Regardless of the size of your closet, the amount of clothes you have or how messy it is, it can be organized so look at your closet with excitement and not dread. Maintaining an organized closet will always be an ongoing process because we add up new purchases during the course of the year but there are certain things you can do to ensure you never spend a lot of time rearranging your clothes ever again. You might have organized your closet many times over the last couple of months but yet every few days afterwards it still ends up looking like a bull busted through your closet. Everyone’s closet is different and depending on the size of your closet you might want to adjust as needed.
The first step to organizing is cleaning out items that are taking up space. Many of us have troubles with getting rid of our clothing because we feel we will get to wear them again sometime in the future. When are you going to get rid of that dress you wore for prom seven years ago? Follow these strategies to organize your closet for good and though it may take a little time, but I promise it will be worth it.
1.Empty out and clean your closet
First things first, empty your entire closet and move out your clothes to an empty space. It could be your bed, your couch or the floor if there’s nowhere else. Taking everything out may seem scary but it is necessary. Remember, you are going through a major fix so no half efforts! Once everything is out, dive in and give your closet a proper clean. Sweep, wipe, dust and scrub to get rid of any scuff or dirt.
2.Separate your clothes by category
A fast and easy way to de-clutter your clothes is to sift through them by type and separate them into categories like under-wears, pants, shirts, dresses, jackets etc. This is a better way compared to tossing every piece of clothing you own into a massive mountain of fabric on your bed which can be overwhelming and inefficient. Next, you will want to sort through the items in a single category before moving on to the next because it is easier to compare similar clothes and easily get rid of the pieces you don’t have need for. As you go through your stuff, make a commitment to only keep the clothes you love and wear often and if anything gives you reason to hesitate then toss it out. And a quick tip for any piece to make it back to your closet should be that the piece of cloth passed the seven questions test below:
Keep or toss 7 important questions
- Does it fit?
- Does it flatter my figure?
- Is it in good condition?
- Have I worn it recently?
- Do I feel confident when I wear it?
- Is it a classic piece or just trendy and dated?
- Does it represent me, where I am or want to be in life?
3.Store your clothes by category
This tip may seem like the most obvious thing to do but it makes all the difference when you want to locate a particular sweater and you do so in a flash. The key is to keep like items together. Here are four different ways to organize your closet and you can select the one that suits you best.
- Organize and store by season: You can organize and store your clothes according to season. This is usually a good choice for people with smaller closets and as the season passes you can re-store for another season. This method requires a lot of organization and reorganization and if you know you won’t be wearing your summer pieces in the winter then there will be no need having them in your closet.
- Organize and store by clothing type:This is my personal storage choice because I love to have similar items together to have a glance of all the options available. This is the easiest and best ways to organize your closet if you ask me. So store all your pants together, all shirts together, all your dresses together and so on.
- Organize and store by work clothes and casual wears:If you own more work wears than you do casual wears like me or vice versa it might be necessary to separate your work/office attire from your casual attires. This is optimal to help separate clothes styles like a jeans from trousers and so on.
- Organize and store by how often you wear:If you wear some items more than others you could place those pieces on top, in front or mark them using your hangers hung on the reverse side as the case may be where it can be easily accessed because there is no need to have the clothes you hardly wear easily available. You can give priority to your clothes weekly or monthly.
Simply arrange your closet based on your lifestyle and ensure you have enough space to accommodate it otherwise, you can find alternative storage options like storages boxes.
4.Use coordinating hangers
Nothing screams closet disaster like a collection of wire and plastic hangers trying to coexist. Limit the visual clutter by giving your closet a streamlined look using matching hangers. Invest in hangers that work for your kind of clothing. Go for sturdy velvet hangers over thin plastic varieties if you will be hanging a heavy piece like a suit or avoid wooden hangers if you have lots of slippery silk pieces. If you don’t have enough space to hang every piece of cloth you own, stick to hanging delicate, fancy and sturdy stuffs first.
5.Color code your closet
Organizing your clothes by color can be a lot of work but if you are a visual person, the end result of picking out an outfit much easier is guaranteed. You can start off with as simple as creating a common color distinction which will make your closet totally organized and easy to navigate.
6. Use drawer dividers for undergarments and store in pajamas, tees and workout clothes in closet drawers
To maximize space in your closet compartments and make everything easy to view and access roll up your socks, tights, underwear or even belts into different spaces provided by the dividers attached to your closet drawers.
Also, roll up your tees, pajamas and workout clothes and tuck them into your closet drawers or shelves instead of pairing them up with your clothes. This technique is a major space-saver if you do it right.
7. Use the “one in, one out” rule
Your efforts at organizing your closet can go to waste if you still end up with heaps of ill-fitted, unloved clothes so to prevent this vicious cycle, you should adopt the “one in, one out” policy which states that for every new item you bring into your closet, you get rid of another. It is simple and easy and it ensures your collection of clothes never gets too large to manage.
Finally, you can choose to organize your closet or drawer contents in the order you get dressed, hang scarves on hangers or roll up and tuck in your closet drawers, stack up thick items like denim and sweaters on shelves in different piles to save space.