Five Messes You Can Manage

·*Knives: Knives you don't use are a waste of drawer space, says Souksavanh. Get rid of the ones you never reach for, and store the rest in a wooden block on the counter; it looks good and protects the blades.

* Don't overstock cleaning products, says Alban. And if you remodel, look for newer sink designs that position the drain and disposal unit toward the back wall, freeing up under-sink storage.

* Turn excess into display. One friend has a weakness for dish towels. Rather than monopolize a drawer or two, she shows them off in a basket on the floor.

Coat Closet

What lies behind most coat closet doors goes way beyond parkas and rain slickers. Fire extinguishers, camera bags and golf clubs are just the beginning. Those with really limited storage may need to squish jackets and coats between mops and vacuums.

Step one in a rehab program: Resolve to keep only outerwear, umbrellas, hats, gloves, scarves and boots in this space. Begin by removing everything and sorting ruthlessly. That 20-year-old down coat belongs in the giveaway bag; the ripped, pilled polar fleece in the trash. Consider rotating coats with the seasons to free up space. Then wipe down the closet walls and vacuum the space. Repaint if you have the time.

"Most coat closets are an absolute mess," says Lisa Lennard, director of organizational learning and development at California Closets, a national home storage company. "Most consumers have only been given a pole and a shelf in their closet, and they don't know how to organize everything."

Lennard says it's well worth the effort to create two hanging areas, one higher than the other, for long and short coats. Scarves and gloves can be organized in bins, ideally one for each person. (Good luck if you have a family of 12.) A waterproof boot tray inside the closet will catch drips from galoshes or umbrellas. A hook on the back of the closet door can hold dog leashes and backpacks.

People with very limited space should seek out every inch of hidden storage for stashing coat-closet invaders: under the bed, in storage ottomans, on hooks along a staircase. When gear has nowhere else to go, Lennard says, hall closets can be customized with shelves and dividers designed for vacuum or CD storage.

Cathy McManus, marketing director for online organizing source Stacks and Stacks, at http://stacksandstacks.com/, says a coat tree near the front door can take on the overflow, especially damp raincoats and guests' coats.

Linen Closet

If you have a linen closet, however small, count yourself lucky. It's a luxury many would envy. But this prized space has a way of becoming stuffed and jumbled: Lumpy piles of sheets and towels are squished in among first-aid supplies, hair dryers, outdated medications, half-empty shampoo bottles and extra toilet paper. It becomes yet another disordered daily annoyance rather than the bonus it should be.

Reclaim the space by remembering what linen closets are intended to hold: linens. Fresh sheets and spare blankets for nearby bedrooms, an extra pillow or two, clean towels and other essentials for the bath. And accept that linen closets have also become medicine chest annexes.

Start the overhaul by removing everything and winnowing the pile to include only what makes sense to store there. If you'd like a really clean slate, take a few hours to paint or even wallpaper the interior. (Consider a color or pattern, whether vivid or serene, that will make you smile each time you open the door.) Not up for that much work? At least put down fresh shelf liners. Lots of stores sell scented versions (meadow grass? cucumber mint?).