Spring Closet Cleaning: 5 Essential Tips for a Refreshed Wardrobe

woman doing spring closet cleaning

Spring is well underway, so there’s a good chance you’ve been working away on your home spring cleaning projects.

As time-consuming as it can be to give your home some extra cleaning and organizing attention, it always feels rewarding to refresh and renew your living space.

Obvious tasks like dusting blinds, washing windows, vacuuming baseboards, and cleaning out the pantry are likely on your spring cleaning checklist.

One project you might be overlooking, however, is a spring closet cleaning.

Don’t overlook your closets while spring cleaning

Although most of the closets in our homes get used every day, they often get overlooked come spring cleaning time. We tend to focus our work efforts on the more visible home areas. It’s all too easy to hide messy closets by just keeping their doors closed as much as possible.

The “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy simply doesn’t work very long with an untidy closet…as we’re always reminded the next time we use it.

A change of season presents the perfect opportunity to declutter and organize your closets. They’re one of the home’s major clutter hotspots and there are lots of benefits of having tidier closets.

Here are some spring closet cleaning tips to help you create more functional and efficient closet spaces.

Benefits of spring closet cleaning

Let’s start with the benefits of doing a spring closet cleaning. Here’s why it’s worth the time and effort to do a spring closet refresh:

  1. Organized closets are a time-saver: overstuffed closets make it harder to find things to wear every day. Curating your wardrobe to accommodate the current season and making better use of your storage space eliminates hours of wasted time every year.
  2. Using tidy closets reduces stress: an easy-to-manage closet space makes it less stressful to get dressed. With all of your clothes and accessories visible at a glance, you’ll experience less “mess stress” and decision fatigue and enjoy a smoother morning routine.
  3. Maximize your wardrobe usage: A National Association of Professional Organizers study found that 80% of our clothes are only worn 20% of the time. Organized closets reduce the likelihood of losing and misplacing clothes and allow you to get the most use from what you own.
  4. Get a better idea of what clothing you need to buy: an occasional wardrobe curation and closet reorganization helps you make smarter clothing purchases. You’ll be more informed about the gaps and surplusses in your clothing collection.
  5. Extend the life of your clothing: messy, overstuffed closets lead to poor storage habits. That usually leaves clothes looking a little worse for wear, which can damage them and shorten their lives.

5 essential spring closet cleaning tips

In addition to these specific closet-cleaning benefits, spring cleaning is an age-old ritual because it helps lighten our mood, increase our productivity, and improve the air quality in our homes.

Every part of a home needs an occasional refresh. Even the most beautiful room will lose its visual appeal after years of seeing it day after day. All areas of a living space (including the closets) can benefit from a refresh and revamp every once in a while.

If all of these benefits sound like worthwhile reasons to get your closets in order, here are some tips to make your spring closet cleaning project a little easier.

1. Curate your wardrobe

Recent data from Statistics Canada shows that the average Canadian household spends $3,344 on clothing and accessories annually.

Whether it’s the garage, kitchen pantry, or your closets, any space is naturally easier to keep tidy if it contains fewer things to store. Our bedroom closets work the hardest and are most in need of a spring closet clean-out and some wardrobe curation.

The curation process will typically take up the most amount of time while spring closet cleaning, especially if it’s something you don’t do at least once a year. Try on anything you haven’t worn in ages to see what fits and which items still align with your style. Set up “keep”, “donate”, “sell”, and “throw-away” sections.

An effective closet purge requires making some difficult choices about what to keep and what to let go of. Be mindful of finding a sensible balance between practicality and sentimentality during the process.

Once you’ve eliminated the unnecessary items from your wardrobe, now you’re more able to “shop your closet”. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means to create new outfits using the lesser-worn and overlooked items in your existing wardrobe. And if you do need to fill in a few wardrobe gaps, now you have more closet space for any new additions.

woman sorting clothes

Try to curate your wardrobe at least once a year to prevent your closets from getting overstuffed and unmanageable.

2. Refresh your closet interiors

We’ve detailed one type of closet cleaning that involves decluttering and curating. It’s impossible to give a full closet a proper cleaning in the traditional sense, however. Since your closets will be mostly emptied during this process, take advantage of this opportunity to give them a deep cleaning.

Even in a home that is regularly vacuumed, a surprising amount of dust can get into enclosed spaces like closets. Give the ceilings, walls, and shelves in your closets a thorough dusting and remove any cobwebs. Don’t forget to wipe down any baseboards, light fixtures, and small personal items that have accumulated dust, too.

Vacuum the closet floors and consider refreshing any carpets or rugs with a steam cleaning or shampoo if it’s been a while since they’ve last had one.

Look for signs of mould and mildew, which can occur in dark closets with high humidity levels and overly restricted airflow. Avoid storing wet shoes and sweaty clothes in closets to keep out the moisture that mould and mildew thrive on.

Keep an eye out for signs of clothing moths as well. They’re attracted to natural fibres and also enjoy warm and dark spaces. To make your closets less hospitable for moths, mothballs aren’t your only option (in fact, they’re quite toxic). Here are some alternative ways to avoid any moth issues in your closets:

  • don’t put dirty clothes in closets
  • use pheromone strips
  • keep cedar blocks or hangers in your closets
  • use sachets containing spices like lavender, cinnamon, mint, and cloves

3. Use good closet organizing systems

After carefully considering which of your belongings deserve space in your closets, now it’s time to put everything back. But before doing so, ask yourself one question: could my closets be improved with better storage and organization systems?

