5 Neat ThingsJolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist and the host of the podcast “Ask a Clean Person.” Each week, she’ll round up five essential cleaning products, tools and organizational systems to help you live your tidiest lives.The beginning of the year is a time when many people take stock of their closets and try to lend a bit of order to what are notoriously organization-challenged spaces. If you’re one of those people, you might want to consider some of these low-cost but big-impact upgrades to your closet!
Investing in a full set of slim hangers is hands down the best upgrade I’ve ever made to my own closet. It took me forever to do it, too, which is nuts! But I did and it was definitely life-and-closet-changing. Because both the hook and the shoulders of slim hangers are, well, slimmer than standard hangers, they really do maximize space. And, as a bonus, most slim hangers are velvet-covered, which makes them non-slip in a way that plastic hangers aren’t, which is handy for hanging slippery fabrics like silk.
While slim hangers are a great go-to choice for most clothing, you may also want to get a small set of padded hangers for more delicate fabrics, like cashmere or fine cotton. Because they are so lightweight, those kinds of textiles can easily become damaged while in storage, which makes padded hangers a good choice for preventing stretching. They’re also, much like velvet-covered hangers, great for fabrics that tend to slip off of plastic hangers.
Shelf Dividers
Many closets have shelves but most of them are just a wide plank, which can leave sweaters or handbags or towels or whatever you’re storing up there spilling all over the place. Shelf dividers create little cubbies of sorts so you can stack things like folded sweaters or t-shirts without the piles falling over and making a big mess.
A Closet Valet
Closet valets are SO handy and it’s WILD that more people don’t have them. Here’s what they are: Thin rods that extend out to create a place to hang garments for steaming, or to air them out after they’ve been worn, or just to set out an outfit for the next day. The installation is easy (just a few screws!) and the rod retracts when not in use.
Moisture Absorber
A relatively common problem in closets of all sorts, not just the infrequently used ones, is dampness. This can be seasonal — if you live in areas that get humid in the summer, or that see a lot of rain in the winter, you may notice that musty odor that’s a telltale sign of too much moisture in the air — but sometimes it’s just the nature of your home. Either way, if you have a closet that needs some dehumidifying, DampRid is the stuff you need!
Source: gizmodo.com
