Closet Connection Wants to Help Organize Your Clothes, Shoes

Hate digging through your closet in the morning looking for the cardigan that matches your blouse? Or sorting through a pile of shoes to find mates? Nominate yourself for a closet makeover from . 

The Grosse Pointe Woods business is accepting submissions through May 13 in their second "Messiest Closet Contest." Closet Connection owner Christine Wurm said they intend to make the contest annual, noting that a 14-year-old Grosse Pointe teenager won last year. 

Organization is at the core of Wurm's business and she said closets are a great place to start. While it might not seem like searching for a sweater in the morning is taxing, Wurm said studies show that on average people spend 20 minutes a day looking for things. It's not much time each day but it adds up to be a significant chunk of time all together, she said.

In addition to saving time, organization in the closet can have a trickle down effect by helping household organization, Wurm said. Organization is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced by children, Wurm said, noting it generally leads to smoother mornings and fewer disagreements.  

Kids are expected to be organized at school and the skill can certainly be carried over at home or even the other way around, Wurm said.

Most closets are a single shelf and single rod, designed traditionally for the lengthy dresses and formal attire of decades past, and do not meet today's needs, Wurm said.

The traditional design leads to a lot more stacking and piling it high, she said. Most forget what they have in their stacks and use only 20 percent of their total wardrobe because of low-visibility, she said. 

The makeover aims to help provide better space options and to allow the user to have easy, full view of their clothes, Wurm said. 

A handful of submissions have been made so far this year and Wurm and her partner, who is also her son, David Quint, are anxious for more. One of the tips they offer for closet organization is to store long formalwear in a different closet from the one you use daily. 

The contest is meant to be a fun way to get people thinking about organization, Wurm said. The teenager who won last year shared a room with a sibling and wrote about how much better her life would be if she could only find her clothes in the morning. 

For submissions, include a picture and a short written explanation of how a closet makeover would benefit yourself or others. Email submissions by May 13.