If you're a perennial pack rat, cleaning out your closet might generate as much excitement as a 24-hour C-Span marathon.

But even if you eagerly anticipate "editing" your wardrobe each time the seasons change, tidying your drawers, racks and bins can seem like an overwhelming task.

We consulted some organizational pros, and here are the expert tips they offer to ease closet clutter:

FIRST TASK: CLEAR IT OUT

Before you organize anything, remove everything from the closet so that you can dust, vacuum and organize. Then, purge, purge, purge. Be ruthless. Ask yourself, "Am I willing to touch this every morning" If the answer isn't "yes," toss it. If you haven't worn it or used it a year, toss it. If it doesn't fit, toss it, even if you think it might fit again later.

TRIM THE FAT

If you need to, enlist the help of a trusted friend. Try on your clothes for them and get rid of anything they don't deem flattering.

In addition, every time you change clothes for the season, take some time to go through and get rid of items you no longer wear.

Once you've pared down your wardrobe, put clothes back in the closet by type: hang shirts and blouses together, skirts together and pants and slacks together.

Some organizers even recommend grouping within the grouping by placing sleeveless shirts together, short sleeves together, long sleeves together, and arranging them in color order.

Or organize based on when you wear clothes: put work outfits together, weekend outfits together, dress outfits together.

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ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL TIPS

Place the clothes that you wear most often at the front of the closet.

Don't leave empty hangers in the middle of clothes. Designate a spot in the closet and hang them together. This keeps them from taking up space and snagging on garments.

Make sure everything in your closet has a home. If you're having trouble finding a place for something, chuck it. It doesn't mean that much to you.

TOOLS TO USE

To keep closets from spiraling into utter chaos, everything must have a proper place, experts say. They've recommended a handful of goods that will maximize space and keep items orderly.

Elfa storage drawers from the Container Store (or a similar product from Wal-Mart or Target) come highly recommended by professional organizers for shoes, purses, sweaters or odds and ends. Drawers start at $11 each and frames at $36 at the Container Store.

Invest in a double-hanging rod — a second rod that hangs from the higher rod, essentially doubling hanging space. You can find them at Target for about $20.

Ask your dry cleaner for one of the cardboard triangles they use to keep hangers neat and put one in your closet. When it's full, return the hangers to the cleaners.

Hanging racks can make organization a breeze. You can buy them made for a specific purpose, such as an over-the-door rack for purses. Or buy a set of hanging shelves and use each shelf for something different.

Add hooks for purses, hats and belts to open walls. Make the most of your vertical space.

Clear plastic boxes make ideal storage spaces for random bits and pieces and keep purses and seldom-used shoes from getting dusty. They also help keep shelves neat.

If you keep extra blankets and pillows in the closet, space-saver bags work wonders and free up space.

If you keep jewelry in the closet, buy a tie rack. Necklaces, hoops, dangly earrings and rings will hang neatly. Buy a small jewelry box for the rest.

If you have room, add baskets for laundry and dry cleaning.

Don't store shoes on the floor. If you're tall enough, use your closet shelf or buy a shoe rack for the door or floor. You can also convert a plastic sweater bag into a shoe and purse holder.

Buy matching hangers.

Sources: Tyler Norsworthy, owner of Fort Worth's An Extra Pair of Hands; Debbie Periman, owner of Fort Worth, Texas's Clutter Flies; Sandy Morgan, owner of Fort Worth's Get Morganized; Brenda Hutchins, owner of Arlington, Texas's All About Details

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DONATING AND CONSIGNING

There are four simple ways to get rid of clothing: donation or resale, and thrift or consignment shops. Resale shops buy merchandise outright, and consignment shops take merchandise, sell it, and give the original owner a portion of the sale. Thrift shops can work on a donation, resale or consignment basis.

If you plan to donate the clothing you no longer want, try a local Goodwill or a resale shop.

"You'll probably make more money on the reduction of your taxes than you will with a garage sale," says Sandy Morgan, a professional organizer and owner of Get Morganized. "And it's a lot easier."

HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES FOR DONATING CLOTHING

1. Get a tax receipt. You have to have this for the write-off.

2. Only items in wearable and usable condition can be donated.

3. You're allowed to claim your items are worth "fair market value." The Salvation Army has a valuation guide with suggestions at www.salvationarmy.com. Click on donate, then receipts, then valuation guide. According to the guide, a women's sweater could be worth a deduction of $3.75 or $15.

4. In order to get a tax receipt, you have to donate to a 501c3 charity or qualified religious organization, such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Vietnam Veterans of America or Dress for Success.

5. Keep good records. To get the tax break, you'll have to itemize. You'll be more likely to get the higher deduction for items that still have tags or receipts.

6. If you donate more than $500 worth of stuff, you'll need to fill out Form 8283, and you'll have to describe what you donated and give the name and address of the charity. For noncash deductions worth less than $250, you can just ballpark the value of the goods.

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CONSIGNMENT TIPS

If you're looking to make a little money, consider consignment. Here are 10 things to consider when trying to get the most buck for your old duds:

1. Unusual items with character and flair often sell well.

2. Think accessories — purses, shoes and interesting jewelry move quickly.

3. Brand names are best. Clothing from recognizable designers, such as Ellen Tracy or Marc Jacobs, will generally sell much better than clothing from Target. You're better off donating the latter to a charity and taking the tax write-off.

4. Sell clothing quickly and stay in season. Consignment shops don't want sweaters now or bathing suits in December, and anything more than two or three seasons old usually doesn't sell.

5. Keep receipts and leave the tags on. This will help you negotiate a better price because the shop can charge more.

6. Clean up your stuff. Even a scuff on a shoe or a pen mark in a purse can greatly decrease value.

7. Call ahead to see what kinds of items a store needs.

8. Take merchandise in early in the week, before the shop has been inundated and while it still has time to ready the items for weekend shoppers.

9. Don't expect to make your money back. Consignment shops charge about 1/4 of original price and you'll likely get no more than 40 percent of that sale price.

10. For more tips, log on to www.narts.org, the Web site of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.

Sources: Abby Jones, co-owner of Feminine Fashions Consignment, 6387G Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas; Barbra Horowitz, personal stylist and author of "Closet Control"; Donna King, owner of Western Wear Exchange, 2809 Alta Mere Dr., Fort Worth; www.bankrate.com; www.smartmoney.com; www.salvationarmy.com.