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!