A high-quality custom closet system maximizes your closet storage space, reduces clutter, and makes it much easier to stay organized. Professionally-designed custom closet systems are superior to store-bought closet organizers for a few reasons:

  • they’re tailored specifically for the dimensions of your home’s closets, resulting in maximum functionality
  • there’s more flexibility to accommodate your storage and organization habits
  • they look nicer and complement your existing décor better
  • higher-quality materials provide greater durability and a better user experience

Organized Interiors offers storage solutions for reach-in and walk-in closets that can be a game-changer if you’re dealing with closet organization issues. Another option is to add a built-in or standalone custom wardrobe closet if you need a little more clothes storage space.

men's walk-in closet

4. Prioritize your storage needs

Once you’ve decided on how your closets will be set up and what’s going back in them, establish how you want to organize them.

Out-of-season clothes that won’t be touched for a few months ideally shouldn’t be taking up any space in your bedroom closets. An exception would be if you have a walk-in or extra-large reach-in closet.

Since this is a spring closet cleaning project, give your spring wardrobe basics the prime closet real estate. It’s a good idea to leave one or two warmer clothing items available for those cooler spring and early summer days.

There are many different methods to organize your closets in a way that works the easiest and best for you. Some people like to group items by colour or fabric type. Others prefer to group things according to clothing type or length.

5. Donate, recycle, and repurpose your old clothing

A 2022 report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that only about 15% of used clothes and other textiles get reused or recycled in the U.S.

There are a few eco-friendly options available to get rid of your old clothing. Donating anything that is still in good condition is the best solution. As with any type of donation, you should always check the reputation of any local organization you choose to support. Here are a few suggestions:

  • clothing banks
  • women’s shelters
  • refugee centres
  • homeless shelters
  • thrift stores
  • churches
  • organizations that provide employment assistance via business attire donations

Selling your old clothes online isn’t for everybody, but it is another option. Local animal shelters may be able to use some of your old clothing as bedding. Some types of worn-out clothes that aren’t suitable for donating can be repurposed as cleaning rags.

Virtually all types of clothing and textiles are recyclable. Reputable charities like Goodwill and The Salvation Army recycle any donated clothing that can’t be used. Textile recycling companies and most municipalities can also accept your old clothing for recycling.

donated clothes in clear container

An excess of old clothing ends up in landfills instead of being donated, recycled, resold, or repurposed.

Reset your closets with a spring closet cleaning

Don’t let untidy closets waste your valuable time every day because they’re too unmanageable. Take the time to give them a spring closet cleaning and you’ll appreciate having tidy and refreshed spaces to store your clothing.

Organized Interiors can upgrade any closet in your home with our stylish closet systems. Get started on your custom closet remodel project by scheduling a free design consultation with us.

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Seasonal Closet Organization Ideas for All 4 Seasons

woman doing seasonal closet organization

Doing some seasonal closet organization in your bedrooms and front entryway is sensible, but it’s one of those home tasks that many of us push aside.

It’s understandable to be less than motivated to take the time to switch out your off-season clothes for more seasonally appropriate attire.

After all, that off-season clothing isn’t needed at the moment and, well, it’s just extra work, right? And eventually, those out-of-season clothes will become part of your daily wardrobe again anyway.

There are plenty of good reasons to invest time in reorganizing your closets when a new season arrives, however. Find out about the benefits of doing so and get some tips that will lead to success with your seasonal closet organization efforts.

Seasonal closet organization saves you valuable time

Not reorganizing the front entryway and bedroom closets when the seasons change makes it harder to maintain those storage spaces. The closets can get so overstuffed and untidy that things get buried in the chaos and get misplaced.

That results in hours of time being wasted over the course of a year looking for items. The amount of time spent making decisions about what to wear goes up, too. Don’t believe us? Consider these statistics:

  • The average woman spends 17 minutes each morning deciding on a work outfit and getting dressed. (Marks & Spencer study)
  • 61% of men and women with closets full of clothes regularly struggle with choosing items to wear. (Nordstrom Trunk Club study)

An upfront investment of your time to get your closets in order is a smart way to ensure your daily dressing routine runs smoothly.

Seasonal closet organization is one of those home tasks that require the most amount of work the first time you do it. Provided that a thorough job is done and you’re supporting your efforts with capable storage systems and smart organizing strategies, maintaining everything when a new season arrives should be a breeze.

A seasonal closet organization guide

There’s a little more to seasonal closet organization than simply clearing out one group of clothes for another based on what season it is.

We’ve compiled various seasonal closet organization tips and ideas that will show you:

  • the benefits of an occasional closet purge
  • the most effective ways to get the job done
  • why regularly curating your wardrobe is important
  • clothes storage tips for specific seasons
  • general storage best practices for clothes in any season

Benefits of a seasonal closet purge

Sorting through a full closet is time-consuming…and usually time-wasting. “Choice fatigue” (also known as “decision fatigue”) is real and occurs when we open an overstuffed closet to find things to wear. 

The average person makes thousands of decisions in a day, which can overwhelm our brains and hinder our decision-making skills. Deciding which three or four items to wear from a wardrobe with 100+ pieces to choose from can end up becoming a 15-minute task if you’re the indecisive type.

Here are a few statistics that show the effects of owning too many clothes:

  • 61% of women who have a hard time finding anything in their closets end up buying new clothes. (OnePoll survey)
  • Over half of British adults had the majority of their clothes go unworn because they got lost among their clutter. (Stitch Fix UK poll)
  • It’s estimated that 80% of your clothes are only worn 20% of the time. (National Association of Professional Organizers study)
clothes being sorted for seasonal closet organization

The frustrating experience of staring at a full closet and not being able to pick something to wear is very common. It might sound counterintuitive, but downsizing can help.

Some call it a closet purge, edit, curation, clear-out, or cull. However you refer to it, taking inventory and re-evaluating everything that’s in your closets, wardrobe, and dresser once or twice a year is smart and proactive. 

