by Jana Barrett

Created on: May 06, 2008   Last Updated: May 20, 2008

Many Americans are moving their work venues from downtown to downstairs. Spare bedrooms or rooms abandoned by college kids are being turned into home offices everyday and with that comes issues of space,comfort and organization.

One pet problem that swamps the home office is paper buildup. Stacks and stacks of material in various stages of completion lay like kudzu over the phone, calendar and chairs. Filing cabinets can be expensive and take up valuable floor space. To solve the problem use everyday household items and the room's existing closet to corral the clutter.

You can create a hanging file with ordinary pants or skirt hangers-the kind that has two pieces of wood that open and "bite" the garment between two rubber pads. They resemble huge chip clips with metal hooks that separate and release the tension on the pads. You can buy these very reasonably at close out stores or dollar stores in sets of three or four for less than five dollars. There is nothing to do to these, just buy one for every file or project you need. You can also use the skirt or pants hangers that come from retail stores. There just has to be two clips that will hold paper

The next thing you will need is one or two tension shower curtain rods that will expand to fit inside the closet. Clear out the clothing and measure 14-18 inches (depending on how big your file folders are) from the closet rod, then put the shower curtain rod in place, securing tightly to the wall in side the closet.

Now, get out all of your files, papers, pictures, etc. Organize them into groups and place one group on each hanger. Make labels to stick onto the hanger to identify what is hanging in each hanger. Arrange them anyway that seems logical to you on the curtain rods. You can even color code with adhesive backed dots or file labels. Voile'! You have a hanging vertical filing system. The closet door keeps the files out of sight when not in use!

This is also a great idea for the mudroom or where ever kids come in and drop their backpacks and papers. Install a coat hook to hang the hangers on then assign a hanger to each child. Paint or stencil their names on the hangers or allow them to decorate their own. Teach them to chip important notes and calendars on the hangers to get them into your viewing range.

Learn more about this author, Jana Barrett.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.