Organizing your life? Start with your closet. With a plan and a vision, you can make this potentially very stressful project fun. Plus save yourself some money and future headaches.
Organizing your closets can be broken down into five steps.
1. Take inventory. Take a look at everything you want to keep, what you don’t want and what is worth storing in that closet.
2. Clean house. Donate, have a garage sale. Do you really need that old letterman sweater that doesn’t even fit any more? Remember when organizing, less is more.
3. Remove barriers. If you have one rod to hang all your stuff, remove it. Studies have shown that the one-rod set up really hinders your ability to get as much as possible into one closet. Save on space and you’ll save your stuff.
4. Write down ideas. On a piece of grid paper draw a plan for what you would like the closet to look like and what you want in there. This will not only help you visualize how you want this closet to look, but it will help you select a good system.
5. Use all of the available space. Hey, that’s what it’s there for.
Elfa is one of the most versatile and easy systems that you can install. And available at The Container Store.
Closet Maid, makes a full line of closet organization systems for your home that are reasonably priced. Believe it or not, you can re-organize your closet for as little as $50. A small price to pay for your valuable belongings.
Don’t want to do it yourself? The Closet Factory is a custom closet contractor that will build out your closet to the exact specification and in just about any color or style you would like.
Closet Storage
If your family’s closets are getting out of control, don’t panic. There are lots of products available that will help you get organized. In fact, you can increase the storage capacity of most standard closets by 50 to 75 percent or more just by adding an organizer system. With better organization, you can take advantage of unused space, greatly increasing storage and, at the same time, placing things within easy reach.
Although you can hire a professional to install a closet organizer for you, the most cost-efficient method is to plan the project, purchase the organizer system and install it yourself.
Deciding on a System
As you plan your general closet design, measure the closet and draw a diagram of it to scale. Become familiar with the various products and organizer systems available. Using your notes and measurements, pick the combination that best meets your storage, installation, and budget needs.
Closet Basics
The following are core closet features that will help you organize your space.
Rods
Consider how much room you’ll need to hang clothing; this will affect how long a rod you should use. Also, think about whether you need a two-rod system to accommodate shirts, skirts, and blazers, or if a single rod for longer articles of clothing would work better.
Shelves
Determine the amount of shelf space you’ll need by accounting for the amount of shoes, linens, and clothing that will not hang on a rod or store easily in a dresser. Add a cushion of 10 to 15 percent to the total shelf space needed. Avoid designing the closet with items placed on the floor, since they will add clutter.
Hooks
You can hang some items from hooks, such as jeans, sweats, and jackets. If this type of storage suits you, be sure to plan sufficient wall surface to hang the hooks.
Drawers
If you have a number of items that you would like to keep out of view or simply in an enclosed space, consider installing a shelf tower with drawers. Determine how many drawers you would like and how large they should be. A tower also provides a convenient space to hang hooks. You can install shorter systems, such as coated-wire drawer systems, with casters so you can roll them from place to place if necessary.
Remember that a drawer and the frame on which it glides takes up space. In other words, one large drawer will provide more actual storage space than two smaller ones. If space is tight, select large drawers and add thin dividers inside if needed. Label drawers for a quick reminder of contents.
Closet Helpers
In addition to basic materials like rods, shelves, and drawers; you can buy individual pieces that allow you to use closet space efficiently.
Double-Hanging Rod
This gadget turns a regular single-rod-and-shelf closet into a double-hanging closet. It’s U-shaped; you hook the two arms to the single rod, and the base of the U is a rod where you can hang jacket, skirts, etc.
Pants Hangers
This multi-armed hanger allows you to store a number of pairs of pants in a space not much wider than that normally required by one pair.
Tie and Belt Racks
Available in many styles, some racks hang directly from the closet rod or door; some are installed on a bare rod, whereas others are freestanding units that rotate for easy access.
Shoe Racks
You can find shoe racks that hang from either the closet rod or over the door, mount on the back of the door or on the wall, or are simply placed on the floor. Materials used to make shoe racks include metal rods, steel wire, vinyl, quilted cloth, wood, particleboard and plastic.
Storage Boxes
See-through plastic boxes with covers keep stored items clean and easily visible. You can also find boxes made of wood, particleboard, or cardboard.
