6 Steps to An Organized Closet

A clean closet is a challenge.  It’s going to require some initial work and possibly monetary investment.  However, once you have a system in place, it takes just a little time every few days to maintain the system.

1.  The first step is to go through what’s in your closet.  Unless you have a teeny tiny closet or are already very organized, I guarantee there are things in there that you have forgotten about.  Pay attention to the deep dark corners of the closet and places you create piles.  Common items that can be donated or thrown away are; white shirts that have stains, blouses with underarm stains, misc. socks that have lost their mates, black or navy tees that have faded, items that no longer fit, worn out shoes, accessories you never wear, items that have lost their shape or things you don’t want to pay to repair.

2.  If you don’t want to try on everything at once and sort, turn all of your hangers one way.  As you wear an item and launder it, return it to the closet on a hanger facing the other way.  At the end of two weeks you’ll know what you really wear.  We wear about 20% of what we own.

Criteria for keeping a clothing item:

Looks great

Feels great

Comfortable

In good condition

In style

3.  Once you have an understanding of what you’re keeping, you’ll better understand what systems you need.

I could write an entire other blog post (an a lengthy one at that) on organizing tools, but for the sake or brevity in this post, I will say it’s important to measure before you head to a store to buy organizing supplies.

Keep in mind that your closet probably has a door so the colors that are present in the rest of your house don’t need to apply to the closet .  Have some fun and make sure you enjoy the colors and products you’re using.  I love to hit a home supply store’s mismatched paint bin.  They are often inexpensive and whimsical.

4.  If you’re buying new hangers, make sure you have enough so that you can hang new clothes as they come in.  You can use any type of hanger, just make sure they are all uniform.  This ensures you can see everything you have and nothing gets lost between the cracks.

5.    Install lights.  Often dark corners and not knowing what is in your closet is the biggest problem.  Add lighting by calling an electrician or simply add tap lights.  Even just a small amount of lighting can make a big different.

6.  Reassemble the closet.  Make sure you can reach things easily and quickly. If you are storing all of your shoes on a shelf that’s high, you will probably never find time to get them down to wear them.  Have a small step stool on hand if your closet has shelves that are out of reach.  In a few weeks, reassess your new organizing system and make changes as necessary.