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Category: Organizing Your Home

Here are some helpful ideas on cedar closets

Cedar closets used to be a luxury item in a home, but now anyone can have one. Cedar closets give us a wonderful, woodsy aroma. Cedar repels moths, silverfish, cockroaches, and mildew. Cedar closets are great for storing linens, towels, and blankets. Save money by storing all your woolens, furs, and seasonal items in your cedar area, and consider putting cedar into your current closets.

If you are building a cedar closet, first, decide where you would like it. Build your cedar closet in your attic, basement, or any unused space. If you build a closet in an attic, build it near the highest point if you plan to hang clothing in there. If you are building a cedar closet in a basement, be sure to use insulation paper because of the moisture. Two types of cedar wall covering are available. One is the traditional tongue-and-grooved planks. The second is the 4x8 pressed board ¼” sheets. Either is suitable, but the planks are twice as expensive and more difficult to install. The advantage is a solid piece of cedar material. When cedar lining a closet, be sure to cover the doors and ceiling. Weatherstripping around the door of your cedar closet will give you an airtight seal. Sand the walls lightly each year to perpetuate the usefulness of the cedar aroma.

The best type of shelving to use in a cedar closet is ventilated steel shelving. The ventilation allowed by the shelving is ideal. Decide what you need to store in your cedar area and be sure to use that space efficiently.

Cedar closets are a wonderful idea. We hope these ideas will be helpful in planning your new storage area.

Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

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Can you please give me some hints for my attic?

If you are fortunate enough to have an attic that can be used for extra storage, be sure that ¾” plywood is placed across the floor joints to act as your storage surface. You may want to insulate your attic now and add an exhaust fan for proper ventilation.

Access to your attic is very important. If your only access is through a ceiling crawl space, you may consider installing a ceiling hatch with a fold-down ladder. Better yet is a large entrance with a permanent ladder or stairway.

If your attic is very large and can be used completely for storage, arrange all your articles and boxes around the walls. Things can be found much more easily if they are visibly labeled. If your whole attic cannot be used completely for storage, section off part of it. Place a rod across the rafters to add garments. These garments should be hung in garment bags with lemon-scented closet fresheners to control moths and mildew. Shelving can be installed in your attic to keep things off the floor and to allow you extra storage space.

Keep things organized by storing similar items together. Large bulky items can be stored near the high roof line. Build a closet to store extra hanging if needed. Remember to make that closet 24 inches deep for hanging clothes comfortably. Another alternative is a walk-in cedar closet in the center of your attic, which will utilize space and protect your clothes. Watch for our next article exclusively on cedar closets.

You may not be in your attic too frequently, but we hope these organizing tips will make those trips more pleasant.

Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

Click Here To Setup A Complimentary Consultation

Organizing Your Pantry-Creative Closets-Allentown PA

How can I organize my pantry?

Start by determining exactly what you need to store in your pantry. Do you need to store many canned items or dry goods? Do you need to store paper and cleaning supplies? Using a tape measure, measure the amount of shelf space you are currently using, and this will help determine your needs.

 Now, let’s start organizing your pantry. It is best to start fresh. If you are installing new shelving in your pantry, always be sure to prepare and paint the area first. Keep in mind if you are painting a small area, you should allow extra time for the paint to dry. Shelving in your pantry should be twelve to sixteen inches deep. Shelves should not be deeper than sixteen inches because then they will become cluttered. If shelves are stationary, put the first shelf at fifteen inches from the floor and then every thirteen inches. Solid adjustable shelving works well and gives you added flexibility with your shelf spacing. A wire drawer system on casters is great for storing your onions and potatoes. You can roll the system out of the pantry when you need to and roll it back in when you are done.

When restocking your pantry, keep the larger items to the back and smaller items near the front. Always keep all the labels forward so one quick glance in your pantry will allow you to know what you have. Categorize your products so that you keep all your canned items in one section and your dry goods in another section. In storing cleaning items in your pantry, never put cleaning items on the same shelf as your food. Paper items not frequently used can be stored in difficult-to-reach spots, such as the top of your pantry.

 We hope these ideas will be helpful in organizing your pantry.

 Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

Click Here To Setup A Complimentary Consultation
Or Call 610.433.0933

Ideas On Organizing Toys-Allentown Creative Closets Advice

Toys are a real specialty! It is preferable to have a whole closet to devote to these items, but if that is impossible, section off part of a closet. Now ask yourself some basic questions and your needs before starting to get your toy situation under control.

