“I have nothing to wear!” – I don’t even need to have the ability to read minds to state that every woman every single day has this thought in mind. Let me assure you that you DO HAVE something to wear, but just don’t know how to organize your closet to find it! Don’t believe me? Just try these tips and you will change your mind. But! Be patient – you will need some time to make everything perfect.
1. Sort to Groups
First of all it’s simply necessary that you sort out all your clothes. Just empty your entire wardrobe and divide it into groups. I suggest 5 of them:
– giveaway – the clothes that you are not going to wear any more. You would think it’s the hardest to chose. So, to make it simpler just answer the question – What have I not worn in the last year? (of course if you missed last ski season it doesn’t mean you should throw away your ski costume). Be tough on yourself, there will always be something you’d like to leave. Remember: the more you give away the more space you have for new items. It’s not necessary to throw your stuff away. You can either give it as a charitible contribution to a church or social group or present it to your friends/relatives or even sell it or put the items in a consignment shop.
– frequent use – items that fit you perfectly and you often wear
– special occasion – evening clothes, maternity wear, sports uniforms
– out of season – depending on where you live you have at least two and maybe the full four seasons to deal with; having clothes that are the right weight and responsive to climate is important. Put away all but the season of clothes that you need right now.
– needs to be done – everything that requires special attention (mending, cleaning, clothes that remind you to be loosing weight:))
2. Hanging Space
You can easily maximize your hanging space with an additional rod lower down in the closet. This one will be perfect for short clothing like skirts, t-shirts or kid’s clothes. Hang items according to the types (e.g. first coats and jackets, then blouses, pants etc.) If you have little space in your closet buy mini helpers. Cascading hooks and tiered hangers are the best choice.
3. Shelving Space
Shelves are great for things that can be laid down like – t-shirts, jumpers and jeans. Knit items should be kept on shelves as well to prevent hanger bumps. If there are some dressers or drawers in your closet always stack your clothes vertically. This method will save a lot of space, plus you will easily see every item! Got open shelves? Browse the internet for video guides on how to fold t-shirts and jumpers like a pro so that they stay wrinkle free.
4. Chest of Drawers
Store underwear and accessories in the chest of drawers. You will need dividers to prevent the drawer from becoming messy. If you have time you can make it yourself from upcycled cardboard. Otherwise you can easily buy it in the store. Make sure you chose the right size of organizers! Use the top of the chest of drawers for the jewelry boxes and photo frames.
5. Sort by Colors\Styles\Types
Sort all you clothes in order to find them quickly when you are in a hurry. The best way is to divide frequently-worn clothes into 3 groups: Office, casual and special occasion. Stack them also in colors to always find what will match your yellow jeans.
6. Under Bed Storage
This is the best place for out of season clothes and shoes. First of all make sure you have exact measurements to save time, energy and money buying right storage devices. Choose the color that will match your room design. It’s not a problem to find storage boxes nowadays, but I would advise you to buy transparent ones so that you can see what is kept in each box.
7.Organise shoes
If you have a big house with a spacious walk-in closet or at least a big shoe cupboard the problem is solved. Unfortunately not everyone is so lucky. There are great ideas for do-it-yourself people. For example, you can remake hangers for flip flops or use molding as a shoe rack, make turnable trays or paint and hang crate storage boxes. If it’s difficult for you to make something with your hands you better buy a clothing cluster and place it in the hanging space.
There are still some great tips to organize your shoes even if you are not one of the lucky owners of a big dressing room. Remember yourself irritated and searching for the right pair of shoes among the huge amount of boxes? Simply take photos of your shoes and glue the pictures to the boxes or at least make some notes and group boxes according to the season.
8. Organise Accessories
Belts bags, scarves, sun glasses, ties, cluthces, hats… OMG. I feel dizzy when I think about the amount of accessories we girls use. How and where to store all that stuff? Don’t worry! Actually there are thousands of solutions, just be creative. The way you organise your accessories will depend on the amount you have. These are my favorite tips that I offer to those trying to find a place for all these treasures:
First of all, sort them out into piles: things to keep, things to get rid of. Soon your friends and relatives will be receiving new presents from you! Buy portable hooks for belts, you can place them anywhere you have some room in your closet. The best solution for keeping your scarves is to buy cheap towel bars and hang them there. It keeps scarves wrinkle-free, off the floor, and nicely organized in your closet. It works for ties and pashminas also!
For purse addicts my advice would be to purchase shelf dividers, hanging closet organizers or additional hooks. Shelf dividers would be perfect for high end bags, as long term storage by hanging can damage them. The hanging closet organizer is my favorite solution, thus it can be used only if you have some room in your hanging space. It can be easily washed in the washing machine, it protects bags against dust and, also, it costs less. If you don’t have enough space, just set hooks on the inside of the closet door.
9. Organise Each Space
Analyse every storage space and ask yourself questions – do I need more hooks, clothing clusters, boxes or hangers? Can I add more shelves and bars or one more chest of drawers? Can I add extra hanging space with a second rail at the top or bottom of the closet? Is everything visible? The answers will help you decide what to buy in the way of supplies that will help you create a fantastic well organized system for your clothing.
10. Feel, Analyse and Improve the System
Give the system time, even take some notes. In a couple of weeks you will understand what works for you and what needs to be modified. Use your imagination and get organized!