instead, that luggage takes up valuable storage space in the back of the closet that could be put to better use.

Try storing seasonal items or extra blankets and linens in your luggage and clear up a lot of your closet clutter immediately. Make use of bathroom and closet doors by hanging shoe bags or other pocket-filled storage compartments on them. While shoes can be organized in one hanging bag, a second see-through hanging bag can hold a variety of things like scarves, gloves and seasonal items in the closet and things like jewelry and accessories in the bathroom.

Open any storage boxes you have stacked away in your closet and either get rid of the items or find a place for them. If you are storing things like coolers that you only use at the beach in the summer, fill them with other seasonal items. When you do need to keep items in a box, keep those to a minimum and use boxes that are uniform in size and shape so they'll easily stack atop one another.

Holiday decorations can take up an enormous amount of closet space for those of us who have only our closets to store things not in immediate need. This is one area where planning and creativity can make a huge difference in the amount of storage space you have available. This is also a good way to take advantage of smaller storage spaces you might not otherwise use. For example, if you're storing blankets that are rarely used, slip some of your delicate and fragile holiday decorations in with the blankets.

If papers are part of your clutter demon, invest in a shredder and file cabinet, both of which can be stored in your closet and after shredding all your junk mail or anything containing personal information, save the shreds to use for packing material when sending gifts or moving.

If you have children, consider organizing their closets early on. Kids can begin to pick up after themselves at a very early age but it's important that their things belong in a certain place.

Once you decide to invest in closet storage solutions, you'll realize how easy and fun it is to have everything organized. Don't forget to maximize small spaces on the wall and you may even consider hanging some items from the ceiling.

We tend to visualize all of our clothes hanging neatly in the closet but don't be afraid to explore the storage solutions that incorporate drawers into your closet. Once you weed out the clutter demons, the fun will begin and you'll be able to decide which kind of storage containers/compartments or shelves will work best for you.

By breaking down and organizing your closet space, you can effectively double or triple your previous space just by being organized and utilizing the proper tools

Once you start shopping for your closet storage system, look for items that can do double-duty and/or are easily adjustable. Many closet shelf systems are easily expandable, making it easy to change things around once your needs change. The most important thing to keep in mind however is that this is your space and only you can determine the best use of it. By taking the time to properly assess your needs and planning accordingly, you will end up with the most efficient closet storage solution there is!