 Shelving in your toy closet should be at a height that is easy to reach for your children. If toys are easily available, then putting them away will be just as easy. Higher shelves should be reserved for toys and games requiring supervision. Adjustable solid shelving is best for this type of area. As children get older and toys change, so do the type of space they require.

 Toy boxes are not ideal. Things get cluttered in toy boxes. Toys get broken and are often unused because they cannot be found. Toy boxes, if used, should only be filled halfway to avoid cluttering. Wire drawer systems are great for storing toys. With clear liners, small things will not fall through and your children can still see the contents of each individual drawer. Children can roll the entire system out of the closet, play with their toys, and roll the system back into the closet when they are finished. A drawer system can also have a solid laminate top for children to use for molding clay. Basket systems can be working into most storage solutions.

Colorful heavy duty plastic bins look and work wonderfully in a toy closet. A steel grid is mounted into the studs of your wall and each individual open bin hangs on that grid. Bins vary in size and are terrific for story little pieces and construction-type toys. There is a space for labeling each bin. These bins are available in bold primary colors and will make your toy area bright and cheerful.

We hope your children enjoy their newly organized toy area and that you enjoy their new habit of putting away their toys.

Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

Click Here To Setup A Complimentary Consultation
Or Call 610.433.0933

How can I organize my linen closet?

Begin by determining what you need to store in your linen closet. Do you need shelf space for towels and bed linens or a place to store shampoo, toothpaste, and other bathroom necessities? Do You want to keep a hamper in your linen closet? After you have determined all your needs, let's start organizing.

 Ventilated shelving is ideal in linen closets because it prevents things from getting stuffy and always allows air to circulate. Shelves in your linen closet should be sixteen to twenty inches deep so your towels and linens fit completely on the shelf. Space the shelves according to your needs. Allow thirteen inches between shelves for sheets and towels and twenty inches for storing blankets and pillows. Keep the things used most often in an easy-to-reach spot.

 Wire drawer systems are great in linen closets because you can store things in the wire baskets that you do not want to store on the shelves. You may choose to store your curlers and hair dryer in a basket and even the kid's bathtub toys in another basket. You can use one large basket in your system as your clothes hamper. When the basket gets full and it is time to do the laundry you can pull the basket out of the frame and take it right to the laundry area. Rachs on the back of a swing door are great for extra storage. Tissue, toilet paper, medicines, and other bathroom accessories can be kept out of the way on this door rack. Medicines should always be kept high and out of reach of children.

 We hope these tips will be helpful in organizing your linen closet and if you need some assistance, consult your local closet design firm.

 Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

Click Here To Setup A Complimentary Consultation
Or Call 610.433.0933

 

How can I start organizing my closet?

Begin by determining exactly what your closet needs are for that closet. If you are organizing your clothes closet it is important to calculate a few things. Count the number of long-hanging garments such as dresses, robes, and slacks hung by the cuff and multiply by two. Now count the number of short-hanging garments such as suits, skirts, and slacks folded over the hanger and multiply that figure by two. This will tell you how many inches of hanging space is needed for your long and short-hanging clothes. Count the number of pairs of shoes you need to store in the closet. Be sure to measure the width of one pair of shoes. If each pair measures eight inches wide, multiply that by the number of pairs of shoes that you have to figure out the size of the shelf needed to store them.

 Once your inventory is complete, start measuring your closet. Make sure your dimensions are accurate. Using white paper and a ruler, draw out each closet wall, making each half-inch equal to one foot. Draw three alternative sketches. If you need three feet of long hanging space, that would cover one and a half inches of your scale design. Long hanging should be hung at least seventy-two inches from the floor. If you need eight feet of space for short hanging items, put one four-foot rod at either four inches from the floor and another one at forty-two inches from the floor. Next, decide where to store your shoes. You know how much space is needed from your earlier calculation. One alternative is to use a door-mounted shoe rack that can store twenty-one pairs of shoes.

 If you prefer help in designing your closet, call your local closet design firm. They specialize in designing and installing custom closet interiors just for you.

We hope these tips will be helpful in organizing your closets.

 Call for information: 610-433-0933. Or email ClosetLady@CreativeClosets.com

 Ellyn Elstein The Closet Lady®

Click Here To Setup A Complimentary Consultation
Or Call 610.433.0933