10 Easy steps to an Organized Closet

One of the most challenging areas to organize is your closet. Many People struggle with not only organizing, but MAINTAINING the order in their closet. In this post, I will share with you the 10 Easy steps to creating a Beautifully Organized Closet.

1. Create Outfits

Browse through your closet and pick out articles of clothing that you haven't worn because you don't have a matching bottom or top for it. Determine how much you like the piece and if it deserves to stay in your closet. Make sure each piece of clothing belongs to an outfit so that all articles have a fair chance of getting worn.

2. Set Limits

If you run your laundry once a week, doesn't that mean you only need 7 outfits? That might be a bit extreme, but look at it as a guideline. Maybe you only need 7 causal outfits, 7 Business outfits, 2 Formal outfits, etc. Setting limits will allow you to make tougher decisions by knowing why the decision needs to be made.

3. Purge

Go to the back of your closet- to the dusty clothes that you haven't worn for years or decades, take them out and spread them out on your bed. One by one, ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Have I worn this in the last 6 months?

2. Will I wear it in the next 6 months?

3. Does this still fit me?

If the answer to all of these questions is "No", then you should consider purging it.

4. Determine where the Purged clothing will go

First, determine how you view the article:

1. Does it hold a sentimental value?

If you're holding onto it because it was your late grandmothers, or its your favorite football team's jersey, or a T-shirt you got from the souvenir shop at Disney World - put it with your other memories. Closets are meant to hold clothing that will be worn, it's not to act as a storage room.

2. Is it too expensive to just "give away"?

If you spent a lot of money on it, consider selling it, or if you don't have the time or patience, consign it.

3. Is it in good condition but not worth selling?

Then donate it to your favorite charity. Consider: Salvation Army, Goodwill, Church Ministries or your local homeless shelter. Remember to keep your donation receipts as a tax deduction.

4. Is it old, Tattered, Torn, or ripped?

Some people use old clothing as rags for cleaning, or you can simply throw them away.

5. Repeat Steps 3 & 4 at the End of Every Season

You might have noticed that at the end of every season, you realized that you only wore a select few of your favorite outfits. This is normal, and should be embraced as nature's way of showing you exactly what you need to purge.

6. Use bins & Labels

For smaller articles of clothing, like socks, scarves, or ties, use shallow bins to store on a shelf. Roll them up and place them in the bin so that you can see all of your options at the same time. If you're using canvas bin, make sure to label them so you know what's inside if you put them on a higher shelf.

7. Organize by Season

Categorize your clothing by season and within those seasons if your closet is big enough. If not, store off-season clothes in your storage room to make more room for in-season clothing.

8. Organize by Color

Hang your clothes by color for the best visual presentation of your closet. Organizing by color isn't always necessary, but it does help if you have a lot of colorful clothing.

9. Choose thin hangers

If you're limited on closet space, choose thin but durable hangers- however, stay away from the wire hangers- they leave crease marks in your clothes. You'll want to find the felt-like hangers that are about 1/8' thick. Wooden hangers are nice and look beautiful, however they take up 3x more space than necessary.

BONUS: Pick a spot for empty hangers - whenever you use an article of clothing, place the empty hanger in a designated spot for easy access on laundry day.

10. Keep the floor clear

Put shoes on shoe racks, and only allow spatially-appropriate organizing units to lay on the floor. Make it a habit to clear the floor daily.

A Professional Organizer can typically Organize an average-sized closet in about 4-6 hours. If you find that you're time is limited yet see the value, I encourage you to reach out to your local PO for assistance.