A messy wardrobe can cause you a ton of stress. When you get ready in the morning, you have to dig through piles of clothes that you never hung up, and rummage through old clothes you haven’t worn in years. This time-consuming process might even make you late for work!
Having an organized closet will give you a sense of peace. You won’t have to rush in the morning, and you can easily find what you’re looking for. Here’s how you can start the clean-up process.
1. Take Everything Out of Your Wardrobe
Remove everything from your hangers, and lay them out on your bed or on the floor. Now’s a good time to give your closet a thorough vacuuming and a good wipe-down. Feel free to get your feather duster out to reach high shelves and the clothing rail as well.
By having a completely clean closet space, you can start imagining how you’d like your closet to look.
2. Choose Which Clothes to Keep
From here, you can determine which clothes you want to keep, and which ones you want to get rid of. Just about everyone has clothes in their closet that don’t fit, or has gone out of style.
Although you might hold onto these clothes “just in case,” you should really ask yourself: “How likely am I to wear these clothes?” If your answer is “Not anytime soon,” then it’s time to get them out of your wardrobe. This will save you a ton of space in your closet.
Just remember that you don’t have to throw all of your clothes in the trash. You can actually sell your clothes at thrift or consignment shops if they’re in good shape. Alternatively, you also have the option of donating gently used clothes. As for the clothes that have rips and stains, those belong in the garbage (or you can use them as cleaning rags).
3. Consider Closet Organizers
One of the fastest and easiest ways to organize your wardrobe is through closet organizers. These organizers come in many forms depending on what article of clothing you’re trying to organize.
If you’re looking for an overall sense of organization, I’d recommend looking into a Rubbermaid Configurations Closet Kit. This all-in-one kit comes adjustable rails and shelves to maximize space in your walk-in or reach-in closet.
You can also use storage cubes as an organization solution for pants, shoes, handbags, scarves, and other accessories. Simply stack these cubes under or over your closet’s clothing rail. Stowing away accessories and pants creates more space to hang your clothes, and looks a lot neater.
4. Reorganize Your Clothes
After you finish setting up your closet organizer, it’s time to rearrange your clothes. You’re probably tempted to throw all of your clothes back on the rack without any sort of order, but this isn’t ideal. You’ll want to group your clothes so that they’re easier to find.
First, stow away the clothes you don’t immediately need. If it’s winter in your area, that means folding your summer clothes into storage bins and getting them out of your way.
In general, you should hang up blouses, dresses, suits, and skirts. That way, they won’t get wrinkled. Make sure to keep each type of clothing together—shirts go next to shirts, dresses go next to dresses, and so on. Make sure you place the clothes you wear the most at the front of your closet, in an easily accessible area.
To save even more space, fold up thick articles of clothing (like sweaters and jeans) and stack them on shelves or place them in drawers.
Keeping Your Closet Clean
Maintaining a clean closet isn’t the easiest task. You might have those lazy days when you sloppily hang up clothes or put something in the wrong spot. To prevent all of this disorganization from piling up, make a point to clean your closet once a month. You can use this time to restore order to your wardrobe space.
If you’re planning on donating or selling your old clothes, you’ll want to make sure that your current clothes last. Learn about the right way to wash and dry your clothes to prevent ruining them.