You’ll find clothing that no longer fits, is out of style, is too well-worn to continue wearing, is no longer reflective of your style, or things that are rarely or have never been worn. The latter is quite common. A survey by 10 Yetis (a UK public relations agency) found that a woman’s closet has an average of $550 worth of unworn clothing.

And right there is another benefit of reorganizing your closets – you might rediscover a misplaced or forgotten piece of clothing that can, to quote Marie Kondo, spark some joy for you, just as you intended when it was bought!

Another huge benefit of slimming down your wardrobe and getting your closets organized is reclaiming much of that aforementioned time that was being wasted daily. Items will be easier to find and you won’t be overloaded with too many choices. 

A thorough seasonal closet purge also lets you swap out the stress and frustration from dealing with an untidy closet with more positive feelings. Shedding some of that closet clutter will be liberating and fulfilling. Dealing with a more functional closet helps set a good tone for the rest of your day as well.

Curate, then donate, recycle, or toss

Seasonal closet organization is a great chance to hit the reset button on your closet spaces. The standard curation process for a wardrobe overhaul is to separate things into toss, donate, and keep piles. Deciding what stays and what goes can admittedly be tough.

The keys to keeping wardrobes at a manageable size are to:

  • only keep what you value
  • get rid of anything that hasn’t been worn in the last two years
  • cut the sentimental ties to clothing from your past
  • be realistic about fitting into old clothes that are now a size or two too small

Charities and thrift stores that don’t have a textile recycling program typically won’t take worn-out, damaged, and dirty clothes.

For clothes that can’t be resold, make an effort to repurpose what you can as rags for home cleaning work. Have the remaining clothes recycled instead of simply throwing them out. The Recycling Council of Ontario says that 95% of the 37 kilograms of textiles thrown out by the average person every year could have been recycled or reused.

Before dropping off your donated clothes, check with the intended recipient to make sure they can take them. Charities and thrift stores have had a surge of donations during the pandemic and some may not be taking any more donated items right now.

And avoid leaving clothes at donation boxes that aren’t operated by reputable charities. The Toronto Star reports that there are many illegally placed donation bins in the GTA that are operated by some pretty shady people.

jeans being put in box

Call ahead to ensure a thrift store or charity can take your clothing donations. The pandemic resulted in many thrift stores and charities getting more clothing donations than they can handle.

Spring closet organization tips

Make sure closets are included on your spring cleaning checklist. During the curation and inventory-taking process, many people like to take everything out of their closets to get a better idea of what they’re working with. This step is virtually essential if you have a lot of clothes to look over.

Your clothing collection is being refreshed by paring down its size, so why not follow suit with the interior of your closets?

A full bedroom closet doesn’t allow for a thorough cleaning, so take the opportunity of them being empty to clean the interiors from top to bottom. Wipe down the shelves, walls, and ceiling and give the floor a good vacuum. Don’t forget to clear out the cobwebs and check for mould!

Make use of a good closet organizer and utilize every inch of the space for storage. Consider hiring a closet designer to create a custom design that maximizes a closet’s storage space and is tailored to your lifestyle.

Tips for organizing summer clothing

Luckily, there is usually a little more space available in closets and bedroom drawers during the warm months of the year. Summer clothing fabrics like cotton, linen, and synthetic blends are lighter and thinner than a lot of the textile materials you wear during the rest of the year.

That’s a good thing because most of us wear more types of clothing during the summer than in any other season. The warmer weather inspires us to be more active and the right clothing has to be easily accessible, whether you’re going to the beach, a backyard barbecue, an outdoor concert, or camping with the family.

Summer clothing staples like shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, swimsuits, and ankle socks can be kept organized in drawers with drawer dividers. A closet with open shelving and cubbies works well, too. Mid-height closet shelves and the top of a drawer tower are also handy for storing sunglasses and summer hats.

Canadians usually exercise more in the spring and summer since the weather is more suitable for walking, jogging, and other outdoor activities. Check out our tips for storing your workout clothes.

Fall closet organization tips

As summer winds down, it will be time to start thinking about digging out your fall clothing so they’re all ready when the first autumn chill arrives.

Just like the transitional period between winter and spring, you’ll need to make a little more room in the bedroom closet for lighter clothing to wear during those warm fall days. For chillier days you’ll want to have space for thicker PJs and light jackets.

A front entryway closet can get messy in the fall as the frequency of rain increases toward the end of the year. The potential for an unexpected cold snap in late summer and early fall is always there in Canada. An entryway closet is another area where two types of seasonal outerwear will need to share space for a few weeks.

Maximize a front entryway closet’s storage space by using hooks, cubbies, shoe racks and trays, and built-in storage like a storage bench to keep things organized. Make optimal use of the closet’s vertical space by adding an extra shelf or two. Organized Interiors offers entryway closet and mudroom designs that can be customized for your home’s needs.

folded clothes in organized closet

More closet storage space means more room for different types of seasonal clothing that get used during transitional times of the year, such as between the summer and fall.

Tips for keeping winter clothes organized

Winter clothing presents the biggest challenge when it comes to closet organization because of the extra bulk they have, especially things like winter jackets. You’ll never appreciate having enough closet and drawer storage space more than during the winter.

A closet design with open shelving for sweaters (which you shouldn’t hang) and a drawer tower for everything from your thick socks to your coziest sweatshirts helps.

A shoe rack or boot tray in a front entryway closet is essential for this time of year when snow, ice, rainwater, and mud get brought inside regularly.

To minimize the amount of wet stuff that’s entering your home, have a good doormat set down outside, which also adds a nice decorative accent to your home. And encourage your family members to stomp and wipe their footwear off before coming inside!

