How To Organize Your Closet

How To Organize Your Closet

Have you started spring cleaning yet? When I was a kid spring was the season to clean out closets. Put away the winter clothes and pull out the spring and summer pieces. It was the perfect time to donate anything you weren’t going to keep for the next year. I still follow this ritual every spring, but instead of cleaning out my closet, I like to give my whole house a spruce.

For me, it’s always best to start any large cleaning project in the bedroom. Typically, I plan a day I know I’m going to spend several days sorting, organizing, and cleaning. It’s the best feeling to know I’ve ended the day in a nicely organized room when it’s bedtime.

Organization Tips For Your Bedroom

Before I start my closet, I like to clear off my nightstand, dresser and clear out all my dresser drawers. This includes loose magazines, and books I’ve shelved and leave only a few reading pieces. I try to move everything that isn’t utilitarian or restful out of my bedroom. Then I move to the closet.

Organization Tips For Your Closet

When sorting through clothes and other items from your closet, start with three piles: keep, donate, trash. Pretty much everything I don’t keep goes in the donate pile, however there is always a purse with a broken zipper or a pair of shoes with a wiggly heel that’s not worth repairing. Unfortunately, those end up in the trash. Who can relate?

The only way to truly clean out your closet is to take EVERYTHING out of it. Yep, I know everything! This ensures you have to make a decision about each item before you put it away. It’s much easier to add a shirt you haven’t worn in two years (but might need….one day) to the donation pile when you will have to walk it back into the closet and hang it back up if you want to keep it.

Talking about hanging things up, I have to say matching hangers make me really, really happy. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference. My favorite hangers are these Joy Mango Huggable Hangers – they are non-slip, they don’t put funny creases in the shoulders of all of your shirts, and don’t take up as much space as bulky plastic hangers. Guess what? They are currently on sale! I like to hang up basically everything except for socks and underwear, so I can easily see all of my clothes at one glance, so finding the perfect hanger was a big thing for me.

I like to organize my clothes by color, but some people are more happy placing like “items” together. You have to find a system that works for you. If you have a small closet, or just prefer folding more of your clothes, I do think the Marie Kondo folding method is great. This video is pretty impressive, make sure to take a moment to watch.

All of my shoes are lined up on a shelf in my closet, so I can see them at one glance, too. To have a perfect outfit, you also need to see a snapshot of which shoe will look best.

Dresser drawers are a great place for belts, scarves, and other miscellaneous items. I also store most of my jewelry in a drawer with these clear acrylic stacking trays. The only exception is necklaces, which I like to hang up so they don’t get tangled. You can use a necklace rack like this or something a little more elaborate like this wooden rack that also provides space to hang earrings and bracelets if you don’t want to store them in a drawer.

That’s it! The only thing left to do after returning everything you are keeping back to the closet is to take your donation pile to your favorite charity. Don’t feel bad if you end up driving around with it in the trunk of your car for a week or so! Ha I know I do! I’m pretty sure that is something that happens to all of us. Let’s see who comments that they agree!

What is your best closet organization tip?

XOXO,

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