What's in Your Master Bedroom Closets and Advice Regarding This...

K.,
I move about once a year, sometimes twice. In 10 years we have moved 17 times! So my master closet is constantly changing. I too have a rule that if it doesn't have a home, then I get rid of it. I love containers and baskets to keep things organized. But most of all I LOVE to have organized closets and cupboards! So here is what I do...
My current closets holds my clothes, my husbands clothes, our shoes and most of our coats. It also has some extra floor room so I keep my pregnancy clothes in some Tupperware and I have some containers that I keep gifts in. I collect all during the year and store them in there. It makes it easier for kids not to find because there is nothing else in there that they find interesting, and they can't see the toys in the containers. I use the non clear flexible Rubbermaid ones. They are the same ones I use to store clothes in. So the kids think they are just clothes and they also stack nicely.
As for the other bedroom closets I don't keep toys in any of the closets, just clothes and shoes and linens (extra blankets) If there is extra room, I put the clothes Tupperware that the child will be wearing next. For example in my baby's room, I have a bit of room because his clothes don't take up that much room. So I store the container that has the next size of clothes that he will be in and the one that that that he is in currently. If something doesn't fit I put it in the container that holds the smaller size and get out something from the bigger size clothes.
I have containers that organize all the toys and they stay in the toy room.
My linen closets hold the towels and the sheets, and bathroom amenities (new and unused...soap, t.p.,tampons, lotions deodorant,) It looks like a mini store shelf. I try to stay stocked so that we never run out of things like that.
I have a very large linen closet down stairs and it has Linens in the top half and all the games in the bottom.
I also use those white plastic coated wire shelfs a lot to make each shelf more suitable for me. Under the bathroom and kitchen sinks and for shoes on the closet floors. I think more importantly then having a closet that is designated for only one thing, is that you utilize the space you have and make it the most efficient for you and your family.
Good luck!
E.

our master closet is full of things besides our clothes and shoes. boxes of baby clothes, journals and scrapbooks, photo frames, curtains we're not using but don't want to get rid of. it's the biggest closet in the house, so whatever doesn't fit in another closet and can't go in the shed, goes into our bedroom. we just try to keep it clear enough to step into so that everything can be reached fairly easily (we still have to rearrange boxes to get to the ones on the bottom of course). and with the exception of clothing, we don't keep things in there that have to be accessed on a regular basis so that we cut down on waking eachother unnecessarily. my mom is a professional organizer. she's pretty much retired from going to people's houses for one-on-one consultations, but she has lots of great info she can mail/email to you. send me an email if you'd like her contact info. it's a good new year's resolution!

In my opinion - and in my house - the rule is that anything can go into any closet. The trick is to be able to use the closet - that's what organization is. It doesn't have to look gorgeous, but it does have to look useful.

If extra gifts migrate to your master closet, decide if each extra gift is really going to be given, and pass anything you say "no" to on to somebody else or a thrift store. Then look at the rest of your house and see if they would be better off living in another place. If they wouldn't, plan a place for them right where they are (perhaps one of your higher shelves) and dedicate that place to them. (My extra gifts happen to be in a closet in a dark corner of the laundry room, because my kids wouldn't go back to that dark closet when they were little.)

My bedroom closet has clothes, of course, but it also has my sewing (embroidery) things. I have a couple of very small drawer units in there for hosiery, workout clothes, etc., because my bureau space is limited. I keep shoes in one of those gizmos that hang from the closet rod so they don't take up a lot of space on the floor. Every six months I weed out things I don't wear/use so they won't take up space I need for the necessities.

My sheets, towels, blankets, etc., are in a hall closet, but also in that closet are the stockpiles of toothpaste, soap, hair needs, bath toys for when the grandchildren visit, shoe cleaning stuff, and what my mother jokingly called "bathroom stationery." The little stuff lives in baskets (or ziplock bags) to keep them in place. Then there's under the bed... if you dared to look under it you would find shallow roll-out boxes of out-of-season clothes, books I'm almost reading, and a six months' supply of paper towels. There's no room in the kitchen for the latter.

