European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 27, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Clamping Down on clothes closet clutter byjoe Howarde new York times there is a universally recognized remedy for clothes closet clutter close the door this solution is simple Quick and effective an thus wildly popular. Bui what happens when 1he inevitable occurs and the door no longer closes conventional clothes closets those spanned by a single Rod for hangers with a single Shell above waste space. Not Only do the design and placement of the fixtures fail 10 provide sufficient storage but the design ignores he need for compartments which Are essential in combating clutter. You can gain More room alien much More and end duller by reorganizing the contents of an existing closet and installing numerous storage compartments. Fixtures designed Tor this purpose May be purchased ready made from stores specializing in closet accessories and from Many department stores and Home centers. If you Are Handy with tools you can make your own. Whether you decide to buy or build your Way to a roomier closet the first step is to reorganize its present contents. Begin by sorting All the items into two groups those that Are used in the room where the closet is and those that Are nol. Decide whether any items used elsewhere really need to be in the closet and move them closer to their area of use if possible of the remaining items determine frankly whether any can be discarded or Given away. For Many people parting with possessions Long held however unneeded is difficult especially if the items Are in Good condition. One Way to decide whether to Koep something is to think whether anyone has used it in the last 10 months. If so keep it. If not get rid of it or at least store if elsewhere when the Only items left Are those you think must remain you Are ready to redesign the close layout and get the necessary fixtures. First temporarily Reh Angall the clothes. Arrange them to that the longest hang at one end of the Rod and the shortest Al the other. Then stand several feet away and examine the area beneath the clothes. This and the area above the clothes constitute the additional storage space the simplest Way to use this space is to fill it with freestanding shelves some id fit beneath he clothing and others Between the upper shelf and the closet ceiling. Modular shelves for closets can be bought and suitably arranged or you can make shelving yourself from Winch thick plywood. Convenient distances Between shelves Are 6,9 and 12 inches. Nine inches tends to be the most useful but variety helps. Shelving that is below shoulder height May be As deep As the close itself usually 22 to 24 inches. However overhead shelves should nol exceed 20 inches lass if he closet doorway does not extend to the Selling otherwise reaching into them will be difficult. All shelves should be less than 32 inches wide to prevent sagging. Clothing that is Seldom used or is out of season May be grouped in hanging storage bags. And additional hanging space Lor Short items of clothing May be gained by screwing another Rod beneath the main Rod or suspending it ram the Rod above with lightweight Chain. Suspended rods which Are essential if the closet is nol partitioned vertically Are available from closet accessory stores and some department stores. You can also easily fashion a Rod from a Broomstick or pipe and suspend it with chains and a shaped Metal Hooks from a hardware store shelves at the top of the Closel eliminate stooping such shelving and the hanging of clothes in multiple rows Are the keys to the most sophisticated and efficient closet Layouts. To provide a variety of spaces for Long and Short clothes segment the closet with Short hanging rods of different sizes and add drawers and shelves above. First plan the layout on graph paper. Begin by drawing a rectangle to scale consisting of lines representing the closet sides lop and floor. Next group the clothing by length. Measure the Width of each group and the distance from the Bottom of the longest hem in it to the floor. Measuring Down from the Tine representing the top of the closet Transfer the Width measurements to the sketch by drawing horizontal lines across the rectangle to scale. The lines indicate the Bottom of the clothing. Turn the sketch upside Down. Now the space beneath the clothing appears Al the lop and the stepped Fine represents the Heights at which Short rods should be Hung. To construct a closet from this layout remove the existing upper shelf and install modular or custom built shelf units whose sides partition the closet vertically. Use the widths of the clothing groups As a guide to the placement of the vertical partitions and the height of each group to determine the number of shelves above it. Using Long screws fasten the units securely to the Wall. Then attach sections of Hanger rods also corresponding to the widths of clothing groups to the partitions at a height hat allows the longest item in each group to hang Clear of the  cleats for mounting Rod sections Are sold at hardware stores. In addition or As an alternative to shelves you can install drawers wire baskets sliding trays and other custom features Between partitions. All these Are available in closet accessory stores. Screws in a typical clothes closet the single Rod and shelf promote clutter and reduce proper use of space. Rearrange clothes and fill the spaces with shelves above and below. Hanging Short items like jackets and trousers in double rows will also utilize space More efficiently. Simple shelf units can be made out of plywood and should be freestanding. They can be placed wherever there is space in the closet Hyt granule Erma Bombeck there Are two inventors i have always wanted to meet. The first is the one who designed mortar boards those Little hats that graduates balance on their Heads at commencements. The second is the Man or woman who engineered seat Bells. There is nothing wrong with either of these creations. It is just that neither has anything to do with the human Anatomy mortar boards Are seasonal. You can survive them by implanting Bobby pins into your Skull and spearing them into the Cap in 17 places. With tuck you la Wear a mortar Board two or three times in your entire life but seat belts that s another Story. Something has to be done about them before they really Hurt someone. First i Wear them so Don t write me letters or Send me clippings on the lives thai have been saved by Seal Bells. I know All of that and i respect it what i am saying is that they Are engineered by the same people who made pantyhose with pouches for feet. In Many cars heat belts Are inaccessible when the door is shut to find them you must open the door and hang your head outside to feel around for it. I have a car that never shuts up. A Little voice nags me when my lights Are on the door is open and the Brake is set. Would t you think one of those voices would open its Mouth and Tell me where the seat Belt is the most effective belts Are designed to Cross your Chesl and Hook into a stationary buckle. On the drawing Board it must have looked Terrill. And when they hired Arnold Schwarzenegger to be filled for the prototype there must have been Champagne for everyone. But what happens Whan Normal people climb into a Seal and fasten their belts i la Tell you. The strap constricts their Windpipe As Well As All major pressure paints to their Knees. They Don t know pain until they lean Forward to insert their keys in the ignition i ran into the newest Challenge to invade the seat Belt Industry a few weeks ago when i rented a car in Ohio. As i opened the door 1 saw a Long strap extending across the door to enter the car you had to Duck Down and crawl in under the strap. Now i sensed the strap was going to do something but i did t know whal. Cautiously. I leaned Forward and put the key in the motor. At thai moment the Seal Bell sprang into action and zipped along the track across my Chin pinning me to the seat and sucking the breath out of my body. It was a Man Euver that would have impressed rambo. The Belt was t finished with me yet. When 1 reached my destination i stopped the car and turned off the engine. Cautiously i Slid out of the seat Belt and cowered in a Heap Down near the Brake pedal. As 1 slipped the key out the entire process happened in reverse with straps flying around uncontrollably through the air. Would t an inflatable Bra make More sense 16 the stars and stripes