Closet Clean-Up
August 29th, 2012
Last week I finally got around to reorganizing my closet, which I hadn’t done in longer than I’d care to admit. I’m a messy person by nature, so if I go too long between cleaning sessions, things inevitably end up cluttered and chaotic. This past time however, I found myself doing things differently and learned a lot in the process. Here are a few of the simple techniques I implemented and so far, everything has remained intact.
1. Showcase favorites. Your closet (no matter how big or small) should inspire you and make you feel good. I now keep a random mash-up of items on the shelf above my shoes including: a framed photograph of my husband and me, necklaces, ballet flats, a candle, and a vintage purse I wore on our wedding day.
2. Separate bags based on occasion. I used to keep all of my bags jumbled together, whether it was a casual tote or a glittery clutch (if you don’t have the room in your closet, use the top of a dresser or hang on hooks behind a closet door). Now that my evening bags have a dedicated shelf, it’s made it so much easier to grab what I need and go.
3. Organize by color. Not only is it simpler to be able to quickly find what you’re looking for, but it also helps you get an idea of what your closet has enough of (see above: black dresses) and things that you might need (see above: printed dresses).
4. Do what works for you. Everyone recommends that you should fold sweaters to avoid creases and stretching them out. This doesn’t work for me. Instead of pretty piles, my sweaters used to come cascading down on top of me anytime I reached for one. So I hung mine on wooden hangers and freed up some shelf space (for my bags) in the process.
5. Keep things accessible. I have a good collection of shoes, but realistically, I wear the same few pairs more often than not. I’ve now shifted things around so the top two shelves are dedicated to those I wear most frequently.
6. Make more space. In the past, I didn’t wear pants as often as I do now, so I had each pair folded over on regular hangers (these are my favorites). They took up more space that way, so I switched to clip hangers so they now lie flat and flush against each other.
7. Move things around. My blouses used to hang in one of the higher sections of my closet (where my sweaters are now located) and required me to stand on my tippy toes to reach them. Since they’re something I wear nearly everyday, I wanted them to be more convenient, so I switched things around so they’re now under my jackets and blazers.
