Getting your closet organized and clutter free can be a daunting task. Finding the right system to make your closet look nice and neat is one challenge in itself. Creating a scheme that will allow you to maintain order and efficiency is another task altogether. Accomplishing tasks such as these can be difficult for anybody, but success is attainable through the following five hassle free steps.

#1 - Simple Evaluation

You should ask yourself, before anything else, what your closet space has to offer. If you have lots of headroom, it can be great to store away large, rarely used items in that space. If the railings you currently have are unusable due to the placement of shelves, you could easily move one railing down, and have two railings to hang clothes on. Without the headroom in the closet, some creative space management will become essential. Close attention should also be paid to how you are using the corners of the closet. Trying to place items in the corners that do not properly fit at a right angle can eventually lead to a vast misuse of space. Once all of the physical dimensions are well established you can move on to planning out the best ways to use that space.

#2 – Take Inventory

Some closets can hold a lot of stuff, and much of it is often unnecessary. Before spending money on organizers, or trying to make everything fit, one needs to take an inventory of what is in the closet: what needs to be in the closet that is not already there and what items are present that really do not belong anymore. You do not have to throw things away all the time either. If you cannot part with an item, but there is no space for it, put it somewhere else. There are countless ways to hide various items away and not in your frequently used closet. You should also take the time to discern which items may cause trouble because of their shape, size, fragility, importance, and frequency of use. After this step has been completed, you should have a pretty good idea of what the trouble spots are in your closet, and can now look at how to solve them.

#3 – Invest in storage devices for your closet

Smart purchases of tools that will help you get everything in order can have a monumental influence on both the look and functionality of your clothing storage space. Perhaps the greatest difficulty is taking care of shoe issues. Footwear generates a great deal of clutter, but can be solved in a few ways. An over the door shoe sleeve can free your floor space, and hold most of your shoes while doing it. However, some people have more shoes then they would have sleeves. If that is the case for you, then try buying an angled shoe rack. By angling two or three shelves, this rack can hold all of your shoes, while keeping them visible. A flat rack can hold your footwear fine, but shoes on the bottom shelves are obscured. Other ways to clear up space in the closet can be just as simple. Adding shelving is a wonderful way to clear up space. Basic plastic storage boxes can also be useful in the closet. Whatever your needs, there is a product out there to solve it.

#4 – Get Everything Out!

Once you have obtained the necessary storage devices, and have a firm plan in mind, you need to clean everything out. Once the closet is empty, things will be easier to work with. Put in extra shelving, any storage devices you need, and double check that there are not any trouble spots that you have ignored. Then categorize your various items, and roughly organize them before trying to put them back into place.

#5 – Put Items Back in Their Places

If you have planned well, the process should be relatively simple. However, there is still a need for flexibility. No matter how well planning has gone; chances are that something will not work out. Be creative at this point, and the problem will be easily fixable. Be sure to think about the long term repercussions of any changes you may make in your plans. The key in this process is to create a plan that can be maintained over time, not just one that looks pretty. Be sure to keep that goal at the forefront of your mind.

Getting your closet well organized and efficient can be accomplished in as few as five steps. It is a matter of knowing what you have, getting what you need, and being willing to solve problems that may come up in the process. Be sure to focus on function over form, and you will quickly have a closet that is clutter free and easily accessible.