Organize Your Life: Closet

One of the most popular resolutions people make for the New Year is to get more organized.  Whether or not this was your resolution, it’s always a good idea!  We’ll give tips throughout the month on how to organize all different areas of your life, starting now with your closet!

·      First, de-clutter!  Go through your entire closet (and your dresser, your shoes, scarves, bags, etc.) and take out everything you don’t wear.  Don’t hold on to anything you don’t need.  Take out clothes that have gone out of style and aren’t going to be in style again anytime soon (all those trendy things you got cheap and only wore for one summer); take out anything that doesn’t fit you properly (be honest!  There’s no shame in getting rid of clothes that used to fit but are too small now.); and take out the things that you never wore (and won’t) but still have tags on them (it happens).  Sell anything that isn’t too old, give items to friends and family that want them, or donate!  Just make room for a fresh start.

·      Now organize your dresser.  I like to put casual tees and tanks, camisoles, sweats, cardigans and thick/heavy sweaters that can’t be hung up in drawers.  Designate different drawers (and parts of drawers) for different clothes.  (It should never be a guessing game as to which drawer has your purple tee.)  Putting anything that can be folded and piled up in drawers without getting too wrinkled clears a ton of space in your closet!    

·      Organize whatever is left in your closet by type as well.  Depending on the shape of your closet you may have different sections for different styles of clothing, or you may just have to work in a straight line from left to right.  Either way, I like to start with tops, specifically tanks.  Next, short sleeve tops; three-quarter to long sleeve tops; lighter sweaters that can be hung up; then blazers/light jackets.  Tops are followed by shorts, skirts, pants (keeping jeans separate), then dresses.

·      I like to go further by organizing clothes in each section by color, too, so I know exactly where to look for what I need.  (This isn’t necessary, but if you choose to organize by color, don’t get too hung up on putting different shades of colors or patterns in a specific place.)

·      If you have a smaller closet, get some bins or boxes for storing out of season clothes, and switch out your wardrobe when you need to.

·      As for other items, I like to hang scarves on hooks on the wall, in color order, so I know where to find the ones I’m looking for and I don’t have to dig through a pile in a drawer.  Bags are best kept on a shelf, not stacked on top of each other, if possible, to preserve their shapes (with nice bags in their dust bags!); smaller bags, like crossbodies, can be hooked on a hanger or a few and hung by your clothes.  More pairs of shoes can be fit on a single shelf if each pair has one shoe facing out and the other facing in toward the back of the shelf.

~Alyssa