Are sick of your closet looking like the FBI just searched it? Are
you tired of having to look through 30 tops you rarely wear, to find the one
that you do? Do you hate putting on a pair of pants, just to find they
are ripped or stained? I used to go through all these scenarios on a
daily basis because my bedroom closet was just a mess! Trying to find
something to wear to work was a nightmare and when I finally did, pulling it
out of a packed closet meant that it was a wrinkled mess and had to be
ironed before I could wear it, or go to work looking like I slept in
it.
If you have these problems like I did and are ready to do something about
it, I have a plan for you that is guaranteed to solve your closet problems
for good! It’s actually fairly simple, once the decision is made. It’s just 3
steps to a clean closet and the means to keep it that way.
Step 1: Sort and Toss. This is probably the most time
consuming and painful step. You need to go through every single thing
in your closet and put it in one of three piles.
Keep - Items you wear frequently and love. They
fit well and are comfortable.
Throw away - Items that are damaged, stained or
somehow unwearable.
Donate - Items that are too small or too large. This also include items that you may love,
but that really don't look good on you or don't fit right. This pile
most importantly must include things that you don't wear even if there
really is no good reason. If you have not had it on your body in the
last year, out it goes.
Keep in mind that you have a finite amount of space in your closet and once
it is full you will have to find more items to remove from the keep
pile. Once you have your piles, and everything is sorted, immediately
bag up the throw away stuff and take it outside and put it in your trash
can, so you won’t be tempted to change your mind. Bag up the donated
stuff, close the bags with zip ties or knotted twine and put a tag on
them. Call your charity right then and there and arrange for pick up,
then put the bags in the garage, out of sight.
Step 2: Organize – There are many ways to organize your
closet. You can get the shelves that screw to the wall, or you can get
space bags, or you can go to Ikea and custom build yourself an
organizer. Personally, I prefer to take the easy and more inexpensive
route and buy free standing organizers from Amazon
They are very easy to use, you just assemble them, set them in the closet
and you are good to go. They are also not expensive, so I think they
are the perfect solution. It is also wise to invest in some smaller
totes for the shelves. They can hold scarves, belts, purses and other
accessories.
My favorite organizer is the Whitmor Double Rod Freestanding Closet Organizer. I like that is has two rows to hang on. I use one for tops and
the other for pants and blazers. The shelves are very handy, I use
the bottom two for shoes and the rest have totes for accessories. I
love this organizer!
Because it is freestanding, it does not take any tools to put together and
it only weighs ten pounds, so anyone can move it. It's dimensions
are 45.2" x 19.3" x 68" and it is pretty easy to put together. And it
is less than $40! You really cannot find a better deal to organize
your closet.
I also found some
Storage Baskets
that I really love. I didn't want stiff basket weave or plastic, so I
kept looking. I finally found some gorgeous woven cotton rope
totes. They are so soft and can be washed in the washing
machine! They are perfect for long term use.
Step 3: Stop or slow the amount of clothes you buy. This
is going to be the hardest thing for some of us. Shopping is so much
fun and clothes are so pretty! However, you cannot keep your closet organized if you are continually buying more
clothes and never throwing any out. If you do this, it will be no time
before your closet will again be looking like it does now. Once your
closet is full, you need to make a hard and fast rule that for every piece
you buy, you have to get rid of one. That way your closet will
maintain it’s organization.
Staying organized in any part of your life is challenging, but closets are
a special problem by themselves. Organizers are a good way of helping
keep this problem under control. Spring is a great time to
start!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
