Before you even start to take anything out of your closet, decide what you want to use it for. Is your coat closet just for houseguests to hang their coats in? Does everyone in the family use it for coats and boots? Do you have to store your vacuum cleaner in there? Deciding what you want your closet to be used for is a step that will help you decide what you should leave in your closet and what you should take out of your closet.

--decide what to do

Look at what you are using your closet for now. Do you want it to be only for coats, but for some reason toys end up in there? Find another place for the toys. Do you keep your dog's leash in there? If there is no where else where you can put it, then you can set up a particular rack with hooks on it for your dog's leashes.

--take everything out, and then toss

Take absolutely everything out of your coat closet. Separate it first into two piles: things that fit in the category of "stay in" and things that fit in the category of "take out". Everything that belongs somewhere else, put it where it goes. Do this right now so that you won't feel frazzled. Just get it out of your way. Then turn to the pile of "keep in." Be brutal in deciding what stays in and what stays out. Bring your kids in, and tell them to go through all of their stuff, take things back to their room, and decide whether or not they are going to keep something. Don't be overly nostalgic here! If you haven't worn that coat for the last three years, you aren't going to wear it next winter, either. Create a pile to donate to charity, and be generous in your donations.

--divide and conquer

After you have gone through, and every member of your family has decided what he or she wants to keep, you probably still have a huge pile of hats, scarves, mittens, boots, shoes, and coats of varying lengths. This is inevitable. What you can do, since chances are that it won't all fit, is to keep things in the closet only during the appropriate season. After winter ends, pack away your heavy parkas. During the summer, you should only have light weight coats and jackets, since chances are those are all that you'll need.

--take care of your clutter

You can hang up coats and jackets. But what about the little things? Purchase some bins or baskets, and make sure that only what belongs in them goes in them. You can also buy drawers to install in your closet. Think about getting clear drawers so that you can see what is in each one. Don't forget to include cedar to keep out the moths. Milk crates are a great idea. Another great idea is to have hooks in your closet for hats and scarves that are worn often.

--educate

Finally, sit down your kids and your spouse. Teach them about the new system. Make sure that they keep it. And clean up your coat closet once a week so that it doesn't get out of hand again.