Making the most of your wardrobe space

Whether you are a man, woman or a child, wardrobes seem to be the place that old stuff goes to die.

Rummage in the back of any wardrobe and you will find too small shoes, odd socks, broken hangers and all the other stuff you thought might be useful.

Then take a look at what is hanging on the rail.

The likelihood is that much of it hasn't been worn in months or years. It is too small or too big and completely out of fashion (no, your 90's rave top won't ever be worn again!)

So the time has come to organise your wardrobe and make some space where none previously existed.

• De-clutter like your life depends on it. Be ruthless and throw away everything which you haven't worn this year. If it is worth selling then put it on Ebay. Otherwise take it to the charity shop.
• Sort out your hangers. Try to make sure you have all the same type. This will look neater and they will not get caught up in each other.
• Hang clothes in the same direction and place on the rail facing the same way. Put clothing types together in colour blocks. ie: all the shirts together starting with dark colours and working down to light. This might sound obsessive, but it makes picking out the perfect combination so much easier.
• Take note of all the things you have left over – the things which don't get hung. You need some shelves and even drawers.
  If your wardrobe does not have shelves, you can buy sets of canvas hanging shelves which work well. These can even have drawers inserted.
  Buy a free standing set of wire baskets. These usually come on casters and will sit in the bottom of the wardrobes quite happily. Great for shoes.
• Buy some stick-on hooks and place them on the back of the wardrobe doors. These are great for hanging belts, ties, handbags and even necklaces.
• Think about investing in a set of vacuum sealed bags. These are great for tight spaces as they can reduce bulky items such as winter jumpers down to a 1/3 of their size. They then stack neatly until you want to wear them.
• Consider installing another rod across your wardrobe at a lower level. This can mean you double your wardrobe space for short items such as shirts and tops. You will still need full length hanging space for your dresses and trousers though.

Simply getting organised in your wardrobe can mean that you find you have much more space than you ever thought possible. It may seem like the perfect excuse to hit the sales, but don't forget that one weekend of shopping could undo all your hard work!