Coat Closet Organization

Here's my coat closet. Not that bad, but not exactly inviting for guests to hang their coats after a long journey, either.

The first order of business is to address the mission statement for this closet. What is its primary function?. Well, since we hardly ever leave out of our front door, which this closet is located by, it isn't a drop off area. It also, isn't somewhere that needs lots of shoe storage or baskets. It is simply a storage area for extra coats and shoes, and then an area for guests coats.

It needs a clear area for corralling table cloths, mittens, and gloves.

Can any of these coats be put in other closets? The kids closet? Our bedroom closet?
Do I have anything to better hold these shoes in a more tidy way? These shoes are placed in the closet clean. Do I really need something to put underneath them? Where is little pink coats home? Do toddlers have a space to put away their coats too?

Here is my official Goodwill Donation box. Is it working as neatly as it should? It needs cleaned out and a trash bag that sits in the box. That way it will be easier to lift out my items and transfer them to the car.Now that I have defined each area of the closet and reviewed my mission statement. I can start thinking of organizing items that will make my mission statement happen. I found these fabric boxes at Walmart in January when every store makes sure organizing is on your mind. Also, they had wooden hangers that will make the space more uniform and are sturdy for hanging heavy coats. These boxes are collapsible, by having wire framing and velcroing the framing into place. If you can find these in a store around you I highly recommend them. They are light weight, can be flattened if not in use, and have lids! Never skip this step. Though it is tempting to fly into organizing once you are in the groove, but a little bit of cleaning is in order. Everything now needs to be cleared out of the bottom and top of the closet. Once it is out of the closet, let the sweeping and dusting begin. Now, you won't have to worry about cleaning it again till next year. :)Gloves and hats are stored in one storage solution box. And in the other the table cloths contained. Coat hangers were added. I found this in another closet and thought it would better be utilized here to store shoes. Extra coats were pushed to the side when not in use. Making more room in the middle for guests coats.

A full view of the finished closet!



Next, a simple hook or two placed on the inside of the closet door will help assist little people with clean up of coats.



Here is my trash bag of Goodwill donations ready for the car.



Wonder what else was taken out to make the space fresh, clean and decluttered? Well, here were my behind the scene piles. Labeled in my mind like this (I do think in thought boxes :)) so when the closet is completed the last step would be to take the extra stuff, and chauffeur it to its rightful homes around the house.

I hope this step by step process helps with your own coat closet completion...

Also, this closet is entered in the 28 Day Organizing Challenge over at Organizing Junkie! Winning a prize to get organized would be my ultimate dream! Yes, that's right, I dream big folks! :) Happy Organizing!