Not all closet organizers are equal. Closet organization systems are usually categorized into the following categories: Wood Organizers, Plastic Organizers and Wire Organizers. This post will attempt to help a potential buyer decide which type of material is best for the buyer’s specific situation.
Wood Closet Organizers (looks and luxury)
Closet organization systems made of wood are by far the best looking option. Although stores selling plastic and wire systems have made great strides in appearance, they are still very wanting in looks when compared to the wooden systems. Another advantage of wooden closet organizers is that they are very durable.
The main disadvantage of wooden closet organization systems is the price. In most situations buyers will be able to find better prices when shopping for plastic and wire systems.
If you have the money and want to spend it making your closet look fancy, then we definitely recommend going with wood.
Plastic Closet Organizers (ease and utility)
Plastic closet organization systems offer you all of the utility of a wooden system, but they are much easier to install. You still have to find the studs to bolt down the uprights, but changing the length of the shelves and rods is much easier. With wooden shelves you have to use a saw to change the length, but most plastic shelves and rods are adjustable (an extremely nice feature). With plastic systems you won’t need to measure as much, because if you don’t like how something fits it is extremely easy to adjust.
The main disadvantage of plastic organization is its appearance. Even with all of the emphasis on making plastic look posh, they still can’t match the appearance of wood in most situations.
If looks aren’t your main concern and you are looking for easy installation, good utility, and a decent price then we recommend plastic for your closet organization system.
Wire Closet Organizers (utility and durability)
This type of closet organization system has many of the same advantages as the plastic systems. One advantage it may have over the plastics systems is its durability. The wire organization systems are great if you are constantly moving. Somehow they survive no matter how many times you take them down and then reinstall them.
The wire closet systems are probably the least attractive of the bunch (though they have improved in recent years).
If you are someone who moves regularly and doesn’t have the money to purchase a new closet organizer everywhere you go, then we recommend wire.
We here at The Geek Closet Organizers Guide don’t recommend one closet organization shop over another. We are simply trying to provide value by saving our reader’s time by providing small reviews of the following companies and their web pages.
Closet Maid
If you can get over the appalling background color of their website, then you will find that Closet Maid isn’t a bad place to shop. One of their best features is that they have a live chat representative. This is a very handy feature as you can browse their website and ask questions to a real person without even having to pick up the phone. Also, having a live chat feature is usually a sign that the company provides quality customer service.
Closet Maid’s website overall was a little confusing. We had our best success when we clicked their link to the Closet Maid Online Store and then clicked on “Closet Organizer Kits.” Their closet design software was good, but it appeared they were charging $5.00 to design a closet. Most online stores we visited allowed you to design your closet for free.
Closet Factory
The Closet Factory is an upper end closet organization shop. They sell extremely nice, custom built closet organizers. The Closet Factory’s website is very aesthetically pleasing (especially after looking at the Closet Maid site). The one downside of the Closet Factory’s website was that they kept pushing you to call them or visit a local shop. This can be a problem for people who are interested in doing most of their shopping online.
If you have a lot of time and money and are looking for a luxurious closet organizer, then The Closet Factory may be the place for you.
Rubber Maid
We’ll be honest, we were trying to keep Rubber Maid off this list, but their website was by far the best we have seen. In fact if you have a few seconds we recommend you head over to www.rubbermaidcloset.com. They have a fun little feature where the clothes, shoes, and other objects come flying out of the closet and it is up to you to reorganize the closet.
The Rubber Maid site also shows you how to install a closet organizer kit (this is a handy feature as installation can be a real bugger). Perhaps the only flaw with the rubber maid site is that they only sell plastic. If you were looking for wooden closet organizers you would have to look elsewhere.
Before your rush online or to the store to buy a new closet organization system, please consider some of the following pitfalls. While reading the pitfalls keep in mind that being organized is definitely worth it!
Pitfall #1 You don’t have the correct tools to install your new closet organizer.
You might be surprised at all of the equipment needed. Below is a list of the tools that are usually necessary when installing closet organizers.
Stud Finder (you don’t necessarily need a stud finder, you can just knock on the wall and listen for a thicker “thud” noise, but you will need to find the studs), hammer, crowbar (used to take out old material), screwdriver or drill, saw, level, and measuring tape.
Make sure you have the proper tools before trying to install your closet organizer.
Pitfall #2 Not Leaving Adequate Time to Install the Organization System
The installation alone will usually take at least 30 minutes. Another 15-30 minutes to take out your old hang bars and shelves. Tack on some more time to take out all of your belongings, organize them, and replace them. Additional time may be required to measure your closet and design your closet organizer.
