Do it Yourself Closets 101

Wouldn’t it be nice to always know where both shoes were? Or to not have to rip through your drawers to find your favorite T-shirt? With the right custom closet organizer, a disheveled wardrobe can become a thing of the past. The do-it-yourself variety is especially desirable because it allows handy consumers get organized without spending thousands on professionally installed systems. A complete custom closet organizer typically runs for just a few hundred dollars for solid wood. Plastic and metal varieties tend to be even less expensive.

Besides affordability, the biggest benefit of purchasing a custom closet organizer, is that a do it yourself system gives consumers the freedom install a closet in a way that is tailored to meet their specific needs. In addition, the most popular varieties of custom closet organizers are user friendly, meaning that they only require a few tools to install. Typically, a saw, a pencil a level, a drill and a measuring tape are the only tools required to install a complete custom closet.

Package deal or Shop By Piece

If you are relatively happy with your closet, but need a little extra space, add-on items like additional hanger rods and some extra shelving may be all you need. However, if you are struggling to find a way to find you clothes, or if you are simply in a storage crisis, a complete custom closet kit may be more inline with your needs. The best way to determine how to solve your storage dilemma is to take a complete inventory of all the items that you need to store, that way you can make an informed purchase. Preparation is key to solving your storage dilemmas, whether they are adding extra shelving, or building the closet you always dreamed about.

Closet Organization Tip: Take an Inventory of Your Belongings

Ample closet space is like a rare luxury these days; something that everyone covets but few have attained. The right custom closet organizer can help anyone obtain the closet of their dreams. Solid wood custom closets, like the ones offered at Build It Yourself Closets, maximize space, are stylish, and are easy to install. Build it Yourself Closets offers several closet in a box kits, to tackle jobs big and small.

However, before purchasing a custom closets, the most important thing you can do is take an inventory of your clothing. And if you are you still holding on to that ten year old, four sizes ago jacket, or that top that you haven’t worn in years, it may be time to do some spring cleaning.

Step 1: Go through your clothes and get rid of anything that you don’t wear.

The 80/20 rule says that we use 20% percent of our stuff 80% percent of the time. Does this mean that you should dump the 80% of our stuff that you only find occasional use for? No, but you should definitely re-examine your belongings, especially if our home is in chaos, and throw away the things you aren’t using. Chances are that once they are gone, you won’t even know that they are missing.

Step 2: Take an Inventory of your things. This will help you select a custom closet solution that best fits your needs.

How many shirts do you need to hang? What items of clothing can be folded? How many pairs of shoes do you own? How much space do you need to store them. Figuring out how much space you need for items like slacks, jeans and blouses will help you chose a closet that best fits your needs. Taking an accurate inventory will also help you configure your closet in a way that maximizes space.

Preparation is key to building a dream closet, and getting you life in order.

Tools Required to Install Your Custom Closet

Tools Required to Install A Custom Closet Organizer

Planning on Installing a Custom Closet Organizer? Here are the tools you need to get started:

Pencil
Any pencil will do. Use it to mark will you will make your cuts. A pencil is preferable to a pen or marker, because you can make light marks with pencils that are easily erasable.

Level
Cut your parts on a flat surface, using a level to ensure that everything is even. Using a level is part of measuring precisely.

Screw Driver
Use this tool to connect the different parts of your closet. I would highly recommend investing in an electric screwdriver, as opposed to a manual one. You will save a substantial amount of time and you can drill with much more precision.

Tape Measure
Use this to measure your parts before cutting them. I recommend measuring everything at least twice to avoid making mistakes.

Saw
Invest in a good saw with a sharpened blade. The sharper the saw, the more precise the pieces of your closet will be. Precision is key to installing a professional looking DIY custom closet.

What Type of Closet Organizer is Right for You?

Different Types of Closet Organizers: Wood Versus Plastic

Home organization is big business, and consumers are bombarded with choices when searching for the right product. In terms of Closet Organizers, there are three types of systems available: wood, plastic and metal. Use the below guide to find a product that best fits your needs.

Wooden Closet Organizers

Wooden Closet Organizers are best suited for home owners and long term tenants. Construction is required to install a wooden custom closet, and this particular type of system is the most permanent. If you rent your home and are interested in installing a wooden closet organizer, you should get approval from your landlord before getting started. A nice closet organizer can add value to a property. Wooden systems, especially the DIY variety, require the most commitment in terms of building and installation time, however they also offer the most lasting benefits and they are more ascetically pleasing then plastic and metal closet organizers.

Metal Closet Organizers

Metal Closet Organizers are typically less labor intensive to install then there wooden counterparts. Metal closet organizers are also substantially less expensive. Because they are easy to put together and take apart, this type of system is probably most suitable for renters and people who want a quick fix. While these systems tend to be functional, they lack in style and don't offer the same flexibility of wooden closet organizers.

Plastic Closet Organizers

Plastic closet organizers tend to run for the same price as metal organizers, but tend to be less sturdy because they are made of plastic. The benefit of plastic as that they offer a lot of functionality, while requiring little or no construction. Overtime plastic organizers will start to look worn and will need to be replaced. Like metal organizers, plastic organizers, are best suited for renters and people on a budget.

