Welcome to December's issue of "Off the Rack" ... Closet City's e-newsletter!

GROW FROM WITHIN ... We all need better homes, not bigger ones. Look at your home from every possible angle to see if you can fix the existing floorplan, without expanding.

We've all seen TV home improvement shows where folks re-arrange furniture between rooms to create a whole new interior design. Or the ones where they take out one minor wall, open up lots of space, and add built-ins along the walls to minimize the amount of furniture needed. It IS possible to make your existing home seem larger!

Ways of doing this could be as simple as constructing organizers in your closets to give you more storage (see our pre-holiday special below), maximizing the storage in your attic and garage with shelving, adding custom cabinetry to your bedroom for more storage and less furniture (scroll through this link to see lots of photos), or even having a wall unit built floor-to-ceiling to house all your electronic distractions. We've included links to photos and information about one such project in this newsletter -- as well as some humor, gift ideas, environmental trivia, and holiday organizing tips. . . . . Happy reading!

SAY NO TO PLASTIC Keep off-season clothing in canvas bags — plastic doesn’t breathe as well. Promptly remove clothes from dry cleaning bags — this makes your closet look less cluttered, reduces trapped moisture that can cause stains to re-emerge, and also eliminates cleaning chemical fumes from being trapped inside the bags.

What does Closet City have that would make a nice gift this holiday season?

FOR EVERYONE: SecureLogic's steel bookshelf safe with steel pry resistant door. (click here to buy online)

IN-STORE SALE UNTIL 12/23/09: Regularly $199.99 Now Only $109.99 (limited quantities available at this price, in stock/Montgomeryville location only)

Easy yet secure access: Digital keypad that allows you to set your own personal pin-code with safety key overide. Large internal 12"d x 17"w x 8.75"h storage cavity with felt liner on bottom. Mounting hardware supplied for bolting to wall or shelf so it cannot be carried off by intruders. Beige exterior. (not fire rated)

NOTE: A selection of other vaults are available via our website's online catalog, but would not arrive in time for the holidays.

FOR HIM:Garage slat wall & Tie & belt racks*.
FOR HER: Valet rods*, Scarf & belt racks*.
FOR DO-IT-YOURSELFers: Self-installed closet kit for only $287. (see Pre-holiday special below and call Closet City)

* Accessory items are easily self installed & shipped UPS, or can be picked up at our Montgomeryville showroom

GIVE & DE-CLUTTER: Holidays mean finding homes for lots of new clothes, gadgets, and other gifts. Wouldn't it be nice to de-clutter your home to make room for this new stuff? Check out these organizations that can help your house easily "shed" extra pounds in a community-friendly way. When donating to a charity, don't forgot to get a receipt and write it off as a tax deduction. In this economy, every little bit helps!

Closet City Walk-In Closet Design Featured in an Article

“I’m a type-A person, and this closet design has let me become even more organized because everything has a place. It’s even better than I could have expected!” -- Lorraine Sloss Amato, Lake Harmony PA

The closet of a mountain retreat gets a makeover that any city girl would love. Lorraine Sloss Amato loved her Lake Harmony, PA mountain retreat.

It was supposed to be a second home, but she loved it so much that she decided to make it her primary residence. The only problem was that it had not been designed for full-time living and was sorely lacking in closet space.

Very quickly, Amato decided to convert a ground-floor guest room into a show-stopping closet. “I wanted a room my friends would just gasp over,” she says.

The 10-by-10-foot bedroom had a few uncommon features for closets: two windows, a pink crystal chandelier, an adjoining bath and three doors. Amato knew she needed some expert advice to turn the space into the closet of her dreams. (View the entire article and photos)

KEEP PARTS TOGETHER: Convenience is being able to find everything you need when you are getting out your decorations each season; so put some thought into how you store them now. Put these helpful ideas to use when the upcoming holidays are over, and save yourself a lot of stress and time next winter!

• Tape a bag of extra light bulbs to the end of the string of lights.
• Keep the just-right extension cord with your lit decoration.
• Put your wreath hanger with your wreath decorations.
• Keep the floor-protecting plastic with your tree stand and tree skirt.
• If you have room, store holiday placemats with your holiday dishes.
• Always label containers, and to avoid breakage, don't overstuff storage boxes or force lids on.

ORGANIZE YOUR DECORATIONS : Locate your various holiday decorations and gather them together in one place. Items that are displayed together should be stored together. Consider buying large, see-through organizing tubs for each holiday you celebrate. Make it even easier by using boxes with COLOR-CODED lids as well. For example, use purple for Easter, orange for Halloween, red for Christmas, and blue for Hanukah. Once you've decorated your home for that particular holiday, immediately put away any left over decorations you won’t be using (or better yet, consider donating them to someone else). Store the containers back where they belong until the holiday is over so they don't clutter up your living space.

DID YOU KNOW?

By adding certain plants to your kitchen and bath decor — as well as elsewhere in your home — you can cleanse the air your body breathes. Air-purifying plants can absorb harmful chemicals from the air, balance the room's humidity, and increase oxygen levels. You can literally grow your own fresh air!

While most individuals are concerned about outdoor air quality, recent information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that the air within our homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than outdoor air, even in the largest and most industrialized cities. People have no idea that they are being assaulted by their own paints, carpets and finishing treatments! Several studies support the air-purifying benefits of some indoor plants. In the 1980s, NASA explored the air-filtering properties of plants to see if they could clean the air in orbiting space stations. The findings proved that the leaves, roots and soils of certain indoor plants can reduce or remove common indoor air pollutants, or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) — offgasses from building materials such as fabric finishes, paints, wood adhesives or floor stains. Though chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide are harmful to human health, plants can thrive on them, while also removing them from the air.

Plants that top the clean-air list include peace lily, bamboo palm, English ivy, mums, and gerbera daisies, all of which are easy to find and care for. Sun exposure and humidity levels will determine what will grow best in your kitchen or bath.

IN CASE YOU WEREN'T AWARE: Closet City provides personalized storage solutions for every room (not just closets!) — including Murphy beds, wall units, and custom cabinetry. We offer our clients the following:

• Lifetime guarantee (in effect since 1984!)
• High-quality, furniture-grade materials and hardware
• Vast assortment of accessories and organizational products
• Convenient loaner racks to use during closet transformations
• Paint and prep of existing closet prior to transformation
• Enviromentally-conscious, CARB-compliant, and NAUF-certified materials available
• Typical one-day, professional installation by our own skilled craftsmen
• Newly updated website and expanded, renovated showroom!

TO CLOSET CITY: “Your installation crew was well trained, organized, cooperative, and good humored throughout. The full-wall bookcase units integrated perfectly with our existing trim, electrical outlets, etc.” -- Pat & John K., Glen Mills PA

View previous OFF THE RACK newsletters on our EVENTS web page.

Contact Closet City 1-800-342-0070

* closets * pantry * laundry room * mudroom * home office * entertainment centers *
* wall units * custom cabinetry * garage storage solutions *