A Place for Everything
A closet needs a system in order to function properly and stay organized. Your system can be as complicated or as simple as you like but the common factor in all closet organization is having a place for everything. Once this is accomplished, the next step to master is to put everything in its place. This has to be done consistently to make your system work which will take time, practice and a little self-discipline.
For example, if the bottom of your closet is a sea of unmatched shoes and you have to conduct a scavenger hunt to find a matching pair – you need to find a home for every pair of shoes you own. This will probably mean investing in a shoe tree or a similar organizational helper. Before you buy, do some research – find out what is available in your price range and where you can find it. Make sure that there is enough room for your entire shoe collection and be forward-thinking – leave room for future growth. If you don’t do this you will end up in the same situation as before but with less money in your wallet.
The ABC’s of Closet Organization
A is for assessing. Before you begin to organize your closet, you need to assess your space and your goals. Do you have enough room for everything you own and more importantly do you wear it? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then you can skip the step of having to purge and sort your closet contents.
The first step is to start with a list of things that should be in your closet and make an inventory of what storage systems you already have.
But if you are like most people, there are many items in your closet – uncomfortable shoes or skinny jeans you hope to fit into one day – that can and should go. Before you begin, decide if you need to just organize or if a de-cluttering session is necessary.
B is for basics. The next step is to decide how you want to organize your closet. The possibilities are numerous and you need to find a system that works for you because organizing is about making things easier. Some suggestions for different closet systems are to sort your clothes by items – group all of the pants together, shirts, sweaters, skirts, and so on; sort by occasion – work, around the house, gym, evening, or other types of clothing you own; or sort by color – you can use this tip in addition to the previous two or on its own.
C is for consistency. Be accountable with yourself once you have taken the time to organize your closet, make yourself stick to the system you implemented. You don’t want all of your hard work to be for naught – without a little bit of discipline and consistency, your closet could revert back to its former state. After a couple of weeks of sticking with your new closet management system (whatever one you decide works for you), it will be second nature to put your clothes back where they belong and make it easier for you.
A is to assess.
Make a List/ Take Inventory
Determine if there is anything in your bedroom closet that doesn’t belong there. Weed out all of the intruders and find a more appropriate home. If there isn’t a better place to store the item ask yourself when was the last time you used it and when you will be likely to use it again. If you aren’t sure, maybe it is time that you donate it.
B is for basics.
Closet Organization – Categorize
The key to any successful organization project is categorizing. By grouping like things together you will make them easy to find for future use, easy to remember when it is time to put them away and your closet will look nice and orderly. Proper storage containers will make this task easy to accomplish and maintain.
Baskets, bins, and drawers are the perfect addition to any closet. They can be used to store socks in one, belts in other, just try to keep like things together. Additionally, you will want to categorize your hanging clothing. The most popular way of doing this is to put all of your pants in one area, shirts, in the next and so on. If you want to go further when you are categorizing, separate your clothing into groups of when you would wear them (to work, to the gym, at home, at night) and then group the pants and tops together within those smaller categories.
Reduce to Organize
Even if you are the neatest person on the planet, if you own too many things for a small closet it will be next to impossible to keep it organized. If your closet is not big enough for your belongings and there is no money in the budget for a renovation you will have to consider reducing the number of things stored inside the closet before it can be organized and stay that way.
Next, take everything else out of your closet so you can start with a clean slate. Go through every item of clothing, a pair of shoes, or other accessories that are stored there. Create three piles – toss, donate, and keep.
Before you are ready to begin placing things back in the closet have a look at what you have to work with. Can you install a second hanging bar to double the amount of hanging space you can use? What about shelving and hooks or the back of the closet door? Use any and all vertical or horizontal spaces available to you.
Hooks are another way to store like things together. They can be used for belts, ties, or purses. Having these smaller accessories in one place and on display will make your choices in the morning quicker. If you have a larger closet, you may want to keep your jewelry in the closet too. You can use a traditional jewelry box to keep them together or a small box for your earrings and another for your necklaces and so on.
Seasons Change – To Store or Rotate?
You don’t wear your wool turtlenecks in the summer or your denim shorts in the middle of winter but there they are taking up valuable closet space. The best way to get more room is to either store your out of season items or rotate them to the back of your closet. There are a few things to consider and go over before you decide which method is best for you.
If you are considering storing your clothing (and of course a big factor in this decision is if you have the space to do so), keep in mind these storage tips to safeguard your clothes as they are packed away:
* Only store clothes that have been cleaned first – this makes them less inviting to any pests that may find their way into your storage container
* Choose a place that is cool and dry to prevent mold and mildew from growing on your clothing
* Don’t overpack the storage container, leave room for the clothes to breathe
* If you are tight on space, consider storing your clothing in an unused suitcase
* Add some pest repellent in the form of mothballs (store in an old sock so they do not touch your clothes) or choose a more natural method such as cedar blocks
* Folding or loosely layering your clothing is preferable to hanging especially for knits and wool items
If storage isn’t for you, take the time to move all of your warm or cold weather clothes to an out of the way part of your closet, including your shoes. The benefit of this method over storing is no additional steps are needed to protect your wardrobe and if there is a freak storm in the summer or an unusually warm fall day – the right clothing is within reach.
C is for consistency.
How to Keep Your Closet Organized
You spent your entire weekend organizing, donating, and rearranging your closet and now the trick is to keep it that way. If you don’t change the way you put things away all of your hard work can be undone in as little as one week of use. If you were diligent during your organizing you found a home for all of your belongings, in the next couple of weeks you will find out if the system you implemented will work for you.
As you purchase new clothing or other things that need to find a home in your closet takes the extra time to find a new home for it right away. You would be amazed how quickly all of your hard work can go to the wayside by having a homeless item introduced. To find a home right away or even better, find something in your closet that you don’t use or love anymore and swap it out with the new purchase.
To break or start a new habit takes time and commitment and most times it isn’t a fun experience. Make yourself take the extra 10 minutes, in the beginning, to put your shoes back on the shoe rack, hang your belts upon the newly installed hooks, and hang your work pants in the right place. You need to give yourself time to get used to the new system.
As the days go by, you will become more and more familiar with the new routine and it will take less and less time to keep it up. By the end of the first month, you will have wondered why you didn’t do this long ago.
A closet that is organized with enough room for the future growth of your wardrobe is a closet that will stay organized. Invest in quality storage solutions that you can add to your wardrobe or closet.
Enjoy your newly organized closet and take the extra steps to keep it that way, it is worth it.