7 clothing and closet organization tips for any season

Many clothing organization strategies and tips are useful and applicable year-round. Here are some time-tested and effective tips for taking care of your wardrobe and keeping your closets functioning at peak performance levels:

  1. Aim to have everything stored in your closets and drawers visible to prevent items from getting neglected.
  2. Group like items together by outfit, colour, or the size of the clothing.
  3. Leave some space between your clothes to prevent wrinkling.
  4. Always wash worn clothes before they’re stored away. Untreated stains will set in over time and things like sweat and the smells of perfumes and colognes can attract pests.
  5. Repair things like broken zippers and missing buttons and make any needed alternations to your clothes before storing them away for several months.
  6. Make sure off-season clothing is dry before being stored away.
  7. If you need to store seasonal clothing in plastic storage bins, buy smaller container sizes that are easier to move around.
seasonal closet organization in walk-in closet

A spare room can be transformed into the ultimate closet space – a walk-in closet with more than enough room for all your seasonal clothing.

Reboot your closet spaces, one room at a time

Use these seasonal closet organization ideas and tips to get the most out of your clothing storage spaces year-round.

The convenience and satisfaction of using a well-designed closet every day cannot be overstated. Organized Interiors can transform any closet in your home so they provide better functionality and look nicer with our stylish closet designs.

We also design clothing storage solutions like standalone and built-in wardrobes, closet spaces that can be added anywhere in your home, and more great custom cabinetry products. Adding a closet to a house may add value, but how much will it cost? Find out how much building a closet costs and the value it might add.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to get started making more space for living in your living space.

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7 Reach-in Closet Ideas for Better Home Organization

open reach-in closet

Reach-in closets are some of the most compact spaces in our homes. Is it any wonder they are often one of the untidiest areas in our living spaces?

Most closets are the reach-in type that is found in bedrooms, hallways, the front entryway, and throughout the rest of a house, condo, and apartment.

The two other types of closets, walk-ins and wardrobes (built-in or freestanding), are rarer, but no less practical than reach-ins. It all depends on your storage needs and available space. Some people put linen and utility closets in their own closet categories, but they’re reach-ins as far as we’re concerned.

The longer a closet gets used, the more likely you are to eventually encounter organization challenges. Sometimes the best solution to an organization challenge is to hit the reset button on how a space is set up.

That’s what these reach-in closet ideas are for.

Reach-in closet ideas for better home organization

A reach-in closet is commonly 24 inches in depth and anywhere from three to eight feet wide. That space can fill up in a hurry. Look no further than a large family’s overstuffed front entryway closet or a shared closet in the bedroom of siblings or a couple for proof.

Old homes and small condos are more likely to have smaller closets. Newly built homes typically come with bare-bones builder closets with just a hanging rod, a shelf…and a whole lot of wasted storage space.

Any reach-in closet design should consist of much more than a single rod and shelf, however. That’s where closet organization systems and some closet design expertise come in.

Let’s look at some reach-in closet ideas to get some of your home’s most vital storage spaces operating at peak functionality.

1. Let a pro custom-design your reach-in closet

Builder closets and the majority of DIY closet organizers only provide the basics for what a closet needs. They don’t exactly rate very highly in the looks department, either.

The quality, design, and appearance of most home closets simply can’t compare to what a closet design pro can create.

One-size-fits-all closet setups don’t work for most people. Of course, they don’t! After all, everyone’s wardrobe storage needs and design tastes vary widely.

Most of the closets in your home are used every day. Why not make these integral home spaces look and function their very best?

Having your closets custom-designed transforms them from generic-looking spaces that are endlessly challenging to keep tidy into aesthetically pleasing, highly organized spaces.

Skilled closet designers know that every inch of space matters. They’re not just capable of modifying a closet, they can completely transform it by crafting a stylish, modern design that utilizes a closet’s storage space for maximum efficiency.

2. Customize closets for their space in the home

Closet designs need to be tailored according to where they’re located in the home. A front entryway closet, for example, shouldn’t have a similar setup to a bedroom closet, which has more specific storage requirements.

Once again, that’s why mass-produced, all-purpose closet organizer systems only get you so far. Below are some reach-in closet ideas for specific areas of your home.

Kids bedroom

Making a kid’s closet that is easy to keep tidy saves parents from having to get involved to help them organize it every few weeks. An organized closet helps kids get ready in the morning faster and generally just makes a parent’s life a little easier.

Have their closet(s) designed to accommodate both the wardrobe they have and the way they like to store their clothes. A drawer tower is ideal for a kid’s closet, especially for children who prefer to fold their clothes instead of hanging them.

Wasted space in any closet can be turned into useful storage space by utilizing the space better with shelving or double hanging rods. Because kids will grow, a closet organizer system that allows for shelving height adjustments is recommended.

Adults bedroom

Your wardrobe should largely dictate how your closet will be set up. If you own a lot of formal wear, dresses, or prefer the long-hanging method for your pants, more closet hanging space will be in order.

If you’re more the casual wear type with a lot of t-shirts, sweaters, and jeans, a closet configuration with more drawers and open shelf space is better for your needs.

The beauty of a custom closet design is that the space can be tailored precisely for your storage requirements. That’s extra-convenient for anyone who shares a closet with someone. Each person can have their own storage needs addressed in their share of the closet space.

double bedroom closet

A master bedroom reach-in closet can be designed precisely for your storage needs and décor preferences.

Front entryway

Because the front entryway closet is located in one of the home’s high-traffic areas, it tends to become a “high-clutter” area as well.

Have the closet designed to maximize your storage space, but not become so overstuffed that it becomes an organizational mess. Utilize hooks and hangers for accessories and shoe racks to keep footwear tidy.

