Small home organization calls for extra effort since chances are your closets in a small home are a precious commodity. However, despite the ease of tossing items in a closet to free up floor space, you can create more problems than you solve. The last thing you need while getting dressed and ready for work is an avalanche of wrapping paper and gift bags on top of your head. So, what are your options if space is limited? You don’t want seasonal items out all year, and you just know those ties will be back in style, and you do plan to loose a few pounds. Sound familiar? Need some alternatives?

Consider the following points about home closet organization. In a small home, you only have a limited number of closets. Some of them will need to do double-duty, with one major exception. You likely will not want your clothing closet serving double duty. This is the place where you need to have your clothes, shoes, and related accessories only. With only the occasional exception, keep only the items you use regularly in this closet. You need to be in and out of this closet daily, so it only makes sense to keep only items you use daily here. Getting changed for work and starting your day with fewer distractions and stresses are the key points for the master closet. So it only makes sense to fit your strategy to those points.

Depending on the rest of your closet spaces through the house and the size of your family, try to have a theme for the rest of your closets. Following themes can make closet organizing a lot easier. For instance, while most of us do not have the space or need for an entire closet dedicated to wrapping paper, consider a closet for all paper and paper products. Computer paper, greeting cards, ink for your printer, and anything else that would fit in this category can logically be put together. In my own home, my entry closet is all of about 40 inches inside wall to wall. Since I live alone in the country, this closet is perfect for three to four seasonal coats, a rain jacket, and one pair each of casual indoor shoes, casual outdoor shoes, and foul weather boots. While there was no room for an overhead shelf, the closet is deep enough for five six inch by 40 inch shelves down the back wall. Albeit a little limited, but these shelves are perfect for “deep storage” items rarely needed or used but too important to toss away.

Speaking of shelving, shelving can be a great tool for closet organization, especially for closets that will have an odd assortment of storage items. Grouping like items together on each shelf and adding in bins and baskets where appropriate keeps things neat and organized.

Also, take a good look at what makes it into your closets. Many of the things that we store in closets with the thoughts we might need them later usually aren’t seen or used again. In this case, don’t put them away throw them away.

There are many more things you can do to help in small home organization, but the closet organizing ideas you use can have a major impact for a small home.