Organizing your closets is kind of a big task, so doing it right should make it less of a task the next time you have to do it. I’ve done this enough times that I know what works and what doesn’t. People, including myself, make really common mistakes that lead to the closet quickly getting disorganized again. Well, we’re going to prevent that from happening. With a little direction, you can avoid hiring someone to organize for you. You can also avoid spending a lot of money on your closet. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to blissful organization that lasts.
1) You may have organized in the past by separating things into separate containers or stacks. Well, if you didn’t start by getting rid of as much as possible, then you were doomed from the start. Start out by pulling everything out of the closet. I mean, everything needs to come out. Clean that closet so that it’s free of dust and possible insect eggs.
2) Separate everything into piles so that you can visualize how much space you will need for each thing. As you pile things up, be selective about what you decide to keep. If you notice that you have ten pairs of jeans and you can only wear two, then get rid of eight. If you have eight black long-sleeved t-shirts and you really only need one or two, get rid of the rest. When our closets get cluttered, we can’t see what we already own and end up buying new things that we don’t actually need.
3) Now decide what should hang and what should be folded. If you’re not sure, take measurements of how much space something takes up while hanging and while folded. I had two folded piles of t-shirts in my closet. I calculated the area that they took up on the shelf and then the area hanging on hangers. I couldn’t believe how much space I was wasting! I did the same thing for my stack of yoga pants, jeans, and my bin of scarves. Once I incorporated just a few specialty clothes hangers into my closet, I was free of a few containers and stacks of clothes. I couldn’t believe the difference. I made some storage room, but I didn’t even need it because I had made room for my summer and winter clothes to hang together. Now I won’t have to reorganize when the season changes!
