It’s officially fall. Time to put away the shorts and tank tops and pull out the sweaters and corduroys. The question is, how do you keep it all organized. Here are 5 easy steps to an organized closet.
1. Weed
Before you begin switching out your summer wardrobe for your winter one, weed out the summer clothes you don’t need anymore. To do this, ask yourself four questions.
1. Have I worn this in the past year?
2. Does this fit me?
3. Is this in-style?
4. Is this in good shape?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then get rid of it. Itʼs taking up valuable space!
2. Bag and Pile
As you go through your closet put things in bags and piles—charity items go in one bag and trash in another. Make piles of items that need to go elsewhere in the house. Throw the trash out, put the charity in the car for drop off and deliver the piles to the appropriate rooms.
3. Assess Your Storage
Take a look at your closet. How is it working for you? Do you need more hanging space or more shelving? Is there a place for your accessories and storing those out of season summer clothes? You can use this information to help you choose and/or design a closet system. If you don’t want to buy a closet system, but still need more storage space, you can hang another rod pretty easily to provide more hanging space or buy a set of shelves for folded items. Hang hooks for accessories or use a back-of-the-door organizer. Shoes can go on floor racks, shelves or hanging organizers, whichever works with your space. If you donʼt have room for your out of season clothes to remain on hangars or shelves, store them in bankers boxes or in under-the-bed storage.
4. Sort and Hang
Group your clothing into categories. You can sort clothes by color, style (dressy, work, casual), item (pants, blouses, skirts) or even into outfits, whatever works for you. Use quality, matching hangers to protect your clothes, make your closet look more orderly and keep everything at the same level. When you remove clothes from hangers to wear, place the hangers at the end of the rod or on a hook, youʼll know right where the empty hangers are when you need them.
5. Containerize
Make good use of containers to keep things neat. Bins and baskets can be used for accessories, nylons, socks or lingerie. A towel bar hung on an empty wall or on the back of the door can be used for scarfs, ties or belts. Use shelf dividers to keep shelves orderly. Consider labeling shelves and areas to remind yourself to put things back where they belong.
If this all seems overwhelming, take it little by little. Plan to work on it an hour a day till itʼs done or a certain amount of time every weekend. Above all, make sure whatever system you put in place is easy to use. Otherwise, you wonʼt use it and your time spent organizing will have been for naught.