5 Tips For Keeping Your Closet Organized

I think it’s safe to say that at one point or another, we walk into our closets, sigh and think, “I need to organize this mess”.  More often than none, our closets become this packed, wrinkled area of clothes of various colors, lengths and sizes.  Let’s face it - our weight can fluctuate making us not want to part with some of our more loose-fitting garments - in my case, I can never part with my Adidas sweats.

Every time I organize my closet, I feel as though I just went shopping as I tend to find shirts, pants, skirts and dresses that I forgot I had that were lost in the abyss of never-ending clothes and extra hangers.

Through the years, and because I have an obsession with organizing, I have learned quite a few tricks and tips for organizing my closet.  

Here are my Top 5:

1.   CREATE THESE PILES AS YOU GO THROUGH YOUR CLOTHES:

- Donations

- Discard

- Seasonal items you plan to keep 

- Must have comfy clothes for weight fluctuation (yes, that's what I meant)

2.    HANG SHIRTS/BLOUSES BY SLEEVE LENGTH

Some people prefer to hang their clothes by color, however 90% of my clothes are black, so I find it easier to hang them by sleeve length.  I start with button-down shirts, then long sleeves, then 3/4 sleeves, to short-sleeves to tank tops to strapless.  I feel like hanging in this order helps prevent my short sleeves and tank tops to not  get lost amidst the long sleeves not to mention hanging them in this order makes it easier to pick clothes through the different transitions between seasons.

3.    TRY ON EVERYTHING

Unless you just wore the shirt, pants, dress or skirt in the last month, it would behoove you to try everything on to make sure it a) fits and b) is still something you plan to wear.  So many times I find myself holding on to something “just in case”.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Yes, you will think about that one piece in the future, but for the one time you would have worn that piece, you would have taken up prime real estate space in your closet.

4.    SWEATERS NEED CARE TOO

I prefer to hang my clothes - until it comes time to wear sweaters.  I dislike having hanger bumps on the shoulders - it’s a pet peeve of mine.  

Follow my easy steps below to help hang your sweaters safely on hangers. 

Bye bye bumps!

- Fold your sweater in half long ways

- Position hanger hook in the arm pit area of the sweater

- Fold body of sweater over hanger

-Fold the arm portion over

-Voilà! No more bumps, no more sagging sweaters

5.   STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL

When going through my closet, I have to constantly remind myself about my goal.  Am I trying to inventory or am I trying to organize to make life easier?  Key items you may want to have on hand when tackling this project are extra hangers, shopping bags to place clothes for donations, garbage bags for clothes that have food stains, and can’t be donated, and clear storage boxes and space bags  to place seasonal items in.

Once everything is back in your closet, you will be amazed at how much room you have, how much less ironing you may need to do and how great you feel every time you look at your closet!  

Hope these tips have helped you!  Would love to hear any great tips you have that you would like to share. Contact me to let me know!

Hugs, Mama K