Then there's a friend who has very limited pantry space in her kitchen, but her kitchen isn't far away from the front door, so the coat closet is also the pantry annex....

It sounds weird to write about! But, after you've done a periodic weeding-out, try to make everything look as if OF COURSE it should be where it is! You know how your house is set up so you can decide where things should go. With several children at home, you need to utilize every square inch, so do what works best for you. Hope this helps.

We just moved and I've been determined that everything will have its place and everything will be in its place. So far it's working, but it's only been 3 months. :) In our linen closet we have guest towels and holiday towels (the kids play in the basement where guests stay, and I prefer to give guests clean linens), bath towels, wash clothes, hand towels, cleaning rags, spill towels, extra toiletries for the kids, extra tissues, bags for the upstairs trash cans, and a box of sunscreen and other first aid type things. It's fairly organized depending on where in my stock buying I am.

In our master closet, we have our clothes :), and shoes, an iron and an ironing board hanging on a storage holder, and a hamper. I keep medicines in there and our extra toiletries. I also have the laundry baskets up on a self and a box of the kids unmatched clothes. Before Christmas we did have a few extra items in there, too. :)

My theory on closets has always been if it's too full to be clean, it's too full. I have fewer linens, clothes, and shoes than a lot of my friends, but it's easier for me that way. I don't do well with clutter. If you're wanting to be more organized, there are a lot of closet helps out there. I use clear boxes, sometimes with lids, sometimes sitting on the lid (that way it's neat, but doesn't get lost). You can get sets of drawers so you're not moving boxes. Also there are things that hand from a shelf to give added storage, or mini shelves that stack on the self. It can be expensive, but if you have a Bed Bath and Beyond near you, you can get on their mailing list and buy the things with the coupons they send you. It takes longer, but I'm cheap. :) Sometimes Goodwill has them, too. GL! It's tough work, but really worth it!

Hey K.!
We have 2 closets in my bedroom - 1 is for hanging clothes and has shoes on the floor. There is a top shelf and we have hats and my hubby's extra shoes there (he wears a 14 and they don't all fit on the floor). The other closet has built in drawers and shelves. I put my purses on the shelves, and some movies my kids watch in my bed (it's the only place we have a VCR). I have a laundry basket on the floor in that closet.
My linen closet is in the hall - we have towels, toilet paper, paper towels, medicine, toothpaste, sheets, extra pillows, blankets, and other extra toiletries. We shop at Sam's and Costco, so it's convenient to store the stuff there. It also holds my vacuum (and extra parts) and mop bucket. I do sort and organize like items in small plastic bins - like contact cases and saline go in one and toothpaste goes with floss and extra toothbrushes. Soap goes in another and sunscreen and lotion in another. You get the idea!
I try to not put stuff in closets that doesn't belong, but things do get put there from time to time. I try to go through them periodically to weed out what i don't need.

Great question! I'm looking forward to other answers.

I totally get where you are coming from and I have found what works for me. I made a rule that EVERYTHING in my home must have a home or we get rid of it. If it is something that I cannot get rid of then I need to get rid of something else to make room.

That being said, I have identified that that my room and my closet are MINE! Anything but MY clothes, MY shoes, MY jewelry goes in there and nothing else. If there overflow kid things, husband things, towels, etc. and they do not have a home, make a home for them. Make it your mission that they do not belong in your closet. Now I know you are saying that it sounds easier than it is and I get it, but all you have to do is take it one item at a time. If you do not have a home for something, take 10 or 15 minutes and make a home. If you do not have that time right away, leave it out until you do.

One last thing that might help you is flylady.com. I found out about this sight on MamaSource when I was feeling overwhelmed with things like this and it sure helped.

Good luck!

There's a great website called www.MajorMom.com that has some great organizational ideas and tips. Good luck with your project!