In every household, there are items that are treasured family keepsakes. Many years ago, cedar hope chests were used to protect family heirlooms, such as christening and bridal gowns and blankets, among other items.

"Today, hope chests are hard to come by and even harder to find room for in the house," says Pat Simpson, home improvement expert and host of HGTV's "Before & After," "Fix It Up!" and "Room to Improve." "They're big, cumbersome and, in smaller spaces, they take away valuable square footage."

There is a solution that costs less than a new piece of furniture but adds valuable storage space to your already existing floor plan: a cedar closet.

"Any closet can be transformed into a vertical cedar hope chest just by adding cedar lining to an existing closet space," says Simpson. "In addition to a fantastic finished look, cedar offers benefits that most don't realize, including repelling and resisting moths, roaches, silverfish and mildew, and providing a wonderful cedar scent."

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks and panels are made of 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar and actually line the walls of the closet. They work with standard metal bars or rods or even custom drawers.

The planks provide an elegant look to a closet in a master bedroom. It would cost about $360 to line 180 square feet of wall space with cedar planks. The 4'-by-8' panels are ideal for storage areas, secondary closets and attics. It would cost about $150 to line 180 square feet of wall space with cedar panels. Both are do-it-yourself products that require a claw hammer, tri-square, saw and nails or adhesive to install. And it takes just a few hours to make over your closet.

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks and panels are available in the paneling or closet departments of Ace Hardware, Do It Best, The Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards and True Value, as well as in lumberyards throughout the United States and Canada.