Suggestions for corralling growing clutter collection

The Container Store's organizations experts offer these tips for gaining control of an unruly closet.

• Follow the one-year rule to purge outdated or ill-fitting garments. If you haven't used it or worn it in a year, it's a safe bet that you won't use it again.

• Get rid of anything that doesn't belong in the closet. Move it to another area of the house, donate or sell it.

• If possible, move out-of-season garments to another area of your home. The space under your bed is a wonderful solution when you use an under-bed storage box. Vacuum-sealed storage bags are also helpful, as they reduce the volume needed to store bulky items by up to 75 percent.

• Take advantage of all vertical space using closet organizers like stacking drawers or shelves to store sweaters, shoes and handbags and prevent items from toppling over.

• Use add-on hangers or cascading hangers, which take up as much space as a single hanger and store four times the amount of clothing. Also consider switching over to slim-profile hangers like the velvety ones sold by Huggable Hangers.

• Use the back of a closet door to store shoes, belts, jewelry and other accessories.

• If most of your clothes are short hanging, add an extra closet rod to instantly double the amount of hanging space.

• Separate clothing by long-hanging and short-hanging items. Color coordinate items to make selecting an outfit easier.

-- Linda S. Haymes

HomeStyle on 07/09/2016