Tips for Organizing Your Clothes Closet
A Guide to Expanding Wardrobe Space
That little room off of the master suite contains the layer that the world sees during one’s professional career or a night out on the town. So why not give it a little love and respect?
Why Organize a Clothes Closet?
The obvious answer is so things can be found more easily! A closet contains options for the workday or hot date. Red Blouse or Blue? Slinky black dress or feminine lacy sundress? It might also be used to store off-season clothing and accessories.
It is stressful and mentally draining to have an out-of-control closet filled with clutter, out-of-date items, and wrinkled clothing smashed together, half off the hangers. On their website, The National Association of Professional Organizers explain, “Organized people save time and money, and reduce their stress and frustration levels.”
Start Organizing by De-cluttering
Step one is to review every item in the closet to determine whether it deserves that valuable space. Set aside a weekend to take a good look at the contents in the closet, purge and reorganize! Have handy boxes, storage bins and trash bags.
A decision needs to be made for each item in the closet as to which of these categories it fits:
- Clothes that stay in the closet – Items used regularly
- Off season clothes – Winter in the summer, summer in the winter, and holiday
- Things to be donated – items in good condition that haven’t been used in six months to a year,
- Trash – items that are torn, ripped, stained, shrunken, or otherwise not worthy of anyone's closet space.
Trash the worn-out items, place out-of-season items in a storage bin, and fill the donation box with usable items someone else might need. Fold or roll off season clothes in the storage bin and store under a bed or on a closet shelf. If not transparent, mark the contents on the outside.
Organize the Remaining Clothing Items
Now that the junk is gone, it is easier to organize the items that matter. Closet space permitting, set up the dressing area using the following guidelines:
Hangers: Discard flimsy metal hangers, replacing with sturdy plastic or wood. Use hangers with slip guards for items that have wide necks or slinky fabric to keep the item neatly on the hanger.
Clothes organization: Assign closet space logically. Use one section for suits and matching outfits, or one for work and another for play, put dresses where ample room is available for the length. If closet is divided, use the top section for blouses and shirts, lower section for slacks, pants and jeans.
Type and Colorize: Arrange clothing by type and then color, ie., slacks, jeans and capris each sorted into black, blue, white, etc. Hang blouses and shirts by type, dressy or play, and then primary color.
Use Racks and Hooks: Install as many wall racks and hooks as space will allow, such as.
- Tie rack
- Racks for belts, scarves and purses
- Hat or cap rack
- Robe and nightgown hook
- Hook for dry cleaning bag
- Shoe rack
Once clothing has been organized, a quick glance will locate items needed. Additionally, on laundry day, putting clothes back in place is a snap.
Other Items for the Closet
There are other items that make sense to keep in a walk-in closet if room permits.
- Lingerie – it only makes sense to have bras, panties and socks near the clothes. If the closet has room for a lingerie dresser, move one into the dressing space.
- Full length mirror – Hang a mirror inside the closet on the back of a door, or an open spot on the wall. A standing mirror is another option.
- Jewelry – A mid-height closet shelf can be used for the jewelry box and the wall near it could hold a rack with hooks to hang necklaces or earrings.
- Clothes Hamper - No more dirty clothes on the floor!
- Iron and ironing board – The home improvement stores have wall mounted, hideaway ironing boards with iron rest. If there is room and electric available, this provides a huge convenience. Lowe’s price is approximately $250.00.
Large and Small Closets
Many master bedrooms have large closets with organizational storage units built into them. The same organizational principles can be applied; however, there is usually no need to store out-of-season clothes in boxes or bins, but instead, in built in drawers or left hanging in plastic and vinyl zippered bags to protect winter fabrics.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are small closets, which require more planning to work efficiently. If there is a single clothing rod , it is well worth the money to invest in a closet organization system. The systems range from economical Rubbermaid to units made of mahogany or maple. At very least, move the single rod to a lower position and add one above it, doubling the hanging space. Another trick, if the closet has a high ceiling, is to double the shelving.
The local home improvement store offers a wide selection of closet kits to expand closet space. Lowes sells a Rubbermaid 6 ft closet kit for as low as $93. They also have a Closetmaid five-drawer kit that is a space conserving 17 inches wide for $82. There are cube organizers, shoe bins, drawer units for lingerie and socks, see-through hanging vinyl bags and space bags. Square, clear storage bins can be utilized, stacked on shelves above the clothes. Every inch of a small closet and open wall space must be utilized for storage. A large chest of drawers in the bedroom may be necessary to store jeans and sweaters.
Organizing a clothes closet can be a full weekend project, but its well worth the effort. After the culling and organizing, a sense of calm prevails. And the next morning the task of picking out something to wear will be effortless!
Resources:
- The National Association of Professional Organizers (Napo.net)
- Lowes Website
An organized closet reduces stress
|
Use hooks to organize purses, scarves and belts
|
Roll and store Jeans in transpaent storage bin.
|
A shoe rack is a closet must!
|
Oganizing a closet can create available space!
|
What do you think about this article?
Comments
More in Home & Style
Latest Articles