Naples Daily News columnist Marla Ottenstein shows you how to “Get Organized!”
Naples professional organizer shares expertise on how to organize & declutter your closets.

As a professional organizer based in Naples, Florida, people always ask if my home is perfectly organized and clutter-free. They ask for advice on how to get organized and declutter their homes in such a way that their homes will stay that way

The number one question is how to organize their closets. Lucky for us, living in Naples, Florida - the heart of Southwest Florida - the first thing to go is also the bulkiest. Why keep your fur coats when they can just as easily be sold on eBay, Craigslist or through The Naples Daily News’ classified advertising?

Of course, the most effective and efficient way to organize and declutter your closets (offices, garages and the rest of the house) is to hire a professional organizer, but if you’re set on doing it on your own, the easiest way to get started is to use the “too” technique.

For example, when sorting through your closets, you know it’s time to eliminate any clothing that is two sizes too large or too small; shoes and handbags that are too beat-up to repair and clothes that are too dirty or too stained to clean or too shabby to wear in public. And don’t forget, anything that is too trendy or too old-fashioned should also be purged when organizing your closets.