Organizing tips for an Organized Clothes Closet

1)Make an appointment with yourself (in ink) for 4 hours (Sunday afternoon is a good choice). Set the stage for making it fun - grab a buddy who loves you, open the curtains, and crank the tunes!

2)Prepare a step stool and 5 or more large boxes or bins for sorting. Also have a pad and pen handy to capture any “I need to do” thoughts.

3)Start at the top left of the closet and work your way down. Go through the closet one item at a time and decide whether to Keep, Toss, or Donate the item (decide ahead of time where you will donate what you no longer want). Be honest with yourself. If you haven’t worn something in 5 or 10 years, are you going to wear it now? Do you love it? Does it fit? Does it make you feel good? Is it in wearable condition, or does it need to be hemmed/let out/taken in/have a button sewn on? Immediately prepare it for the tailor in a To-Be-Fixed box.
4)If something belongs elsewhere, put it in a box to be returned to its rightful home at the end of your appointment.

5)Sort what you keep into logical categories. Group similar items together: blouses or shirts, jeans, dress pants, sweaters, skirts, dresses, blazers or sport jackets, scarves or ties, belts, pocketbooks or briefcases, and shoes. It’s OK to separate women’s suits and group them with other jackets and skirts/pants.

6)Sort by color. I start with white and beige, then go in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), and end with brown and black. For patterned clothing, I use the predominant color. You may find that you have several items that are nearly identical, and you may choose to pare down even more at this point. Remember, we use 20% of what we own 80% of the time!

7)Determine if you have the right hangers for your clothes. If not, start a list of any items you may need for your closet and put hangers at the top. It’s easy to pick something up from the dry cleaner and hang it in the closet, but those flimsy wire hangers don’t hold their shape very well. Having the proper hanger for the proper garment preserves your investment in your wardrobe.

8)Decide what needs to be hung and what can be folded. Jeans, sweaters, and exercise clothing can live on a shelf. Do you have enough hanging space or shelves in your closet? Until you are ready to install a full closet system, try a few inexpensive items to maximize your space. Consider hanging a closet rod doubler from an existing rod. Presto! Twice the short-hanging space. Try stacking drawers on the shelf to maximize the height of the closet.

9)Unless you have sliding or bi-fold doors, use the insides of closet doors to store accessories like scarves or ties, bags, or shoes.

10)Put the Belongs Elsewhere items where they live, take out the trash, take your donations to their destination, and reward yourself for a job well done!

About the Author:
This piece was originally submitted by Professional Organizer Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPA, Chief Executive Organizer of Let’s Get Organized, LLC, based in Park Ridge, and President of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

** You can schedule an appointment with Gayle by calling us at: 551-265-9151. If you need a Professional Organizer in another location, we can find you one.