Tips for Organizing Your Closet

Whether you have a closet shortage or you're blessed with the cavernous closets now in favor with homebuilders, clean, organized closets are a must. First, we'll turn our focus to getting rid of items you don't really need. Then, we'll help you devise a plan to organize what's left.

Getting Started 

Whether your closets are 100 square feet or 4 square feet, the key to organizing a closet is to start by cleaning it out. Set aside a limited amount of time for closet cleaning. If you plan on an hour and a half, stick to it. The things in your closet will still be there later, and you won't get completely burned out on the project. Once you've set aside the time, all it takes is a little bit of planning and organization to bring chaos to order.

• Purchase some stackable plastic bins with lids. Clear ones work best, so you can see the contents.
• Start with a clean room. If your closet chaos spills into an already disorganized room, it may be overwhelming.
• Get four boxes and mark them "Garbage," "Charity," "Garage Sale," and "Out of Place." (Some people choose either "Charity" or "Garage Sale.")
• Break your closet down into areas, such as shelves, hanging items, shoes, and so on. This makes the task a little less formidable and forces you to tackle one thing at a time.
• Take each item out of the closet and put it to the test: Have you worn/used it in the last year? If not, it's time to say good-bye. (Unless you have a lot of vintage clothing, it's probably not worth holding onto items you think will come back into fashion someday. They rarely do, and if they do, it seems there's always something new that makes your old things look sort of... well... old.)
• Things that belong in another room or another closet go in the "Out of Place" box. But be sure to put all of these items to the same 12-month test.
• Throw as much stuff away as you possibly can. It's not only cathartic, it's a great way to make room for new things—not only in your closet, but also in your life!
• Place items you want to keep, such as gloves, scarves, and so on, in the plastic stacking bins. Be sure to label them. Stack these bins on the floor or on the shelves in your closet, with the ones you'll use most frequently in your line of sight.

Organizing Your Closet 

Most people need more shelving and drawer space than hanging space. (The obvious exception is someone who has a lot of suits and dresses.) But before making any structural changes to your closet, take everything out (again—but now you have much less of it, if you've already cleaned your closet!) and organize it into categories—sweaters, shoes, blouses, and so on. This will give you a realistic idea of the kind of storage space you really need.

• Purchase a bunch of inexpensive plastic clothes hangers. Having all the same type of hangers will cut down tremendously on tangles in the closet. Plastic hangers also do double duty, since you can hang damp clothes from the dryer or drip dry wet clothes directly on them.
• Consider installing a closet organizer. There are many types available, so shop around to find the one that best fits your needs.
• For a quick, inexpensive fix, old milk crates or similar plastic bins can easily be stacked and used to organize clothing. Place the crates on shelves or stack one on top of the other on the closet floor to create your own shelving.
• Place out-of-season items on hard-to-reach top shelves, more frequently used items on lower shelves.
• Install a second closet bar at a lower level, giving you twice the space for hanging separates like blouses and skirts.
• Now put your clothes back in the closet according to a system. If you have installed the second bar, one method is to hang shirts, blazers, and blouses ("tops") on the top rod and all skirts, slacks, and "bottoms" on the lower bar. Of course, you can also organize by color or by item—just find a system that works for you. And stick with it daily!
• When you take an item off a hanger, get in the habit of placing the hanger at the end of the hanging rod, in any one accessible spot on your closet rod, or in a basket on the floor set aside for that purpose. No more hunting through clothes for a hanger or extricating clothes from a jumble of clothes and hangers!
• Once your closet is organized, it's so much easier to maintain the order than to redo it. Try to put things away when you change your clothes in the evening or when you get out of your work clothes at night. Once a week or when you put your laundry away, get in the habit of looking to see what needs to be put back in order. Put clothes where they belong, shoes back in place, belts and accessories in their storage bins, and so on.