Rethink your closets and drawers, and discover how user-friendly they can be. The key is to come up with systems that work for you.
Here are some tips for keeping your storage spaces in shipshape order, along with ways to keep clothes looking their best.
Closets and drawers
Vary hanging heights of closet rods: Instead of a single long rod, install rods at different levels to make it easier to search by type of clothing. Hang dresses, evening clothes, robes and coats from a high rod. Use lower rods for skirts and folded slacks.
All rods should be 12 inches from the back of the closet to provide hangers with at least 2 inches of clearance.
Create custom components: Install adjustable shelving into the closet to fit your needs. Try shelving with peg-in-hole supports or stainless-steel shelves that can be adjusted without tools.
Fit drawers with removable compartments or dividers so everything has its place. Put socks in one compartment, shirts in another, and so on.
Make space for accessories: Stack cubbies along the bottom and up the side of the closet to use for shoes and purses. Place small items, such as gloves and knit scarves, in archival or metal boxes, then stack the boxes inside cubbies or on shelves.
Affix hooks inside the closet door for hanging belts and hats.
Keeping clothes neat
Install protective linings: To keep clothes from snagging, cut vinyl matting (available at art-supply stores) to fit each closet shelf; affix it with double-sided tape.
Give delicate items, such as silk scarves and jewelry a plush place to rest: In a dresser’s shallow top drawers, affix a velvet lining backed with poster board (using archival glue).
Cover the bottom and sides of deep drawers with cedar drawer liners. Use those drawers to store sweaters.
Know when to fold or hang: Some garments look their best when hung on proper hangers in closets that aren’t overcrowded. Others benefit from being neatly folded.
Fold: knitwear; sweaters; bias-cut and A-line skirts and dresses (hanging can distort their shape); long evening dresses, especially those weighted with ornamentation; cotton T-shirts; jeans, khakis and corduroy slacks; scarves and shawls; undergarments and socks; and activewear.
Hang: linen, rayon and cotton blouses; slippery silks and satins; delicate fabrics; pressed shirts; suit jackets; pants with creases; anything with pleats; most dresses; coats; bathrobes; tank tops; and camisoles.
Keep an ironed shirt crisp by hanging it on a shirt hanger, then buttoning at least the top button and straightening the collar.
Use a hanger with clips for skirts. If a skirt is made of a dressy fabric, fold two pieces of felt over the waist of the skirt where it meets the clips to protect the fabric from dent marks.
Anything fragile, such as a camisole, belongs on a padded hanger. Since spaghetti straps slip off easily, sew two buttons onto the hanger and position the straps on the inside.
Give clothes a fresh scent: Place sachets or cedar blocks on closet shelves to scent clothing and linens. The blocks can also help repel moths.
The wood’s scent will gradually weaken as its oils evaporate. When this happens, sand the surface to release the aroma.
Linen closet tips
Group linens according to use: bedding for each bedroom; towels for each bathroom; dinner and cocktail napkins; and tablecloths and runners. You can also add labels to the edges of the shelves so you can locate things quickly.
Donate linens you don’t use anymore to charities, but keep in mind that old sheets can make good drop cloths and old towels can be cut up and used as rags.
Keep everyday items, such as sheets and towels, within reach. Place seasonal items, such as beach towels, on the top or bottom shelves.
Use drawers for storing delicate antique linens. Store blankets and quilts in zippered plastic bedding bags, which will make it easy to identify what’s inside and also keep them from getting dusty.
If you don’t have a linen closet, or your closet is very small, look for additional storage space throughout the house. Create a linen drawer, a linen trunk or a linen sideboard. You can store linens almost anywhere, as long as they’re not subjected to direct light or too much heat or humidity.
Questions should be addressed to Living, care of The New York Times Syndication Sales Corp., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168. or via e-mail to: living@nytimes.com.
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