Do you regularly find clothing in your closet that you didn’t even realize you had? When is the last time that you actually saw the floor of your closet? If this sounds like you, then perhaps it is time to learn how to organize your closet.
1. Take everything out of the closet.
The first step in how to organize a closet is to empty it out. Go ahead and pull everything out so that you can better assess what you have. All the shoes, luggage, clothes, vacuum cleaners -- whatever has found its way into your closet -- needs to find its way out now. By the way, this is also a great chance to do a little spring-cleaning in your closet, too. It is much easier to clean a closet when it is empty. So go ahead and vacuum it and clean the baseboards.
2. Divide and conquer.
As you pull everything out of your closet, the next step in how to organize a closet is to decide what you’re going to keep and what needs to go. To help with this, make piles as you empty your closet. One pile can be for what you definitely wear often. This can actually become two mini-piles -- one for casual wear and one for business or dressy wear.
Another pile is for clothing you definitely should not keep. This can be divided into two mini-piles also -- one for donation and one for trash. Make the hard choices here – if you have not worn it in a couple of years (hard-core organizers say six months), it needs to go. If it doesn’t fit, it needs to go. Don’t hang on to clothes thinking that you might fit into them some day. If you change sizes, it can be more fun to buy new clothes that fit anyway. For now, you need the closet space. If it is something that you really cannot bear to part with, box it and store it in the attic.
As you organize your closet, make another pile for those things that unexplainably got into your closet but should not stay. The closet is for items that you wear, not for storage. Find an appropriate home for things that should not be in your closet. This includes luggage, workout equipment, mementoes … even winter coats.
3. Organize.
Now that everything is out and properly piled, the next step is to organize what is going back in. This may require some purchases. Home improvement stores have lots of storage solutions that can help you organize your closet. Get a hanging shoe rack that can hang on the back of your closet door to hold your shoes. You can also create additional shelving for your closet organization. Look at your space with a critical eye, and then go to the home improvement store and buy what you need to increase your storage space.
4. Put it all back in.
Once you have the supplies, the next step in how to organize a closet is to put back what is going in there, but in an organized manner. If it is July, there is no reason to have your winter sweaters out. Buy a plastic bin and place them at the top of your closet. Do that for all of your out-of-season clothes. Next, categorize everything. Hang casual shirts together, dressy pants together, etc. Make what you wear the most often the most accessible.
Once you have followed these simple steps, you will know how to organize a closet. You can have a well-organized closet that is now more spacious than when you began. The trick now is to maintain it. As the seasons change, take advantage of the need to change out your clothes and get rid of any items that no longer fit or that you no longer want. That way you can keep your closet well-organized and not over-filled.
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