Organizing Closets

Most closets weren't designed to hold all the stuff in there. We humans are very creative when it comes to squeezing every last bit of space from our closets. To sell a home, however, organized closets must be neat, clean and show that there is more spacethat isn't being used inside. Organizing closets is simply a matter of following these steps:

Task 1. Declutter the Closet

This part is easy. Take everything out of the closet.

Your end-game is to have the closet one-third full when it's staged, so we start by removing everything and moving it all to a nearby bed or large open floor space.

Task 2. Cleaning the Closet

With an empty closet, you can see exactly what needs to be cleaned. (Note: If the closet needs to be painted, we will do that immediately before staging. But closets usually will accumulate grime, scuff marks, and a lot of dust, so we take care of those chores here.)

• Make sure the baseboards are free from dust, the shelves are clean, there's no dust on the light fixture and that the door hardware is clean and shiny.
• Vacuum the carpet well or wash the floors until they shine.
• Clean the door. If the door has recessed panels then you'll want to get all the dust off the recessed areas.
• How does the clothes rod look? A wooden one can be lightly sanded if it is very worn from age. Plastic covers on rods should be removed or replaced - they usually show a lot of wear. Metal rods shouldn't need too much - a light cleaning usually works.

Task 3. Organizing

Take a look at all the items you removed from the closets - you will only be putting back one-third of them. The other two-thirds should be packed into moving boxes and stored in a basement, garage or off-site storage place. If you want to take this opportunity to select items to be donated or tossed, now is a good time.

The remaining one-third should be sorted as follows:

• Sort hanging clothing into categories such as short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, jackets, slacks, dresses, skirt, etc. each type in its own pile.
• All shoes
• All handbags, all accessories.
• Belts

Even if your home is a for sale by owner property (fsbo), home staging can help you create a more memorable home. Buyers can't buy what they can't recall.

For tips and techniques to clean other spaces in your home, you can return to Step 2. Clean, organize and declutter possessions from Organizing Closets.