Cedar Lining
Not only is cedar an attractive wood, it also retains a unique moth-deterring aroma, perfect for use inside a clothes closet. Cedar also is highly resistant to decay.
Keeping the holiday's safe in your home.
By Lou Manfredini
With the holidays upon us chances are you’ll have lots of family and friends in your home. How safe is it?
Slips and falls account for over a million injuries in the US alone. Many happen right in your own home. Some other things to worry about are holiday candles, loose or broken furniture, even safe usage of your holiday lighting. Below are some tips to keep you safe and sound at home.
Winterizing your home will save you money and keep you comfy.
By Lou Manfredini
As winter hits full swing it's still not too late to take a few steps to winterize your home. Adding some insulation here, a little plastic window film there can save you real dollars this year. By buttoning up your home you could trim up to 20% off your total energy bills in 2010. Here are a few ideas:
1. Install a programmable thermostat. A must. There are many different brands on the market that range in price from $40-$100. You can program it to lower the temperature while you’re at work or sleeping and save up to 30-percent in a well insulated home. What’s more, outdated thermostats are the weakest link in conserving energy. According to the government’s Energy Information Administration, only about 11% of U.S. homes are equipped with modern programmable thermostats. Honeywell¬Æ, a leader in control technology, estimates that homeowners can receive one to three months of free heating and cooling by installing a programmable thermostat. What are you waiting for?
2. Change the filters in your furnace. Most of the American homes now have forced air heating. Dirty filters not only do nothing for your indoor air quality but also make your furnace run longer to make you feel warm. Invest in pleated filters, they trap more dirt and will keep your indoor air cleaner. Also remember that humidity in the winter is important to your comfort. A dry home tends to feel colder. Whole house humidifiers do a great job. A new register based humidifier can work wonders in dry areas of your home. You can remove the standard floor register and drop this unit in. Fill the small holding tank and when the furnace runs it adds humidity to that room. These are really neat.
3. Add weather stripping around windows and doors. A project that any homeowner can do. This also has a real impact on drafts and conserving energy. Door thresholds, window caulking and plastic window film can go a long way in saving your money this winter. If you live in a drafty home, you could save up to 20% with an investment of $25. One of the newer products on the market is called “WindJammer”. Is a removable caulking that you squeeze in place where drafts exist. Then in the spring you just peel it away. It's available at most local Hardware stores.
4. Winter means cold and cold can lead to frozen pipes. Make sure all of your outdoor water spigots are turned off from the inside. And that you have removed all hoses off of them as well. If you are not sure if your spigot is frost proof kind use and insulating cap. These caps lessen the chance that spigot will freeze and crack. The $5.00 item can save you hundreds of dollars in possible repair bills from broken pipes and a flooded basement.
5. Check the arrangement of your furniture. Make sure that heating vents are not blocked. Using deflectors you can aid the vents ability to direct the heat where you need it. These are inexpensive and use a magnet to keep them in place. You can also cut out drafts from cold air return vents with magnetic covers. Keep in mind these vents serve a purpose but for those who have high low vents covering the high ones during the winter will help your heating system run more efficiently.
Even when you do all these improvements sometimes your home can still feel cold. Many of us use portable heaters to heat up those spaces. While this can be a good solution care must be taken to select the right heater for your home. The very first step is to make sure that you have a working smoke detector. If you are unsure when you replaced the batteries do it now. So many times we hear the story of the fire caused by one of these heaters and that a working smoke detector was not present. Never use a heater that uses fuel inside your home. That's my opinion, and that of many fire professionals. The open flame coupled with the fuel leave too much of a chance of causing a fire. Many of the electric units will heat those rooms well but keep these safety tips in mind.
Never use an electric heater in a bathroom or laundry room or anywhere that water is present.
Keep the heater at least three feet from and combustible material like curtains or furniture.
Never use a heater with a frayed cord or cracked housing.
Never plug a heater into an extension cord, they must be plugged into a receptacle in good working order.
Never disable any of the safety features of the unit.
Take special care when using a heater in the presence of children.
I hope these tips will help you save a little money on your energy bills this year as well as keep you and your family safe. If you have more questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail me at www.housesmartstv.com
