The Coat Closet
As a Mom of three children, I have found that this
area of the home can be a daily source of frustration.
If we cannot find coats, hats, shoes (which fit and match),
diaper bag, backpacks, etc. ~ we will constantly be frustrated, running
late or both! If items are
not hung properly, if shoes are not put away, if bags are not put in a
certain place, if items are shoved and piled – we will not be coming in
and out of our home in an organized and calm manner.
When we can’t find things, we are scattered!
Does any of this sound familiar:
Where’s my coat?
Where’s the shoes that match this outfit?
Where’s my other shoe?
Where’s my rain boots?
Where’s my backpack?
I can’t find my keys!
Where’s my hat? I can only
find one glove! 
The Coat Closet is an important part of the home.
It is often where we go when we first enter our home and the
place we go as we are preparing to leave our home.
It essentially greets us and bids us farewell.
Since it is an important part of the home, let’s start our
Get-Organized endeavor by cleaning it out and making it run more
smoothly.
Step 1 – Take everything out!
It helps to have an empty space to reorganize.
Clean it out, dust, and vacuum the floor if needed.
Step 2 – Hang up coats by size/age
from left to right (eg.- Husband’s coats on left, then my coats,
followed by each child’s coats from bigger to smaller).
Note: if there are way too many coats, choose just the ones
needed for the current season (and put the others into the bedroom
closets for a later time).
If there are coats that have been outgrown or are no longer needed, put
them in a bag for donating to a charity.
Simplify! Don’t keep
things around in your way if they aren’t getting used.
Step 3 – Put shoes that are worn
most often on the floor underneath the coats.
If your family has many pairs of shoes, sort them so that just
the most commonly worn pairs are in this closet (eg. – you don’t need to
keep the rarely worn snow boots or the fancy dress-up shoes here as they
will just be in the way, and can be put in bedroom closets).
If possible, get baskets to hold the shoes.
I am using 3 black metal baskets with wheels on the bottom
(purchased at Target). My
husband’s shoes are in his basket (underneath his coats), my shoes are
in a basket, and my children’s shoes are in the third basket.
If you have room for more baskets, you might consider one for
each child or a basket for boys and a basket for girls (whatever the
needs of your family).
Laundry baskets could work fine for this project.
I like having baskets on wheels so we can easily pull them out to
find the shoes we need, then slide the basket back in.
The children know that when we get home, they need to take off
their shoes and put them in the basket.
Step 4 – Typically there is a
shelf above the closet rod.
If you have a shelf, put a medium/large basket there to keep items such
as winter hats, scarves, and gloves.
This could be rotated later in the Spring and replaced with items
needed for the warmer season such as sunhats and sunglasses.
Or if you have room on the shelf, simply have two baskets (cold
season and warm season)
Optional: If you need a place for keys to be
placed, consider putting a few hooks on the wall of the closet so you
have a place to hang them.
Step 5 – Show your family members
the closet and tell them about the importance of everyone working
together to keep it organized!
Present it as a positive new change!
Pat yourself on the back for getting this organizing project done! Okay, depending on how messy your closet was….that may have been a big one! The next project will be lighter!