March 6th, 2009 by admin

Are you spending more time than necessary in front of the closet each morning, trying to pull together an outfit? You just can’t seem to find the clothes you bought a couple of months ago, instead you come across pieces you forgot you even own? Then it is time to organize your closet in a smart way. It will save you lots of time, stress and money.

Closet organization should be done at least twice a year, at the end/beginning of each season, and whenever your closet looks like a war zone. Don’t worry, this is time well spent. You will love the result.

Here are the easy to follow steps:

First, sort all your clothes by season. During spring or summer, store your fall/winter clothes and vice versa. Having all your clothes in the closet year round leads to unnecessary confusion. If you have enough space, store the out-of-season clothing in another closet, otherwise put your freshly washed/dry-cleaned clothes in storage boxes. Make sure the clothes are completely clean and dry before storage, otherwise you may attract moths or mold. Add bags of lavender, rosemary or cloves for a fresh smell and to help fight off moths. Stack the storage boxes on the top shelf of your closet or under your bed to save space.

Take a good look at the remaining clothes. Decide what to give away. The rule of thumb is: If you haven’t worn it in two years, you will most likely never wear it again. Don’t keep out-of-style garments hoping they will be in fashion again in the future. Clothes never come back in the exact same way. Make a pile for donation. Someone who doesn’t have the means to buy clothes will really appreciate them.

Get rid of all wire hangers. They cause creases and bulges on shoulders. Also avoid plastic hangers, because they don’t allow garments to breathe. Instead, invest in cloth or wooden hangers. Use clip hangers for pants and skirts. Make sure the clips are covered with rubber or felt, so they don’t leave a mark on your clothes.

Now it’s time to decide how you would like your closet to be organized. There are two efficient ways: You can either hang complete outfits together or sort shirts, pants, etc. by color. Choose which one works best for you.

To hang complete outfits together, put a skirt or pants together with a shirt in a complementary color, a camisole next to a cardigan, etc. This saves a lot of time when you get dressed, because your outfits are already complete and ready. You can make it a point to mix and match your pieces in a different way each time you hang clothes in your closet, so you always have ‘new’ outfits to wear.

The other option is to go by types of clothing: have an area for skirts, another for pants, another for blouses, etc. Sort each area by color, from light to dark. Example: start by hanging all your white shirts next to each other, followed by all your beige shirts, followed by the shirts in the next darker color, etc. This way, you will always find the color you are looking for, because you have a clear overview of what is inside your closet.

Sweaters and t-shirts are best stored on shelves. Again, go by color, from light to dark. For easy access, keep the piles low and leave a little space in between each pile.

Keep your underwear organized, too. Divide into daytime and nighttime lingerie and sort both piles by color. Store them in a drawer using drawer dividers or shoe boxes to keep the piles neat. Organize your hosiery and socks in the same manner.

If you keep your shoes scattered on the floor, you are losing a lot of space. Instead, get a shoe rack cupboard, or a shoe rack that hangs from your closet door. Alternatively, you can store your shoes in their boxes and stack them in your closet. Attach a photo of the shoes to each box, so you know what is inside. Always keep in mind the shoes have to be clean and completely dry before putting them in a box.