Organizing My Basement Dressing Room
It’s time to tackle another organization project - my basement dressing room in the Winter House.
Over the years, this area has gotten quite disorganized - things are mixed up, storage bins are confused and mislabeled, and more clothing and cosmetics have been added without thought as to where they should be placed, etc. Nothing is really “messy” or “dirty”, but just like any closet, a space like this has to be reorganized periodically. We cleaned the space, ordered strong clothing rods from Closet Bay, and got to work. These long, dark, cold days of winter seemed like the perfect time to complete several overdue organizing projects - it’s the beginning of spring cleaning.
Here are some photos - enjoy. I hope they inspire you to get ahead on your spring cleaning this weekend.
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- Because of the nature of my job, I have a very large wardrobe, and there isn’t one single space in my home that accommodates everything. So, in addition to my expansive closet upstairs, this section of my very large basement is dedicated to additional clothes, shoes, cosmetics and other beauty care supplies. I use these industrial clothing racks to hold a lot of the clothing, but the room became too crowded – it was time to clean it and streamline my storage system.
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- As you can see, I have a lot of shoes. I always situate my shoes by type and style. When I find some I love, I often get two or three pairs in different colors. These convenient shoe shelves fill an entire wall in this room, but needed to be tidied up.
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- For this project, we covered everything with sheets, so nothing would be damaged or soiled during the process.
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- I wanted to install long commercial clothing rods in the room, so the floor would be free of the wheeled clothing racks. We purchased two long stainless steel rods for the space. These rods are from Closet Bay. https://www.closetbay.com/
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- Because the area above the ceiling is an access space, we needed to create more support for the rods. My property director, Fred Jacobsen, put up a wood support along the ceiling, where the rods would be hung.
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- After the wood was installed, and the screws were covered with spackle, Fred sanded the area and primed it for painting.
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- Here he is painting the wood support white – the entire basement is painted white to keep as bright as possible.
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- An inside mounting flange was screwed into this side of the wall.
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- And then Fernando helps Fred hold the long rod in place, while Fred marks where it would be installed.
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- Several of these wardrobe rail supports will be positioned from above to keep the rod as secure as possible – there are a lot of clothes to hang!
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- Fred begins making the pilot holes for the screws.
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- And then carefully screws each support bracket into the wooden one-by-four above.
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- After installing five of the six rail supports, Fred tests the rod’s strength.
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- In all, six were installed for the upper rack and six for the lower rack. Both are extremely strong – they will hold a lot of shirts and pants within easy reach.
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- Next, Shqipe starts moving all the clothes from the portable clothing racks to the rods. Most clothes are organized by item and then by color. It’s much easier to sift through shirts and pants, even denims, if they are hung up and easy to see instead of stacked in a drawer.
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- Extraneous hangers are removed from the racks and stored for later use. Using sturdy wood hangers, or velvet ones for more delicate pieces, will add to the longevity of your clothing.
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- Here is a section of all my blouses from light colors to dark colors. Avoid overcrowding your closet, which can cause unnecessary wrinkles. Try to space them evenly, with some wiggle room to move hangers when needed.
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- Organize things intuitively, so all items for an outfit can be chosen without interruption. This helps especially when you’re in a rush. I often come down in the early morning looking for specific pieces I need for the day’s events or appearances. It is important that I can find items quickly.
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- Along the opposite wall, I have two sturdy dressing tables and a very large mirror. Shqipe cleans off the tabletops for the next phase of the project.
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- My job also allows me to try many products – to see what works, and what doesn’t. These drawers in the table are very full and in need of reorganization.
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- Lipsticks, mascaras, powders, etc. are just thrown in wherever there is room – it has become quite difficult to find things.
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- Over time, these storage bins underneath the tables have also become very disorganized.
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- One by one, Shqipe removes items from the bins and re-categorizes every item, reevaluate what is still usable and discarding items that are too old or expired.
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- This process is tedious, but it is always a good idea to clean out makeup and other beauty care supplies every few months.
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- Shqipe places eyeliners in one bin, mascaras in another, lipsticks and lip glosses in another. I always use transparent bins, so it is easier to see the contents inside. Even if mislabeled you can find what you are searching for more easily than in opaque tubs.
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- Slowly the drawers were also emptied of all their contents and redone.
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- My favorite and most used cosmetics were placed in organized trays in each drawer for easy access.
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- Whenever we’re doing an organizing job, we always have the Brother P-Touch label maker nearby. The P-Touch is one of my favorite “can’t live without” tools. We use it for filing, for daily folders, for medicine cabinets, and of course, for all our storage containers.
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- The storage bins got more and more numerous as Shqipe divided and emptied all the old ones. I love that all of these are new, clean, and all the same size.
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- Underneath this table – hair products, sunscreens and body lotions, etc. Using plastic bins are also great in basements where floods do occur. None of the contents will be damaged – these are a very good thing!
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- The table top is clear and well-lit. And I love the extra room behind me now that the floor racks are gone. In any closet or dressing area, also try to get the biggest mirror possible. It is not the first thing you may think about, but if you invest in a large mirror, it will definitely be put to good use.
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- Here is another view of the newly organized space with my clothes within arm’s reach. How does your closet look? Is it ready for an overhaul? Share your cleaning projects with me in the comments section.
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