All of that being said, it is important to remember that even though an initial investment of time exists, you will likely be saving time in the long run; not only time, but the frustration that comes from not being able to find what you are looking for. Just remember to leave ample time to get your closet organizer installed.
Pitfall #3 Not Measuring Your Closet before Purchasing Closet Organization System
Many people rush to the store to purchase an organization system that will solve all of their clutter problems without measuring the closet width, depth, and height. Not measuring your closet dimensions before shopping can lead to a bad purchase or a return trip home and then back to the store (not enjoyable).
Remember to measure your closet height, depth, and width before shopping for closet organizers.
Shopping for a closet organizer online can actually help you avoid many of these pitfalls. Online stores will usually explicitly state the time and tool requirements before prompting you to purchase. In addition, if you forgot to measure your closet dimensions while shopping online, you usually don’t have to go far to find your closet. Hopefully this article will save you time and frustration in your pursuit of organization.
People searching for closet organizers on the Internet may be searching for vastly different things. Person A may be searching for a fully customizable closet organizer setup, while Person B may be searching for some shelves to organize their shoes better. This article will attempt to define the different categories of closet organizers and hopefully provide you some aid as you search for products to clean up your closet.
Let’s start with the people who are just looking for a few items to organize their closet. Items they are potentially searching for include shoe storage bins, closet hangers, closet shelves, tie organizers, and hang bars. These people may want all of these items for their closet or maybe they just want one or two of these items. Let’s call these items closet organizer accessories just so they have a name.
If you are someone who is only looking for a few accessories to organize your closet than we suggest you search for them by their given name. For example instead of typing in “closet organizers” to the search engine (this will likely result in showing you “complete” closet organizers with everything included) try typing in “closet shelves” or “shoe organizer.” Not everyone wants to spend $400 to get a complete closet organizing system.
Let’s proceed to the next group. This group wants the whole kitten caboodle. They are the ones who want to be able to purchase a complete closet organizing system. This group faces its own dilemmas. They must decide if they want to personally develop their own closet organizer of they would prefer to buy a cookie cutter version.
Customizing Your Closet
The main advantage of designing your closet is that you get exactly what you want; you decide where everything goes, what could be wrong with that?
I’ll tell you what could be wrong with that: it can be a lot of work/time. If you are designing your closet online then you have to learn how the website’s design software works. Another problem is that you may design a closet organizing system that won’t actually work (meaning that your design won’t cooperate with the house specifications).
With that being said, designing your own closet can be fun and rewarding as long as the proper steps are taken.
Cookie-Cutter Closets
This type of closet organizing system has already been designed by the manufacturers. However, even these require some work on your behalf (for example you will have to measure the depth and width of your closet).
Tip: Try purchasing a closet organizer accessory if you are only looking to clean up a small part of your closet. This is a lot easier than having to design your closet and install a huge system.
So you have decided that you have had enough of rummaging through your closet trying to find your favorite pair of Levis. You’ve tried cleaning out your closet in the past, enjoying the initial feeling of accomplishment from having a clean closet only to see it slip away slowly without you knowing. We here at The Geek Closet Organizers Guide recommend getting organized.
Getting organized requires a little bit of work initially, but it will save you a lot of time/frustration in the long run.
The Lazy and Poor Man’s Guide to Organizing your Closet
Identify one problem area and only one; then solve it (if the problem continues, move on to another problem area). A mistake I have made in the past is taking on projects that are too big for the time/energy I have available. For example, I’ll be annoyed that I can’t find one of my shoes before work. This will annoy be extremely so I’ll decide to “clean out” my closet. After I’ve pulled out all my shoes, clothes, and boxes I realize I’m dead tired and it is time to go to work. I throw everything back into the closet and my problem is worse than before.
Try starting with one area. For example, let’s say your shoes are a mess. Try pulling them all out of your closet, buying a shoe organizer, and replacing your shoes in the organizer. If after a week or two you are still unhappy with your closet’s organization, then tackle another problem.
By applying this method you avoid two pitfalls:
(1) Never making any progress. As mentioned previously, trying to take on too much will leave you doing nothing.
(2) Spending way more money than needed. You could buy a complete closet organizing system, but it will cost you a lot of money; money that you might not need to spend.
Individual Closet Organizers
Shoe Organizers/ Shoe Racks – These can really save you some space. They make it a lot easier to find your shoes as well. The key is to take your time to put your shoes back in them every day.
Adjustable Closet Shelves – Shelves can be extremely helpful in keep your closet organized. They are relatively inexpensive, and if they are adjustable then you can move them around as you see room for improvement.
Tie Organizers – Instead of having your ties falling off your hangars all the time, try purchasing a tie organizer or a belt organizer.
Have you had success with closet organizers? Please share your story below.
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