Press Room

KEEPING PACE WHEN YOU'RE OUT OF SPACE

If you have hundreds of items in your closet and can't find what you're looking for, or everything is crammed so tightly it gets wrinkled, you have a serious case of closet clutter.

The National Association of Professional Organizers cared for more than 70,000 unorganized people last year. Another organization, Clutterers Anonymous, has chapters in 22 states and offers a 12-step recovery program.

How do you attack your cluttered closet problem? Here are some tips:

• Go through your closet and figure out what you really use or wear. If you haven't worn an item in a year, donate it to charity.
• Consider separating your clothes by season. If it's 20 degrees outside, do you really need that lightweight suit hanging in your master bedroom closet? By comparison, if it's 80 degrees outside, what are bulky sweaters doing in there?
• If blankets, quilts, boots, luggage and your child's unused stuffed animals are sitting in your bedroom closet, then move them to your attic — one of the most under-utilized spaces in your house.
• Home centers offer closet organizing systems with shelves and drawers that can help maximize space in your bedroom closets.

"Closet organizing systems are functional and look great, but will call undue attention to those plain white closet walls," says CedarSafe Home Improvement Expert Pat Simpson, host of HGTV's Fix it Up. "Cedar closet liner planks will make your closet look great, and the cedar scent is a natural air freshener."

The Benefits of Cedar Wall Liners

Cedar liners also naturally resist and repel silverfish, as well as moths, that can damage wool suits and sweaters. The liners even help protect against mildew.

On to that massive open area at the top of your house — the attic. By adding 4' x 8' cedar panels on the walls, you can easily turn that area into an extra, off-season storage space that is easily accessible and organized.

"Cedar panels offer a natural, functional benefit in the attic because they keep the insects and mildew away," says Simpson. "The panels also cover up those ugly two-by-fours, giving your attic a more upscale look."

You can line your closet walls or attic with cedar planks or panels for just a few hundred dollars and a few hours of your time.

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner is the #1 cedar closet liner brand in America. It is manufactured by Huntsville-based Giles & Kendall. Giles & Kendall, and its predecessor George C. Brown Cedar Company, have specialized in manufacturing 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar products for more than 120 years. CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner repels and resists moths, roaches and silverfish, as well as mildew. CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks and panels are available in the paneling or closet departments of Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, True Value, as well as in lumberyards throughout the United States and Canada. Manufacturing facilities are located in Huntsville, AL, and Gainesville, MO.