How to Organize a Clothes Closet

February 9th, 2010 at 4:19pm |

Closets have a tendency to get cluttered rather quickly. They’re the go-to place for storing things that you might not need now, but feel sure that you will at some point. Some people try to keep their closets clean, while others stuff everything in there, shut the door (if the closet has a door) and hope for the best. It’s better to take a day (or more, if your closet is so messy it’s ridiculous) and clean/organize everything that’s in there.

The whole closet-cleaning situation can be tricky, because some closets look visibly clean, but actually have a lot of old things in them that need to be gotten rid of to make more space. Regardless of what situation you find your closet in, here are some closet organization tips:

Begin by literally taking eveything out of your closet so that you can start from scratch. This way, you can see all the space that’s available to you without clothes or other items blocking the view. Put all of your clothes and items in one place for the time being. It’s a good idea to keep everything in the same room as the closet if possible.
Dust has a way of accumulating no matter what. Tackle that dust before you do anything else; your nose (and your clothes) will thank you for it later. You can use a clean sock or, my personal preference, a Swiffer. You might need to vaccum the closet floor, too.
Now it’s time to start sorting through all the things you took out of your closet. Make piles according to clothing or item type. So, for example, make piles for shoes, t-shirts, sweaters, formal clothes, jackets, things like that.
Check out the smaller items or accessories that you have, shoes included. If you don’t already have certain places built into the closet for those items, purchase some clear plastic totes, put the accessories in there by type (such as all belts in one tote, all hair accessories in another) and place the totes on the closet floor if possible, or on closet shelves.
Sort through all of the clothes piles, one by one, and select what you want to keep from what you don’t. What you don’t want can be given to charity, but launder those clothes first. Be sure to get a trash bag and throw away any clothes that aren’t fit to be worn.
Sometimes, accessories (not clothes) that you don’t want anymore, but are in great shape, can be given as gifts to people you know would like them.
The remaining items that are in piles should be things that you know you want to wear or keep. Get all your clothes hangers together in one pile. That way, you can easily reach the hangers for each pile of clothes.
Some people like to put off-season clothes away somewhere other than their closet until they’re needed, but I prefer to just keep everything in my closet no matter the season. To conserve space, you can get hangers that tier themselves to hang multiple clothing items. An example of this is the If things need to be ironed, this is the time to do that, too. Fold the clothing items that you’ll be putting on shelves - again, keep things organized by separating them according to type.
Start putting your clothes back into the closet, being mindful of how you’ll find things easily - everyone has their own organization methods, regardless of how messy their closet has been before. It might take some relocating of various items to a dresser, but just take your time. Not only will your closet be cleaner, but if you make an effort to keep the closet relatively clean, it will be so much quicker and easier to find things.

Closet Organization Resources

If you have no idea where to purchase affordable items for closet organizing, here are some helpful links: