Easy Steps To An Organised Closet
Is your closet filled to overflowing and so jam-packed you can't even get to your clothes? If so, it's time to take some of these steps to an organised closet.
07/02/2021
Keeping a built-in closet or wardrobe organised is almost impossible unless you take the time to do it every day. Getting up in the morning and dressing for work is a rush for most, so there's definitely no time to make sure clothes are folded and put away or put on the coat hanger where they are supposed to be. Heck, most mornings I pull stuff out of the drawer trying to find what I need before squeezing through the rails to find the rest of my outfit - and I work from home! If that's your closet, read on for some great organising tips for your wardrobe or closet.
1. GIVE YOUR WARDROBE OR CLOSET A CLEANOUT
As the first step in getting your clothes organised, you need to be strong and donate or throw out clothes you no longer wear. If it's too tight (or too big), chances are you are not going to wear it again and it needs to go. Clothes that you have promised to mend for years shouldn't even be in there, so toss them out. And if you are still hanging on to clothes you wore 20 years ago, console yourself with the fact that you are a grown-up now and let them go.
I have browsed through dozens of sites that talk about a whole process for cleaning and sorting out a closet, but at the end of the day just do what you feel is your way. Yes, set up 3 piles, or have three bags or boxes on hand for the stuff - one for tossing out - one for donating - one for clothes that can be packed away such as seasonal items. Everything else you can pile on the bed to make it easier to sort through once the closet is empty.
Invest in vacuum storage bags to free up space in your wardrobe or closet.
2. SORTING OUT THE PILES
Once you have 3 piles of clothes, you're one step closer to getting rid of stuff that takes up valuable space in your closet. Donate clothes to a local charity or have a garage sale. I have often placed a rack outside my garage door when I'm in a decluttering mood and you can make a bit of cash of the side to put towards new hangers or clever closet gadgets that make for even more organised storage.
Now that you have a pile of clothes that need to be put into storage, you need to buy a pack of vacuum bags. These are large bags that can be filled with clothes and then you use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air and compact the bag. That way the bag takes up very little space, silverfish and moths can't get to the clothes and they are easier to pack away until you next need them. It's a great way to clean out your closet seasonally - to pack your winter woollies and coats away until next year. Here are more clothes storage bags in extra large size to keep your closet more organized.
Shoes quickly become a mess when stored at the bottom of a closer. Rather invest in an expensive shoe organiser or shoe rack to corral all your shoes neatly.
You can buy shoe organisers or mounting on a door or hanging on a rail via takealot.com and other online sites.
3. FREE UP HANGING SPACE
For those that don't have the budget for someone to come in to rip out and replace an old-fashioned built-in cupboard that has no more room for storage, there are plenty of affordable gadgets out there designed specifically to free-up space and give you more room for your clothes. One such handy gadget is a space-saving hanger as shown below and available on takealot.com. These hangers have hanging space for 5 coat hangers and then hang flat to give you more space on the rail for clothes. Something to think about if your closet is jam-packed. I have a few more space-saving closet ideas in this article.
4. MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR CLOSET
Even though you might not be able to afford a full-on closet makeover, you might be able to do a few modifications to increase the amount of space you have available for clothes. A few years back, I converted some of my cupboards by removing the shelves and replacing them with drawers which gave me far more space for some of my clothing. And I must admit that it is far easier to keep my clothes organised in a drawer than having to dig to the back of the shelf to find what I'm looking for.
If you are keen to replace your existing built-in cupboards in favour of more organised space for clothes, here's how I ripped out and replaced a built-in cupboard - with all the gadgets - at a cost you can afford if you DIY it.
