How to Organize Your Coat Closet

There is no better time to clean out the front hall closet than over the summer.  Fall tends to be a busy time of year with the kids going back to school.  Before you find yourself with shoes all over the floor, backpacks shoved in and no place to hang those coats, why not get that closet organized before the chaos of another school year starts.

The first thing you will need to do is empty out the closet.  Once the closet is emptied out, you can scrub down the walls or even apply some paint to freshen things up.  If you do decide to paint, you can make the closet really stand out by painting the back wall a different color such as green or blue.

Assess the items that were taken out of the closet.  Get rid of coats and boots that no longer fit.  Throw out umbrellas, hats and mittens or any other accessory that might be torn, damaged or stained.

Make a list of the items you want to store in the closet.  Consider using the list below to help you organize how to put things back.

1.  Measure the longest and shortest coats.  Decide how to best arrange them in the closet.  On the side where the short coats will be hung, maybe you can add a shelf or another closet rod for a second level of coats.
2. If there is room, a shoe stand works well to keep all of the shoes and boots organized.
3. Hooks on a side wall are great for placing a purse or scarf.
4. A side wall is also a great place for a small bulletin board.  This is great for tacking up a grocery list or tickets that can’t be misplaced.
5. Make sure all hangers are strong enough for heavy coats.  Get rid of any hangers that won’t hold the coats up well without stretching them out of shape.
6. Consider a rug or mat for the bottom of your closet to collect wet and dirt from shoes in bad weather.
7. Small bins are a great option to store hats, mittens and scarves.  Even better, assign a bin to each child to store their own winter accessories.
8. Don’t forget the back of the closet door as a place to hang some additional hooks.  Handy for holding umbrellas or a dog’s leash.

Take a picture once everything is organized.  If the closet begins to look messy, you can look at the picture and see where everything should be placed.