We’re all guilty of keeping just about everything in our closets. From the clean clothes you haven’t folded to the unwashed clothes now mingled with the clean, from shoes to old flip flops, closets can tend to get pretty hectic and disorganized, but don’t sweat; there are many ways to maximize the spaces in your closet and get it looking the way you want!
A fast, easy way to declutter your clothes is to sift through them by type. Tossing every piece of clothing you own into a massive fabric mountain on your bed is overwhelming and inefficient. Instead, separate your clothes into categories like pants, dresses, tops, outerwear, accessories, and undergarments. Then sort through every item in a single category before moving on to the next. Why is this method better? Because it’s way easier to compare similar clothes when they’re all grouped together in front of you, making it easier to get rid of the things you know you have too much of or don’t want.
Give your closet a once-over and pull out anything lingering inside it. When only the occasional lone safety pin remains, dive in and give your closet a proper deep-clean. Vacuum the carpet, wipe down the shelves, and scrub any scuff marks or dirt off the walls. A clean closet makes for cleaner clothing. Also, always strive for closet perfection like Cher from Clueless, duh!
If you want something, put it out into the universe. If you’re still thinking about how much you wanted Hannah Montana’s shoe closet, same rule applies here. If you have the time and money for a full-blown closet renovation, go for it. If not, get creative to work with what you have. Take note of your closet’s best features; maybe you have tons of vertical storage space, built-in shelving, or multiple hanging rods. Use these to your advantage. For the areas of your closet that aren’t so great — your hard-to-reach upper shelves or total lack of shelves altogether, for example — figure out what you can do to fix these problems.
Maybe you have enough space to hang every single T-shirt you own, but if you don’t, then stick with hanging the obvious stuff. That means delicate items like dresses, skirts, and lingerie, fancy items like suits, and sturdy, structured pieces like coats and blazers.
Nothing screams closet chaos quite like a collection of wire and neon plastic hangers trying to peacefully coexist alongside one another. Limit the visual clutter and give your closet a sleek, streamlined look by using matching hangers for your clothes, just make sure you invest in hangers that actually work for what you have. Use sturdy velvet hangers if you have heavy suits to hang, for example, and steer clear of wooden hangers if you have lots of slippery silk clothing. Psssst, Walmart and TJ Maxx have some velvet hangers for super cheap!
Save yourself precious drawer and hanging space by stacking bulky winter sweaters and stiff denim jeans in separate piles. These items make perfect stacks for your shelf space because they’re sturdy and thick, meaning they won’t slump, crinkle, or lose their shape when you stack them. Not only that, you’ll be able to see each item in a stack clearly, making it that much easier to find what you’re looking for.
Things like cotton shirts, leggings and polyester shorts tend to be thin and pliable, making them perfect candidates for compact storage. This is a major space-saver if you do it right. Rather than folding and stacking your softer, thinner clothes, simply fold them in half and roll them into neat little tubes. Tuck your rolled clothing into shoe boxes (great for sliding into drawers) or use wire baskets or clear bins (perfect for shelves).
It’s true — organizing your clothes by color can be tedious, but the result will make picking out an outfit so much easier, especially for the more visual fashionistas. No need to drive yourself crazy trying to remember the exact order of the colors in the rainbow, even creating the most general color distinction will make your closet easy to navigate.
Every closet has a secret storage weapon that, when used properly, changes the entire layout of your closet: vertical space. This means walls, top shelves, doors, and even that dead space between your floor and the hems of your hanging dresses. Be sure to take advantage of these spaces; hang an over-the-door shoe rack over your door or use extra wall space to install DIY shelves that hold jewelry boxes or handbags.
If you are a scarf wearer/lover, this is the tip for you. Sure, you can roll them up or stack them if they’re really thick but tying your scarves on a hanger is a way better option for organizing them. Hanging your scarves keeps them wrinkle-free and easy to see and access, meaning you’re more likely to use them on a regular basis.
This trick saves you the hassle of figuring out which clothes you wear all the time and which ones you never touch. Here’s how it works: Turn all your hangers backwards. If you’re feeling crafty, you could tie pretty ribbons on the hangers instead or wrap pieces of electrical tape on them with the date written. Every time you pull an item out of your closet to wear it, turn the hanger so it’s facing forward.
Carrie from Sex in the City was obviously very, VERY bad at this, but you don’t have to be. Despite your best organizational efforts, you may still end up with massive heaps of ill-fitting, outdated, or unloved clothes at the end of every year. So how do you prevent things from getting out of hand? You adopt a simple, ruthless little rule called the “one in, one out” policy. For every new item you bring into your closet, you get rid of another. Got a new pair of fall boots? Let go of the black strappy heels you haven’t worn in two years. Bought a fresh leather jacket? Say goodbye to an old shirt. It’s simple, easy, and ensures your collection of clothes never gets too large to manage.
If you’ve got a dresser or set of drawers that house a substantial amount of clothes, be smart about how you organize those drawers. In the top drawer, store the items you put on first when getting dressed in the morning — like undergarments. Follow that with pants in the drawer below and tops in the drawer below that.
Got a few spare inches of wall space? Get creative and use this area to hang accessories like belts, jewelry, hats, or ties. You can use nails or towel hooks, or opt for a more personalized approach like a stylish coat rack or LEGO key holder.
Drawer dividers are the key to getting dressed with a smile on your face — and to knowing exactly when you need to do laundry. Maximize space in the compartments and make everything easy to see by rolling your socks, tights, underwear, and belts into these dividers, which is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Featured Image Source: Sex in the City
How do you organize your closet? Share your tips with us below!
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