Storage space is always a struggle, no matter how large or small your home. It is nearly unheard of for someone to complain that their closets are too large or that they just don’t have enough stuff to fill their storage space.
A particular issue in many homes is the amount of space in the bedroom clothes closet, as items from throughout the house seem to end up congregating in there, not allowing enough room for clothing and shoes. These tips are specific to organizing a closet, but can be easily modified for any closet, throughout the home.
1. Set aside enough time to actually complete the project. Though you can always come back to the job, if you do not finish in one shot, the question is: Will you actually come back and finish the job? Odds are that you will not get back to the closet for some time, leaving you to live with a potentially bigger mess than you started with.
2. Create a plan of attack. Commit to getting rid of things that you do not need or use and establish the criteria by which you will decide what stays and what goes.
3. Gather everything that you think you might need, before you get started. Nothing will throw off a good cleaning rhythm like having to stop and run to the store for some cleaner to wipe down the walls or having to hunt down the right attachments for the vacuum cleaner.
4. First, clear everything out of the closet, including hanging items. While this might create a huge mess in the bedroom, this gives you more more of an incentive to get the job done quickly. Enjoy the look of a completely empty closet for a moment or two, as it certainly won’t stay that way for long!
5. Next, wipe down the shelves and walls, then vacuum or sweep the floor. Even though closets are out of sight, giving your clothing a nice clean home can help to keep garments clean. Set up any new closet organizers that you might have purchased to see what you are working with when putting things back.
6. Sort through the non-wearable items that were stored in the closet first. Try to dedicate most of your clothes space to your regularly worn items and find more appropriate homes for other items. If you come across things that you don’t recall purchasing or receiving, get rid of them now. Obviously, you have been functioning well without them, so there is no need to continue storing them. The same goes for non-seasonal items that have not been used in more than a year. When space is at a minimum, you just cannot afford to keep everything.
7. Now you can begin to sort through the wearable items that were stored on the shelves and floor. While sometimes it can be difficult to part with clothing and shoes, be frugal with your space. Get rid of things that are damaged, that no longer fit or that you just will not wear anymore. Sell them online or at a garage sale or donate them to a worthy charity.
8. Sort through your hanging clothes in the same way. Try on any items that are questionable as to size and fit, placing things that don’t fit well or just aren’t suited to your personal tastes into the pile to get rid of. Be honest with yourself about what you can and will wear. That favourite pair of jeans from school will likely never fit the same or look as good as they did back then, so let them go.
9. Return everything to the closet, being sure to organize things in an order that is convenient. Items that are worn or used often should be in an easily accessible place, so that you won’t need to dig around or rearrange things to get to them. Less-often used clothes can be placed towards the back or at the bottom of piles.
10. After you have placed everything back into the closet, immediately take the give-away pile and drop it off for donation or move it to an area to be stored until it is sold. Keeping things hanging around might tempt you to keep things that you had already resigned yourself to get rid of.
Once you have finished your reorganization and rid yourself of unwanted things, you can sit back and admire your handiwork. With a reorganized closet, your daily routine of getting prepared to leave the house will go much smoother and you will have the wonderful feeling of having shed unneeded and unwanted items that were cluttering your home.
Recommended Reading
For more information and advice on reorganizing your closet, take a look at the book, ’Smart Closet Makeovers
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By Tracey on 30 Mar 2009
Oh, this all sounds so nice in practice.. I hear myself saying ‘but, but, but’…
Throw away all the things of questionable sizing - I don’t do this.. I’m weight is naturally like a yo-yo, so whilst I’m generally an (Aussie) size 12, I also keep in storage some stuff that I really like and is a bit too big and a bit too small.. just in case.. Does anyone else do this?
By cat on 09 Sep 2009
i know the feeling. as a diabetic i hope when i dont have to use so much insulin i will wear those clothing again.
i have got brave knowing am dreaming and have gave away around 200 pieces too tight for me. it was so hard but knowing that others i hope will enjoy them made me feel great. my fathers’ business gives to people without charge so this is great to me.
no i did not request a tax receipt i wanted only for someone to enjoy them.