If the reach-in closet is large enough, consider adding a multi-purpose storage bench so anyone in your family can sit down to put on or take off their shoes or boots. The lift-up storage space beneath the seat provides useful extra storage space that helps keep the rest of the closet

Remember that a home’s front entrance is the first thing visitors will see. According to one study, guests judge your home within 38 seconds of entering it.

Reach-in linen and utility closets

Most people don’t give any thought to upgrading a reach-in linen or utility closet. There’s no reason to ignore them just because they’ve traditionally been considered utilitarian storage spaces.

Both types of closets can be redesigned for better functionality and a more attractive appearance. Linen and utility closets are typically very small and require a fairly simple layout. Therefore, it’s more affordable to have them upgraded. The project can be completed faster compared to a more elaborate bedroom closet remodel, too.

linen closet

A linen or utility closet can still look nice. This linen closet has adjustable shelving, which comes in handy if you’re storing bulky items like comforters.

3. Add closet drawers for dresser-like functionality

One of our reach-in closet ideas can actually benefit the entire bedroom –  incorporate drawers into your closet’s design. Here are the benefits of using drawers in a closet:

  • closet drawers eliminate the need for a dresser and free up extra bedroom floor space
  • helps keep all of your clothes in one area
  • more of your wardrobe is kept out of sight, which reduces visual clutter
  • drawer inserts and dividers help keep small items like jewellery, underwear, socks, and lingerie organized
  • save storage space by folding more of your wardrobe, including using the efficient Marie Kondo method of folding and vertically storing clothes

4. Have pullouts and other closet accessories installed

Having a bunch of your clothes stored closely together can make it harder to locate specific wardrobe items. Closet pullouts are a convenient way to make it easier to find your things quickly.

Closet pullouts come in various forms: shoe racks, pant racks, tie racks, scarf racks, and belt racks. A shallow, stationary shoe rack on the closet’s floor and beneath hanging clothes may not get enough adequate light. Being able to pull out your shoes to choose your footwear for the day is very handy.

Alternatively, a closet with better lighting can be designed with stationary, angled shelving (with guards to keep the shoes from sliding off) that allows a shoe collection to be showcased and kept organized.

Pullouts and additional closet accessories like a valet rod and moveable hanging bar provide a proper storage place to keep all of your wardrobe accessories organized. In addition to augmenting a closet’s functionality, they also add a touch of style to a closet.

pant rack

Keep your pants organized with a pullout pant rack.

5. Incorporate extra shelves

Too much closet space is wasted because the vertical space is underutilized. Incorporating more shelving into a closet’s design provides better storage efficiency, especially at the top and bottom of a closet, which is commonly underused.

Shelves are versatile as well. They can be used to store everything from shoes to pants to sweaters. The space can additionally be used to display personal items, hold small storage bins and baskets, or simply be a temporary spot to put things like keys, wallets, or watches.

6. Brighten up your closet spaces

No matter how tidy it is, any closet will be harder to use if it has poor lighting. Some closets don’t even have a light and the user has to rely on the main bedroom light to illuminate the closet interior. Needless to say, that’s less than ideal.

Brightening up the enclosed space to reduce the number of shadows and provide more uniform lighting coverage will improve anyone’s closet functionality.

If any of your reach-in closets are still relying on a single overhead bulb to illuminate the space or lack any lighting at all, it doesn’t require much effort or cost to make upgrades.

Most modern closet lighting designs use LED lighting. LED lights stay cooler than incandescent and halogen bulbs, are more energy-efficient, and last much longer.

An overhead light fixture or recessed lighting are popular closet lighting solutions. Other options available are motion-activated lights and wireless puck lights. The latter is very practical since they can be mounted virtually anywhere in a closet. They’re powered either by a rechargeable battery or disposable batteries.

7. Ditch the laundry baskets for built-in closet hampers

Many of the reach-in closet ideas we’ve covered improve the functionality of closets. Another practical use of a closet’s space is to have one or more pullout laundry hampers installed.

Closet laundry hampers allow you to ditch those plastic laundry baskets. They have a removable cloth bag with handles that make it easy to transport your dirty clothes when it’s laundry time.

You can put all of your dirty clothes in one easy-to-access place, which conveniently just happens to be where the rest of your clothes are kept.

reach-in closet with open laundry hamper

A reach-in closet laundry hamper is super-convenient.

Peak functionality for your reach-in closets awaits!

These reach-in closet ideas will improve your daily routine and give your closets a modern update with attractive finishes and stylish decorative hardware.

Make your closets into everything you want them to be, whether they’re reach-in closets or walk-in closets.

Partner with a closet design professional like Organized Interiors to transform your closets. Get started by scheduling a free design consultation with us.

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6 Sensible Reasons To Upgrade A Builder Closet

professionally designed closet

A closet designed by Organized Interiors.

There are several reasons why a closet space won’t function properly.

Most often, the issue is that the closet owner doesn’t declutter enough. Without this important maintenance routine, the closet will inevitably have too many clothes and accessories crammed into a relatively small space.

Another major reason we find it a challenge to manage our closets is that we’re still using the original builder closets that came with our house or condo.

These closets are too basic for most people’s needs, so let’s explain why you should upgrade a builder closet.

We all know what “builder closet” means

In most new homes (even expensive homes), only the bare minimum is done when the closets are installed. A builder closet typically includes one hanging rod and an upper shelf. If you’re lucky, there may be some additional wire or wood closet shelves (which probably aren’t adjustable). Having a closet light would be downright extravagant.

We all know what “builder closet” (also known as a builder-grade closet) means – cheap, low-quality, sub-par…take your pick of any word that is synonymous with “inferior”.

upgrade a builder closet

It’s not only closets, either. “Builder-grade materials” may sound very professional, but it’s also just a polite way of saying “cheap”. Virtually anything in a new home can be made with inexpensive builder-grade materials like kitchen cabinets, garage doors, faucets, and doorknobs, just to name a few things.

