Closet Shelves

To get the most out of your closet shelves, you will want to have an organization system in place. Closet shelving is a great place for many of your garments and items, included folded garments, purses, shoes, and out of season storage.

First, take stock of what you want to store on your shelves. Make a tally sheet with categories. How many pairs of shoes do you want to store?

How many folded garments? How many small purses and large handbags? Now, it’s time to shop!

For shoes, the best way to maximize shelf space is with translucent or clear plastic shoe boxes, available from sources like Organize.com.

Never, ever keep your shoes in the cardboard boxes they came in, because the adhesive used to hold them together is the perfect bait for spiders. You’re likely to find nests of them with your favorite pair of pumps!

Translucent shoe boxes not only are adhesive free, you can see through them, so you don’t have to guess which shoes are where. They also stack beautifully, utilizing the vertical space between closet shelves.

For handbags, you can go with bins, closed boxes, or shelf dividers. What’s best will vary from person to person. For bags that cost a lot of money, definitely go with enclosed storage to protect them.

You can find great zippered suede bags for this, as well as translucent boxes and bins. Shelf dividers, available for both solid and ventilated shelves, are a great way to separate a shelf’s worth of handbags and keep them from piling up.

Shelf dividers are also a GREAT way to store stacks of folded clothes on your shelves. Separating stacks of jeans, shirts, etc. keeps them from falling over one another and encourages you to keep your space organized.

For out of season garments, try Space Bags (but avoid them and all unbreathable plastic for leather, suede, or fur), translucent bins, or attractive clothing storage boxes. This is a great idea for shoes, too.

Keep your summer sandals stored way up high on closet shelves in the winter, and your winter boots and heavy shoes up there in the summer months.