Organizing closets can seem like a never ending battle. You rearrange, jam things in, debate hanging space vs folded, or maybe you simply close the closet door (if you can) and call it a day. I’m going to help you walk through the basic steps of organizing closets so you can win this battle for good!
Too Much Stuff
Here is the real start of the problem-you have too much stuff. If this is not the case for you, you are the minority. Our environment is very consumer driven-buy buy buy! The difficulty with this is the problem of owning too much tends to snowball as your closets become more and more unorganized. The more you are storing and the more unorganized it is the more unlikely you will be able to find what you are looking for. This means even though you think you don’t own a pair of black pants, the truth is you may have two pairs lurking in your closet-you just can’t find them. So what do you do? You buy another pair.
Still convinced you don’t own too much? Did you know that we wear 20 percent of our clothing 80 percent of them time? Take a quick survey of your closet, does this ring true?
Organizing Closets-Clear it Out
Start organizing closets by emptying them out. Like many organizing projects the mess WILL get bigger before it gets smaller. Don’t panic- if you find organizing paralysis setting in check out my advice here.
Ask yourself these questions as you go through each article of clothing. “Do you love it?” “Do you wear it?” “Does it fit?”
Do yourself a favor get rid of clothing that doesn’t fit! Many of us hold onto clothing hoping to “one day” wear it again. It is an ugly reminder every time you open the closet, a real downer! Let’s face it when you do become that size again- you deserve new things. Don’t hold onto a wardrobe that doesn’t fit. On the flipside- don’t hold onto things that are too big! You have left that behind you no need for these just in case reminders.
You will create “keep it”, “donate it”, and “try it on” piles. This is also a good time to pull out clothes that need repair. Buttons sewn back on, zippers replaced, pants hemmed. Hanging clothes in your closet you can’t wear is a waste of space!
Hangers
Clothes hangers are an underestimated tool for organizing closets! Once you have decided what you will be keeping go through and count how many hangers you will need for pants, shirts, jackets, ect. Invest in great hangers and keep them all uniform.
The benefit? Great hangers will stop you from having to constantly pick up clothes from the bottom of your closet. Also if you keep your hangers uniform they will nest together nicely and you will have more space!
Start with these simple steps when organizing your closet and you will be on your way to a great relaxing space. And next time you are out shopping ask yourself when you’re holding an item, “Do I love this?” and “Do I already own this?”.
Good luck organizing closets in your home!
Want more help clearing out your clutter? Join us for our virtual Clear Out Your Clutter Day. Woman from around the globe are all going to be clearing their clutter on May 19th. Get organizing tips here.