Homebuilders know that their clients have rock-bottom expectations for the closets they’re getting when they buy a newly constructed home. You can rest assured that if the builder is providing a bare minimum closet setup, the quality of the shelf/shelves and hanging rod will be sub-par, too.

We don’t mean to hammer (pun intended) too much on homebuilders here, but there’s a lengthy track record on the quality of their closets that’s impossible to dispute.

Why you should upgrade a builder closet

Relying on a basic builder closet to keep your clothes stored and organized makes your life more difficult and frustrating than it has to be.

Many of us do it, however. That’s partly because people tend to adapt to a situation that may not be ideal because it’s less work to try and fix it.

Others may not know any better that there are much better closet setups available than what their builder-grade closets offer. This could be because we’re so conditioned to expect that closets made by builders have traditionally had a very simplistic design.

Or you may be someone who isn’t that concerned with how efficiently your closet functions because you don’t have a lot of clothes, like Ryan Reynolds. The Canadian actor and entrepreneur told The New York Times he keeps his wardrobe so simple that his wife jokes he doesn’t even need a closet.

Even if you don’t own a lot of clothing, there are still plenty of reasons to rethink how you’re using your closets.

If you’re still getting by with closets that have barely evolved for the better since your home was built, find out why there’s no time like the present to upgrade a builder closet.

empty builder closet

A typical builder closet like this only offers a bare minimum level of functionality.

1. A builder closet lacks functionality

The biggest reason to upgrade a builder-grade closet is that they’re woefully lacking when it comes to functionality.

Sure, they technically function, but there’s only so much a no-frills closet space with a single hanging rod and a shallow depth upper shelf can do for you.

“One-size-fits-all” products rarely provide full satisfaction to anyone who uses them. Everyone has unique tastes and preferences, so anything built for the masses is guaranteed to leave a lot to be desired for a significant number of consumers.

You can try to supplement the limited functionality of a builder closet by adding things like hooks, additional shelving, baskets, plastic storage bins, and a shoe rack on the floor.

Although these extras will improve the functionality of a closet, the space will still fall well short of what a custom closet design can do for you.

2. Your closets are used every day

How many things do virtually all of us use every day, at least twice a day? We can think of the fridge, the kitchen sink, certain room light switches, the toilet (sorry, it had to be said), our phones, some furniture pieces, and our bedroom closets. We can’t even include the bathroom sink because apparently around half of us brush our teeth only once a day.

There are probably a few things we’re leaving out. It’s not a very long list, though. With every one of these things, we count on them to work reliably since they’re an everyday part of our lives.

If the kitchen sink or a light switch wasn’t leaving us satisfied every time we used them (as mundane as those interactions may be), we’d either fix them or replace them with a product that provided a better user experience.

Considering we have to get dressed and undressed every day, why do so many of us simply settle for using inadequate builder closets then?

full closet

Something all of us use twice a day like a bedroom closet should be easier to manage than what you see here. (Photo by Chris Scott from FreeImages)

3. A builder closet isn’t stylish

First and foremost, a closet should provide you with the storage space you need and be functional enough so that it’s easy to keep it organized.

Adding some extras to help with functionality can help you get a little more use out of the closet. A mishmash of products added over time tends to create a rather patchwork type of look and there’s no decorative cohesion, however.

While they may be a utilitarian space, there’s no reason a closet shouldn’t look stylish.

Attractive and stylish closet spaces are undervalued. Making your closet look as nice as possible should be a priority. After all, it’s something you’ll be looking at a lot, so why not make it as inviting and visually appealing as possible?

Interior design psychology and environmental psychology tell us that our mood can be affected by how a room looks. This includes things like:

  • lighting
  • wall and ceiling colours
  • textures
  • how much open space there is
  • clutter
  • the shapes and locations of things

A walk-in closet is considered a room and a reach-in closet is considered an enclosed space. If you style up these areas of the home to give them some personality and more visual appeal, it can make a world of difference when you use the closets.

Having a complete custom closet makeover is the best way to upgrade a builder closet and transform it from drab to fab. Other ways to add some style to a closet are to upgrade the lighting for improved ambiance, give the closet walls and ceiling a fresh coat of paint with a new colour, or replace the closet doors with new doors outfitted with stylish hardware.

4. Builder closets waste space

Here’s another compelling reason to upgrade a builder closet – they waste a lot of potential storage space.

Consider the upper shelf in one of these closets. It’s commonly at a height of around 5-6 feet, which allows for easy access to the shelf for most people. Now consider that the average ceiling height in a room is around 8-9 feet (and as high as 10-12 feet in some rooms). Most items that get stored on a closet shelf aren’t tall enough to reach the ceiling, so much of that useful vertical space isn’t used.

Unless you’ve added some helpful closet accessories like an extra hanging rod, a valet rod, or a tie rack and belt rack, a builder closet isn’t working as hard as it should be for you.

Leaving valuable storage space underutilized or completely unused ends up creating storage and organizational challenges (which is another way to say “headaches”).

