Some days I feel like my clothes are reproducing at rapid speed! Laundry is never-ending. There is always something to be washed, dried, folded, and put away. If your clothes seem to be piling up with nowhere to go, it probably means your closets and dressers are full. Are you ready to tackle organizing your closet? Here are 9 tips to help you organize your master closet and keep it that way.
Be realistic about your space
Let’s get real. How much space do you REALLY have for your clothes? If your closet is bursting at the seams, it means you have too many clothes for your space, and I feel you! I live in Mid City with the tiniest closet you’ve ever seen that I have to share with my husband. I know the struggle! We moved from each having our own large closets to sharing one small one when we moved to our house. Want to know what we did? We each got rid of 50% of our wardrobes. Yes, half! And guess what? Neither of us have missed a thing. We still have plenty of moderately stylish clothes for work and play.
Think about your space and how many clothes you actually need. Decide now. Would you rather all those clothes stuffed inside that closet or an organized closet with only the items you love?
Utilize dresser and drawer space
My dresser has been such a space saver for us when it comes to our primary bedroom. Because I have such limited hanging space, I fold most of my clothes.
How do you know what to fold and what to hang? Think about the type of clothing and the material. If the material wrinkles easily, it should probably be hung. If it doesn’t wrinkle or it doesn’t matter if the item gets wrinkled (think pajamas and workout clothes), then it can be folded. Also consider folding items like jeans and sweaters. Jeans rarely wrinkle and sweaters tend to stretch out when hung.
Pro tip: File Folding
I cannot stress enough how much space file folding your clothes will save. It takes some time to adjust but it will save you so much space. YouTube has tons of file folding videos to learn how!
Small closet? Think about changing out your wardrobe seasonally
Living in Louisiana makes this hard but it's possible. If you’re really pressed for space and cannot purge any more of your clothes, consider changing out your wardrobe seasonally. Weather tight plastic tubs with lids make great storage for seasonal items. Vacuum sealed plastic bags help to store those items as well.
Before you decide to pack away all of your seasonal items, decide where those tubs are going to live. In the garage? In the attic? Under your bed? If you don’t have space to store your seasonal items either, go back to Number 1 on this list and live within the space you have.
Get rid of the guilt
“That was a gift, I can’t get rid of it.”
Let’s appreciate the intent behind the gift giving and not the actual gift. Think about the person who gave it to you. Do you think they want you to keep something you don’t like just because they gave it to you? NO! They wanted to show their love for you. The love was shown, the love is known, time to tell that sweater BYE.
“That was so expensive and I only wore it once.”
It’s okay if your style changes. Just because it was expensive doesn’t mean you have to keep it! The money was spent, the money is gone, and it’s not coming back. This item taking up space in your closet isn’t saving you any money. If you know you’re not going to wear it again, let it go and save yourself the stress. Ask your friends if anyone wants to take the item off of your hands. This will help to create space for the clothes you like, while giving someone a gift they will wear.
“I’m going to lose weight and fit into that again.”
I’m all about self improvement, but let’s be honest. If you lose weight, don’t you think you will want to buy NEW clothes? Think about it. You’ve been working out, eating healthy, and getting that body tight. You need some new outfits! I’m all for keeping your top 5 most favorite clothing items that may not fit right now, but the majority of your wardrobe needs to fit right now. How depressing would it be to open up your closet and see all the things you can’t wear? Keep a few goal weight items and let the rest go.
Need some backup? I’m here to tell you it’s okay to get rid of it!
Sort clothes by type and color
When hanging your clothes, group similar items together. Categories can include: sleeveless tops, short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops, jackets, skirts, pants, dresses, etc. Once your items are in their groups, sort them by color. Not only will it look pretty, categorizing makes items easier to find and shows you how many of each clothing item you actually have or don’t have. Yes, you really have 12 long sleeve black shirts, please don’t buy any more!
Store rarely used items up high
Your ugly Christmas sweater, those sparkly heels you wear for Mardi Gras balls, winter hats and gloves. If you have certain items that you use only a few times a year, store them up high and out of the way. A simple bin or basket can hold those rarely used items, just make sure you label it!
Use matching hangers to reduce visual clutter
We’re all adults here, right? Let’s take our closets to the next level y'all! I”m telling you, matching hangers are a game changer. This simple tip will make your closet look so organized. My favorite hangers are the slim black velvet ones, while my husband prefers the white plastic ones. Whatever you like, just invest in purchasing matching hangers.
Pro tip: Did you know most dry cleaners take back and recycle wire hangers? Keane’s here in Baton Rouge will take back and recycle your old wire hangers!
Only keep clothing items that make you feel fabulous
I cannot tell you how many times a client makes a face when looking at a clothing item and then tells me “keep pile.” They literally scrunch up their face in DISGUST at a dress and then WANT TO KEEP IT. This is where I come in and ask why. Why would you want to keep something that elicits that reaction? I want you to feel happy when you get dressed each morning. I want you to smile with delight over your wardrobe. I want you to feel gorgeous each time you get dressed. If you open your closet and the majority of your wardrobe makes you say “ehh” then it should go!
Analyze your shopping habits
Now that your closet is organized, let’s keep it that way! Think about how your closet became disorganized in the first place. Was it because you buy too much? Is it because you haven’t gotten rid of anything since college? The majority of clients who have closet issues tend to overbuy. When your closet is disorganized, you don’t know what you have. When you don’t know what you have, you tend to buy items that you already own. Organizing will literally save you money in the long run.
Pro tip: 1 item in = 1 item out
When you bring new clothes into your newly organized closet, think about which item you want to get rid of to make room for your new item. This will help to keep your clothing to a minimum since you now know how much your space fits.
The best way to keep your closet organized is to declutter often and put things away after they’ve been used or cleaned. Set aside time weekly to tidy up and finish your laundry. Yes, that means washing, drying, folding, and putting everything away in ONE DAY.
Which one of these tips was the most helpful? Hit reply to vote on the most helpful tip.
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