This is week 3 of my closet organizing series, and it’s time to do the dang thing and organize your closet! Empty part (or all!) of the closet, and try these tips to create an organization system that’s unique to you.
Keep Like with Like
Keeping similar things together means you can visually assess what you’ve got. When your sweaters and pants and skirts are all in a jumble on the closet floor, it’s hard to know how many of each thing you have. Separating items by category keeps your wardrobe balanced. It also makes things easier to find. Just like a file folder with subfolders inside, you can create a system in your closet that makes locating items simple. No more digging through piles to find that one sleeveless top you know is somewhere in there. It’s with the other sleeveless tops!
Of course there are many different ways to categorize items–you don’t have to do it by sleeve length. Use whatever method works best for you. If you’re not sure which to pick, roll a die and pick one at random. Try it out for a few weeks and see how it feels!
You can sort by
- clothing type
- color
- season
- sleeve length
- occasion…
There are tons of options! You can even sort by outfit! If there are pieces you know you always wear together, group them.
Hanging vs. Folding
Are you a hanger, a folder, or a mix of the two? I like a hybrid approach where the type of garment determines my storage method. Blouses and pants that crease and wrinkle are best hung up, while denim and t-shirts are great for compact folding. That’s not to say you can’t hang it all! If you’ve got the room, go for it.
Use Vertical Space
When you can’t go outward, go upward! Vertical space is especially important in closets, where there’s often limited room. Use stackable options when possible, and try space-saving hangers to maximize your closet.
Ease of Maintenance
Make sure that whatever closet organization system you choose is something you can easily maintain. It’s super fun to sort clothes by type, then color within that type, followed by sleeve length…but sometimes you can get TOO detailed with it.
If you need a flow chart to put laundry away, you’ve gone too far.
Accessibility
If you wear it a lot, keep it at eye level and within arm’s reach. Special-occasion items can be stored in less accessible parts of the closet, like in the back or on a high or low shelf or drawer. Make it easy on yourself! If you’re digging through sweaters in summer to find your tees, swap them around.
Go organize your closet, and tell me how it goes!
Great information! I’m a big fan of functionality in the closet. I like to set daily outfits on my bottom rods, so I don’t have to think about anything in the morning; I just need to get dressed.
That’s a cool way to do it. Whatever makes it easier!
Ease of access is so important. Recently, I stayed in an Airbnb, which had a strange closet set-up. I’ve seen this in older homes. Instead of having a rod and shelving, it had hooks on the back wall. It’s not an efficient way to hang/store clothes. For a weekend, it was OK, but for a regular-use situation, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Oof, yeah I can see how that would get irritating! Sounds like a lot of wasted space.
Great post! I love sorting my clothes by type, then colour. It works well for me. I don’t have a dresser, so most everything hangs in my closet and I use baskets for underwear and socks. Works well for me and keeps things super simple.
Type and color is a great way to go!
You hit all the high points. I like very concrete categories for hanging clothes, so I sort by type (blazers, sweaters, shirts, suits, pants, skirts), then sub-type (like sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve) and then by color. My brain can’t make sense of a closet with no categories or very generalized ones (though I do have an occasional client who couldn’t care less). I have a huge closet and only a moderately sized dresser and have found that hanging is better for most clothing except for foundation garments, but there’s always a way to accommodate the situation.
And yes, it doesn’t matter how organized you are; if it’s not easy to access and maintain, you’re not going to keep up with it!
Exactly, Julie! I also prefer hanging clothes overall, unless it’s something like leggings.