Front Hall Closet Organization

Closet organization in the fall months is a good idea. It's at this time of the year that summer jackets get replaced by winter jackets and golf clubs replace the skis in the corner of the basement. The end of summer can be melancholic at the best of times so I generally put off this chore until the last minute. This is not a job I enjoy but it is a part of being House Proud .This year is slightly different. Our schedule will have us busy and out of the country for a good part of the autumn and therefore I must address the annual end of summer closet clean out by the end of September.

The easiest way to start the task is to take one day and package up every jacket, sweater, and/or pair of shoes that are clearly worn out or clearly too small. Sometimes this simple task isn't as well received as you might think. I often find it best to do this task while I am alone. Into the mix I add everything that is broken or useless including broken kites and soft tennis balls. Again, there can be vigorous debate on what constitutes an item being broken enough to be discarded. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.

I generally start to organize the front hall closet first. This closet is the nerve center of the house in a manner of speaking. If certain items that are expected to be there fail to be there (just as the bus is about to arrive) then a state of crisis is about to ensue and pandemonium breaks lose. Although it is not my responsibility to return the belongings of other members of the family to the front hall closet my life is easier when I return the errant sneaker or odd pair of gloves. This is the only closet that MUST have an end of summer over haul. Other closets should also be addressed at this time of the year but failure to clean and organize other closets is not catastrophic.

A few years ago I discover the miracle of plastic storage bins. With this discovery my closet organizational techniques catapulted light years forward. My current favorite are the clear hopper bins with different colour lids. Each family member has their own hopper bin in the front hall closet and there is an additional hopper bin for the family in general. Each person having their own plastic storage bin allows them to take ownership of their belongings. This system works marvelously.

As a blogger, I make an effort to read what others are writing online. I have picked up lots of hints over the years. I really wonder how I coped before the internet. One site on closet cleaning and organization that I cam across recently is full of lots of great ideas about closet cleaning and closet organization. Although they don't post as often as I would like when the closet organizers do post their information is wonderful.

Enough writing on closet organization, I should now start to organize my front hall closet.