5. Metal wire closet shelves aren’t ideal

It’s a wonder that metal wire shelving came to be used so widely in closets. Sure, it’s cost-effective, but it’s difficult to find any other things that wire shelving has going for it. Here are some of the drawbacks of using wire closet shelves:

  1. Aesthetics: metal wire shelving, which usually comes in white, isn’t very attractive. The look you get is rather bland and antiseptic compared to wood shelving, which has more character and design versatility.
  2. Stability: they can’t hold as much weight as wood shelves, so they’re more prone to stability issues.
  3. Crease lines: the wire grid design of the shelves tends to leave crease lines on clothing. That creates extra work to iron or steam away the creases when it’s time to wear the clothes.
  4. Storage versatility: those wire grids don’t allow you to use the shelving for much more than stacking folded clothes. Small accessories can fall through the gaps and it’s more difficult to stand things up because the top of the shelving isn’t flat.
  5. Durability: over time, the plastic coating on wire shelves can become sticky (higher humidity levels in the closet are one cause of this). The white coating may also discolour and start to have a yellowish look.
  6. Ease of cleaning: the grid design makes the shelves harder to clean than wood shelves.
wire closet shelving with hanging clothes

Metal wire shelves aren’t the best choice for a closet. They’re also not a good substitute for a proper hanging rod. (Photo by jswashburn from Pixabay)

6. (Your) time’s a wastin’…

The space in a builder closet isn’t the only thing being wasted. So is your time. As in the time wasted looking for misplaced items that don’t have a proper home and trying to work clothes storage magic with one proverbial hand tied behind your back.

Consider the following clutter and closet-related statistics:

  • 10% of women say they feel depressed every time they open their closet doors. (OnePoll survey of 1,000 American women)
  • It’s estimated we’ll each spend 3,680 hours in our lifetime searching for misplaced items. (The Daily Mail)
  • A study of 2,137 U.S. women revealed that their closets had an average of $550 worth of unworn clothing. (10 Yetis survey)
  • 47% of women struggle when it comes to deciding on which work outfit they should wear. (OnePoll survey)
  • 3 in 10 women say an organized closet would make their mornings less stressful. (OnePoll survey)

When you open a closet door, your immediate reaction shouldn’t be a feeling of anxiousness about having to deal with a disaster zone. You should feel a sense of calm because the space is so clean and organized. Or it should be no reaction at all because you’re so used to having a tidy closet that you take it for granted!

Upgrade a builder closet with a custom design

If you’re looking to upgrade a builder closet, the obvious solution is to have it replaced with a professionally designed custom closet.

The stark contrast between the average builder closet and even a relatively simple custom closet designed by a skilled professional is immediately obvious. Instead of getting the bare minimum out of your closet, a closet design pro cares about helping you get the maximum amount of storage room, functionality, and aesthetic value from the space.

The key difference is that the closet is designed specifically for the needs of the user. Shelves and hanging rods are located at convenient heights that make the most sense according to the height of whoever is using the closet.

If you need an extra hanging rod and a pullout pant rack, no problem. Have a storage tower with drawers and shelving added to expand your closet storage options.

High-quality storage systems and accessories that are strategically located to maximize the closet’s storage space can resolve any organization issues. The efficiency of your daily dressing routine will improve as well. Even in small closets, a good custom closet organizing system creates order within a confined space.

And because we know visual appeal matters even in the closet, give the space a modern look by accentuating it with:

  • attractive wood finishes
  • stylish decorative hardware and closet accessories
  • sliding closet doors
  • bright overhead lighting and cabinetry-mounted LED lighting for ambiance and additional illumination
organized custom closet

This reach-in closet is customized to maximize storage space, provide lots of functionality, and give the closet an attractive, stylish look.

Make the builder-grade to custom-made closet upgrade

In Organized Interiors’ 40+ years of operation, one of the common inquiries we receive is about upgrading builder-grade closets.

We’ve seen just about every type of closet there is, from basic builder closets to DIY closet installs that fall short of meeting the needs of our clients.

Let our talented designers apply their skills to transform one or more of your existing closets into stylish, highly functional spaces that will make your life a little easier. If you’d like something a little bigger for clothes storage than a reach-in closet and have the space, we can design a beautiful walk-in closet with a dressing area as well.

Schedule a free design consultation with us so you can bid adieu to your old builder closets and say hello to some amazing new custom closets!

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How to Share a Closet and Avoid the Battle for Closet Space

shared closet

When you share a closet, patience, making some compromises, and being selfless towards your partner or spouse are the keys to organizational harmony.

That’s all easier said than done, of course. Even two people who have previously always been able to keep their closets tidy can find sharing a closet very challenging.

The different dynamics of how the storage space is used takes some getting used to. Some people never quite figure out how to successfully share a closet, even after years of being with their significant other.

Here’s how hard it can be to share a closet

How much can someone’s organizational habits (or lack thereof) get under the skin of their partner? Clutter was the cause of 48% of the arguments between couples who lived together, according to a survey by SpareFoot, a self-storage company.

You can guarantee that a healthy percentage of those clutter-related disagreements were sparked by the untidy state of some shared closets.

The stress of managing a single closet space being used by two people is very real. There are plenty of things you can do to end the battle for closet space in your bedroom, however.

Here are some practical solutions to help any couple share a closet peacefully.

woman sorting clothes in reach-in closet

If you share a closet, prioritize storage

When you’re attempting to overhaul a dysfunctional shared closet, space considerations will be your biggest concern before you even begin to figure out how much room each partner will get.

The logical place to start with a closet revamp is to have each person reduce the number of items they want to keep in the closet. Prioritize using your respective storage spaces for important things only, not things that can sometimes go a year or more without being worn.

We’ve previously written about what items shouldn’t be taking up space in your closets. A few of them include:

  • sale items you’ve never worn
  • unfashionable clothing
  • damaged and old clothing
  • clothing that doesn’t fit

Agree on how you’ll share a closet space

Author Heidi Catherine Culbertson wrote, “Your abundance is not measured by what you have, it is created by what you share.”

That’s a selfless, ideal mindset for both parties to have as they hash out a plan for how to improve their shared closet situation.

Once you both have a better idea of what will be going in the closet, come up with an equitable and agreeable split of the closet space, whether it’s 50/50, 60/40, or 75/25, etc. If it’s the latter in your favour, congratulations – your generous partner is a definite keeper!

