Closet Organizers

    Closet organizers come in every imaginable variety, and although you might think that they all can make organizing your closet easier, many just add to the clutter and chaos. On top of that when you consider the cost of outfitting an entire closet, you might be not only adding clutter to your closet, but be adding costly clutter. So, to help me sort through the many closet organizers, I visited Master Simplifier and owner of the organization firm White Space, Cynthia Ivie.
    Cynthia had some great advice, which she picked up from many years of combating her clients' clutter, and pointed me in the direction of her favorite types of bins and hangers. As she proudly proclaimed, "We're very opinionated at White Space when it comes to what organizers work best."
    And in this case, being opinionated is a very good thing.

Containers and Bins

    When it comes to containers, don't be caught up by bright colors or sleek designs. Organizing is about function, and that should be your focus.
    "Companies have gotten very clever about making [organizing containers] attractive about giving them designs, and unfortunately it misleads the consumer, Cynthia said. "You have to think about what's best for you."
    And from her experience, Cynthia has found that clear plastic drawers are your best bet. The type sliding drawers, not lids, are best because they allow you to get to the contents easier, especially if they are stacked.
    Also Cynthia suggest avoiding wicker and mesh bins. "We don't use wicker at all at White Space because wicker collects dust, it snags and it also lets things slip through," she said. "We also don't use mesh bins here very often, with the exception for files, because mesh bins collect crumbs, they get dirty."

Hangers

    There are many elegant hangers out there that look like they might get the job done, but Cynthia has found only three hangers that work well for keeping your clothes in good shape for as long as possible.
    For regular shirts, such as button ups, polos, tank tops, etc, crystal hangers are the way to go. They protect your shoulders from being stretched, take up minimal space, prevent slippage and don't distract you from seeing the true colors of your clothes.
    For suits, go with padded suit hangers. Like the crystal hangers they don't damage your clothes and prevent your nice suits from slipping and falling. Also, because their cross bar doesn't go all the way across, it is super easy to take pants on and off the hangers.
    Finally, for pants, slacks and trousers, use the special slacks hanger, which looks like an "L." The biggest advantage with slacks hangers is that it is almost too easy to take pants on and off the hangers. Also, like the crystal and suit hangers, they are sturdy enough to support your pants without putting a crease in them, which is essential if you dislike ironing as much as I do.