Tips for Organizing Your Closet

Most people have difficulty organizing their closet and keeping it that way. Some of us are even guilty of throwing things in their closet just so they don’t have to see it elsewhere. But if you’re anything like us, organizing and decluttering doesn’t come easy without organizing systems in place. Organizing your closet seems like a very big task, but we’ve got you covered. Below, our Magnolia housekeepers from Maid for Muddy Paws shares these tips for organizing your closet.

Pro Tips for an Organized Closet

Based on the space you have the size of your wardrobe, and the type of life you live, how you organize your closet will differ slightly. However, to any closet and any wardrobe, these seven universal steps can be applied:

Gather supplies, including a “toss” basket and a tape measure, for your closet organization.
Empty all the contents of the closet-clothes, shoes, cupboard organizers, etc.
Clean your closet from floor to ceiling.
Declutter your wardrobe and donate the clothing items, shoes, and accessories you no longer need. Look for local shelters you can donate to, recycle, or sell them.
To make sure that they fit your closet space and work with your clothing, shoes, and accessories, evaluate your closet storage solutions.
By grouping similar items together and moving the most worn items into your “prime real estate” closets, organize your clothing, shoes, and accessories back into your closet.
Come up with a strategy to keep your closet organized so that it never again becomes a breeding ground for clutter.

What You Need to Get Your Closet Organized

Remember, organizing your closet can be a very big project. To make things easier on yourself, come up with a plan. Before you dive into the first step to organizing your closet, make sure you have the right tools and supplies on hand. Set a date when you want to organize your closet. Avoid organizing your closet in the spur of the moment and resist the urge after a long day of work to start this project. You have to do a little prep work to organize your closet for the long haul and find time in your schedule when you have two to three hours to commit to this process. If you ever need a professional organizer in Magnolia, TX, contact Maid for Muddy Paws.

Must-Haves to Organize Your Closet

Shopping Bags: To carry clothes to the donation center, tailor, and dry cleaner, use sturdy bags. If you don’t have bags, you’ll have boxes and bins.
Tape measure: Measure space for shelving and hanging. Don’t forget to jot down the measurements for your closet.
Full-length mirror: Make sure your mirror can accommodate your entire image to decide between “toss” and “keep.”
Catch-all basket: This involves loose change, papers, rubber bands, hair clips, cash wads (score!), and in pants pockets, you will find assorted receipts. You don’t want to stop in the center to store these small items, so just put them aside in your catch-all basket for now.

In addition, have an understanding of what you’re going to do with clothes that you decide to get rid of in advance. There are three choices you have: donate, consign, or trash. While trash is only for items that are beyond repair/use. Try to donate as much as possible.

Empty Your Closet And Clean It

This step may be difficult if you’re used to shoving clothes into your closet. Remove everything including hangers, baskets, bins, and whatever else may be on the floor or shelves, from the closet.

To plan and visualize how you will re-organize your closet, you need a clear, clean space. Dust the shelving and hanging rods first. Next, run or sweep the vacuum and mop the floor. Lastly, with a good all-purpose cleaner, wipe down the shelving, hanging rods, walls, and baseboards. Don’t forget any bins or baskets that might collect dirt and dust.

Declutter your clothes, accessories, and shoes

The part you’ve either been looking forward to or dreading now comes along. Many people avoid decluttering because they love to hold on to things they “may need one day” or used to be in style.” Focus on what to keep instead of what you get rid of.

Many closets are in tight spaces, so choose what you want to keep wisely.

Keep: Hold on to anything that you often love and wear.
Resell: Your clothing, shoes, and accessories must be in good shape in order to resell the items. They are preferred to be name brands by most consignment stores.
Donate: These products ought to be in good shape. When adding to this pile, think “gently used”.
Trash: Trash clothing would include anything stained, ripped, hopelessly out of style, or anything you would be embarrassed to donate, beyond repair.

It’s helpful to ask yourself these questions when you’re trying to decide whether to keep something or not:

Love it do you?
Are you wearing them?
Does it project the image that you want to depict?

If the answer to all three is “yes,” then you can put that item in the keeper pile with confidence.

If you have a hard time, then create a pile of maybe. Put your pile in a bin, perhaps, and revisit one, three, or six months later. You can donate or consign them confidently if you have forgotten about these items or never thought about wearing them.

Closet Organizers for Purchase

It can be difficult to figure out the correct closet storage solutions for your specific space. Fortunately, for closet storage solutions, including closet systems, there are tons of great options. However, most individuals can get away with installing a few budget-friendly closet organizers.

Closet Tips on Storage

Closet storage solutions will not create more space in your closet, but closet organizers, storage bins, and closet systems can help make more space available to you for storage. For instance:

A step stool will make it simpler for you to reach your closet’s top shelves.
A double hanging will make better use of the closet’s horizontal storage space.
An over-the-door shoe rack can make your door the perfect place for either shoes, accessories, or both to be stored.

You may be tempted to throw your hands up, pull your credit card out and purchase an expensive closet system. Resist the urge here. Measure the space, evaluate what you already have, and then plan accordingly for your closet. Buy only what you need to keep your clothes, and if possible, repurpose what you already own. It is great to store handbags, shoes, accessories, and gym clothes in small bookcases, cubbies, and baskets.

Finally, before purchasing a new storage item, don’t forget to measure a room a few times. There’s nothing worse than bringing something home and finding that it doesn’t fit the space.

Organize Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories

Now put it all back together in a way that makes sense to you. Try to use all of your space available, and is appealing enough to motivate maintenance of the closet. Think about where it makes sense to store each clothing category and then think about the easiest spots in your closet to reach.

Gather belts, sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, work pants, dresses, button-down shirts, jeans, shorts, etc., and choose the best place for each item to be stored as a group e.g., hanging pants in the closet, folding and stacking sweaters in the office). Working in groups of items will help you figure out how much space you need and the best way to store each type of item.

Use prime real estate properly: Reserve the front and middle of your closet for clothes that you most often wear. Make sure your work clothes are in front of your closet if you have to get dressed for work every morning at 6 a.m. Lesser-worn items should be stored on the back and upper shelves, such as formal wear and out-of-season clothing.
Tuck away least-used items: For out-of-season items and stuff you only wear a few times a year, such as Halloween costumes and super-fancy shoes, use the very top of your closet.

Accessories and shoes should be stored separately from your clothes (e.g., don’t lump scarves with sweaters), but keep in mind the principle of prime real estate. Do not store them in the back of your closet if you wear a pair of shoes all the time. Our friends at Tureks Plumbing, a home remodeling company in Fox Valley, recommends hiring a professional to build a custom closet for you. This will ensure that the entire space is utilized efficiently.

Keep Your Organized Closet Organized

The more often you work on maintenance of the closet, the less time it will take. Go through your closet once a month and complete a quick declutter and tackle the full process of reorganization twice a year. If you need professional organizing or residential cleaning services in Magnolia, TX, contact Maid for Muddy Paws!

Tips for Organizing Your Closet