That whole “compromise” thing factors heavily into this step. Hopefully, the individual with fewer clothes sees the practicality and fairness of making some space concessions to the partner who requires more room for their wardrobe.

man holding shirt in front of closet

Hire a pro to custom-design a shared closet

Two heads are better than one, right? Then why not follow that logic and add another head to the mix when envisioning your shared closet’s design? Not just any head, though. We’re talking about someone with lots of closet design expertise who can help you and your partner create the perfect shared closet space.

A professional closet designer brings more to the table than what you’ll get with DIY closet organizer systems you can buy in stores or online.

Mass-produced, one-size-fits-all closet organizers like these can’t compare to the level of design flexibility offered by a custom closet organizing solution.

Custom closet systems are built just for you

An experienced designer will tailor the closet’s design for each person. Factors like the heights of each person are taken into consideration so the heights of hanging rods, shelving, and other storage areas are more easily accessible.

Your individual functional needs are met with smart design choices like adding a hanging rod below the traditional upper closet rod to double-up on your hanging space.

Remember that hanging rods don’t have to go across the entire width of a closet. We can add shorter rods on one side or both sides of a closet in one of those narrower spaces that might otherwise be underutilized. Those other “dead space” closet areas that can get wasted, such as in corners or up high, can also be put to work for you.

Design for style and function

A pro won’t just help you come up with a smart shared closet layout that satisfies everyone’s functional needs. They know that the closet space you’ll be using every day needs to look appealing, too.

Here are some of the stylish decorative touches that can be included in a reach-in or walk-in closet design:

  • crown moulding
  • cabinetry finishes that complement your bedroom décor
  • under-mount LED lighting
  • elegant decorative hardware

Share zones in your closet

A shared closet should be just that and not necessarily a space where each person’s things are exclusively in separate zones and never the two shall meet.

If your items can co-exist in the same area of the closet (or more accurately, if you and your partner can share the same zone of a closet and maintain the peace), by all means, team up.

Sharing zones in the closet is an effective way to maximize your storage space, especially if the closet is smaller.

Use a pullout pant rack and split the hanging space with each other. The same applies for the upper rod in the closet, which each of you can use for hanging your longer clothing items. A shoe rack and belt rack can also be shared.

shared closet shoe rack

Sharing storage zones with your partner helps maximize your closet storage space.

Add a closet storage tower

For clothing items that are better off being folded instead of hung (like sweaters), having some drawer space and open shelf space in the closet will come in very handy.

Adding a storage tower to the closet with a few drawers on the lower half and open shelving and cubby dividers on the top half keeps all of your wardrobe items in the same area. That allows you to free up space in the bedroom by getting rid of a wardrobe closet or dresser.

Give yourself a drawer or two and your partner gets the rest. Organized Interiors can incorporate drawer dividers or jewellery drawer inserts into the storage tower’s design to keep both of you more organized.

A custom closet storage tower can be designed to be freestanding (sitting on the floor) or wall-mounted, which leaves space underneath the tower.

Make use of helpful closet accessories

We’ve already mentioned a few great closet accessories like pullout belt, tie, and pant racks. They may be small details in a closet’s design, but these convenient helpers have a big impact on the space’s overall functionality.

Here are a few more closet accessories you might want to consider including in your closet’s design:

  • retractable valet rods
  • necklace hooks
  • versatile four-position hangers
  • pullout laundry hampers to keep dirty clothes sorted and tidy

All of our closet accessories are designed to save space, make your daily dressing routine more efficient, and add a sophisticated decorative touch to any closet with their sleek metal finishes.

Venture beyond the closet border

Even with the best closet organization and storage systems in use, it’s just a reality that sometimes you can’t fit 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack (to paraphrase an expression that uses slightly more colourful language).   OKAY TO USE?

Downsizing and decluttering may only get you so far. If the number of clothes you and your partner own simply won’t all fit in one closet, it could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

If your bedroom has some open floor space, setting up a separate wardrobe space for one of you may be the best and easiest solution. This is especially true if one of you is, shall we say, a closet slob.

There are a variety of ways to create more space for storing clothes outside of the closet. Here are some bedroom storage ideas that go beyond the borders of a traditional closet:

Any of these bedroom storage solutions are better than hanging extra clothes on a garment rack in a room corner, which can look unsightly.

White wardrobe with open doors

If you and your partner have too many things to fit into a shared closet space, look for other bedroom storage solutions to help out like a wardrobe closet.

Respect each other’s space

Those three noble virtues we listed in the very first sentence (patience, selflessness, and being willing to compromise) will serve you well as you share a closet with your better half. We’ll add “respect” to that list, too.

Even with a seemingly sound closet-sharing strategy in place, things from one partner’s side may slowly start to encroach into the other person’s territory.

Try to respect each other’s space. After all, both parties agreed to the allotment of closet space each of you would get.

Make an effort to keep your portion of the closet tidy. Even if everything is contained in someone’s designated area of the closet, if it all looks like a disaster zone, it can fester negative feelings and lead to an argument.

And be flexible and willing to make improvements to your shared closet space if things aren’t working as efficiently after some time has passed. There are always ways to tweak and modify a closet’s functionality based on your changing storage needs.

Make it easier to share a closet with your partner

If your efforts to share a closet with your significant other just aren’t working out, Organized Interiors can solve your closet-sharing problems. Read about how we helped a Toronto couple with a custom shared closet design.

We know that having a closet space with a smart design makes maintaining a shared closet significantly easier.

Organized Interiors has been designing shared closets for over 40 years so couples can enjoy their main clothes storage space, not argue over it.

Organized Interiors customer review

A review left on Facebook from a satisfied Organized Interiors client.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to get your shared closet space design plan in motion.

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