Why You Need a Custom Closet Organizer

Why You Need a Custom Closet Organizer

If you are like the majority of Americans, you could use a little help in the home organizational department. Despite the fact that Americans enjoy relatively spacious accommodations, most of us seem to be in a storage crisis. There never seems to be enough space for all of the stuff we accumulate. Our closets are in shambles and our bedrooms are often overrun with the overflow of shoes, knick knacks and clothing that we cannot seem to find a place for. If you are one of the millions suffering from a home storage dilemma, a DIY custom closet organizer may be the answer.

Custom Closet organizers, like the ones sold online at Build it Yourself Closets, offer an affordable solution to a disorganized space. Custom closet organizers offer all the benefits of a professionally installed systems at just a fraction of the costs. Build It Yourself Closets organizational systems start at $339, and can be easily be tailored with accessories, drawers, and shelves; giving consumers the freedom to design a closet that is 100% unique to their needs. In addition, most customers are surprised how much stuff they can fit in a closet that utilizes space so efficiently.

An organized home starts with a tidy closet. If your home is in disarray, or you simply want to utilize your space more efficiently, a custom closet solution may be just what you are looking for.

Measure twice, cut once

When installing your build it yourself closet, measure all your parts twice before cutting them. In addition, make sure to use a sharpened blade for precession.

Isaiah's tip of the Week: Patch and Paint

Before you install your new closet, you must make room for it by removing any existing shelving that may get in the way. After you have gutted your closet, patch and paint any imperfections. Patching up potential eye sores before hand is important because once you have installed your new closet, it will be very difficult to paint around it.

Isaiah's Tip of the Week: Take an Inventory of Your Clothing

Before purchasing and building a Build-It-Yourself Closet, the most important thing you can do is take an inventory of your clothing. Figuring out how much space you need for items like slacks, jeans and blouses will help you chose a closet that best fits your needs. Taking an accurate inventory will also help you configure your closet in a way that maximizes space.

It's Time to Clean Green

Are you tired of inhaling toxic chemical every time you decide to clean? Do you go through paper towels or Lysol wet wipes like they were going out of style? Try cleaning green, it’s not only healthier for you, it’s good for the environment.

Why Go Green When You Clean?

• Avoid Unhealthy Air: If the area you are cleaning is in a spot that lacks good ventilation, the chemicals in traditional off-the-shelf cleaning products stay in the air. For those of us with lung problems and allergies this can make cleaning painful.

• Stop Helping the Germs: Antibacterial soaps and cleansers have become extremely popular in the last decade. People even carry around antibacterial gels in their bags during flu and cold season, hoping they’ll avoid the seasonal ailments. Guess what, they clean no better than regular soap, and they could cause harmful bacteria to become resistant while killing helpful organisms (that’s right, some of those little organisms are the exact thing that keeps us healthy).

• Don’t Waste: Most people have moved away from using cloth rags to clean surfaces in their home, opting for the disposable wet wipes and paper towels that pile up in the trash can and our landfills. As long as you wash your rags between uses you’ll be as sanitary as you need to be. Or, if you just can’t stand the idea of using a rag, opt for environmentally-friendly paper towels and products.

Do It Yourself Green Cleaning Products – They were good enough for Granny, and they’re the base of most off-the-shelf cleaning products available today.

Borax
A miracle mineral, Borax is composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. You can use it for laundry, scrubbing the bathroom, kitchen and it even works to dry flowers!

Vinegar
Okay, so it may smell bad, but vinegar is a great surface cleaner. You can use it on your floors, on hard water spots, and more. Just mix with water and clean away!

Lemon Juice
If you abhor the idea of using vinegar, don’t worry, lemon juice can be used instead. Great as a natural antibacterial solution, wipe down your counters with a lemon juice water solution.

Baking Soda
No more Comet, baking soda is all you need. If you’ve got crusty substances glued to your cooking pans or counter tops, make a baking soda and water paste and get rid of those stains. And, for a bonus, you can store it in your refrigerator to eliminate odors.

Murphy’s Oil Soap
A tried and true soap that’s been around for decades, Murphy’s Oil Soap is natural biodegradable cleaning product that's free of bleach, ammonia, or other harsh detergents. It’s great on wood floors, furniture, no-wax floors, tile, paint and laminate. It’s also good for cleaning shoes!

Help, My Bedroom is Out of Control!

Has your bedroom become a dumping ground for shoes, clothing and random knick knacks? Do you have to strategically move piles in order to get into bed or move around the room? Are you terrified to even look under the bed?

For many of us, our bedroom isn’t just a place where we sleep, we actually live there! It’s not just a room with a bed, it’s the exercise room, the TV room, and the dining room in one. Or, maybe your just so busy most of the time that you don’t have time to pick up after yourself as you run out the door. Depending on the amount of activities you do in your bedroom it can become an extremely cluttered place.

Regardless of how badly cluttered you may or may not be, the following 2 steps will help you get it under control:

Step 1: Scan and the bedroom and start removing anything that doesn’t belong there. This step alone is the majority of what needs to be done to get to a more organized room. If you’ve got more stuff to take out than you know what to do with, grab an empty clothes hamper and load it up. Once it’s full empty it and load it up again until you’ve removed everything you need to.

Step 2: Do you have too much stuff? Start going through your closet and drawers and see what you can get rid of. Unless you’re a neat freak, you’ll more than likely have shoes, clothes and knick knacks that can be gotten rid of.