(NAPSA)—Despite their mothers’ warnings, even as grown-ups, people continue to struggle with messy closets, according to a recent telephone survey. When asked which area was most in need of organizing in their house, nearly one-third (31 percent) of the respondents said closet, ahead of garage (27 percent) and homeoffice (8 percent). To bring order to closet chaos and clutter, follow these simple tips from Rubbermaid and organization guru Peter Walsh, organizer on the popular TLC program “Clean Sweep” and author of “How to Organize Just About Everything”: Don’t jump into cleaning. It took months, even years, for closets to get cluttered. Set a reasonable timeline for how longit will take to declutter and get organized. Break the job into small, manageable pieces and tackle them oneat a time. * Use the ratio rule. When sorting clothes, shoes or other items stowed in the closet, try cutting down the total number you keep. For every four items you keep, throw away one. Challenge yourself and try to lower the ratio to three to one or even twoto one. * Use vertical space. Use a closet organization system that is easy to install and requires limited preplanning. These systems, such as the new Rubbermaid Configurations closet organization system, can make it easier to make order out of chaos, add a new look to your closet and make the most of that unused vertical space. * Understand and honor your Vertical space is often over- lookedin closets. treasured collections. Items thrown to the back of the closet aren’t collections. If you truly treasure those items, display them properly in your home; if not, ask yourself why you’re keeping them. Take yourchild’s perspective. Hang shelves and hooks where kids can easily reach them in their rooms and closets. Buy plastic containers and label them visually with a photo of the contents so kids can easily clean up their own toys. “Closet systems are an important tool for organizing a messy closet,” Walsh says. “Configurations by Rubbermaid is great because it eliminates cutting, requires only one measurement and offers countless arrangement options. People can literally reconfigure their child’s closet as they grow, or redesign their own closet seasonally to maximize organization space.” For more information on closet organization systems and home organization products, visit www.rubbermaidcloset.com.
