15 Tips for Organizing Your Closet

Not that it is terribly difficult to organize a closet full of my favorite black gap shirts, BUT I am still feeling in a cut-the-clutter sort of mood, and over the holidays, a lot of non-clothing items found their way into my closet.  Do you do that?  Impromptu company comes by and you make a mad dash to throw everything into the master bedroom closet—because you are sure that’s the ONLY possible place they won’t look?

I don’t know about you, but there is something de-stressing about walking into an organized storage space and being able to find exactly what you need without the tiniest bit of chaos.  I always promise myself after I clean out a closet or drawer that it will never get messy again, but then life happens, and I’m back in the same boat.  I guess that is why January exists—it’s a chance to declutter for the year ahead when it’s too cold to do anything else.

Here’s a couple of tips on getting your closet organized:

1. Baskets.  Oh, how I heart baskets.  You can hide ANYTHING in them, and they look so neat sitting up on the shelf.  Baskets work great for loose items like scarves, socks, and belts.
2. Group like with like.  If you fold your jeans on a shelf or drawer in the closet, make sure to keep them together.  Jeans need friends, stack them together so you know exactly what you have.  Same goes for sweaters, etc.
3. Organize hanging clothes by genre as well.  Short sleeves together, long sleeves, dresses, etc.  Within each category, organize by color.  I know that sounds ridiculously OCD, but seriously, when you actually get them all together, you may realize, you have 10 pairs of black dress pants and only wear three.  Get rid of the rest.  They are cluttering up your life. Unless of course they are GAP long sleeved black t shirts, then, you can never have enough. 😉
4. Get a shoe organizer.  Whether you hang it on the back of the door or get cubbies that sit on the bottom of the closet, they are great for keeping everything organized.  Store shoes seasonally.  In the summer sandals and flip flops get to be in the shoe organizer, then, when the season is over, put them in a big Rubbermaid bin at the top of the closet and swap them out for winter shoes.  That way, you won’t take up valuable real estate all year long when you don’t need to.
5. If you share your closet with your spouse, kick him out.  Kidding!  Make sure you have clearly defined spaces.  His and hers.  It makes finding things so much easier.
6. If you can invest, pull out drawers are AWESOME for the closet.  They are fairly inexpensive, and hey, you might even find you don’t need a dresser anymore, which helps declutter the bedroom.  Even a cheap dresser in the closet is great for organizing and clearing room in a small bedroom.
7. Install double bars in half of the closet.  This is great way to double your space for just a couple of bucks.  Leave a small space for longer items, like dresses and suits.
8. If you have the space, put a mirror and a peg board {super inexpensive at Home Depot} the closet where you can hang your jewelry.  That way, as you dress, you can accessorize in the same place—which I never do, because it seems like too much work to walk back out of the closet and go into the bedroom to pick out a necklace, earrings, etc.  Maybe if I put it in my closet, I would.  {Who are we kidding, probably not.}
9. If you do have drawers in the closet, you can organize them by buying PVC pipe and cutting it down.  Then, roll scarves, ties, socks, etc. in each pipe, keeping them organized, wrinkle free, and easy to grab.
10. Use luggage tags to label baskets.  Write what is in the basket in large letters, slide it into the luggage tag, and strap it onto the handle of baskets.  Then, you don’t have to pull out each basket to peek inside.
11. Put a laundry hamper in the closet.  That way, when you change, you can toss them straight into the bin, instead of on the floor, with the purest intentions to carry then to the laundry room  later.
12. Use shower curtain rings to organize scarves on a hanger.  Loop each scarf through one of the rings and clip the ring onto a hanger.  Then, all your scarves will be on one hanger, individually stored and waiting for you.
13. Use extra suitcases to store seasonal clothing.  Throw your sweaters into the suitcase and stash it at the top of your closet.  When cool weather rolls around, swap them out for shorts.  You have to store the suitcases anyway, you might as well make them earn their keep.
14. Hooks.  Hang a couple of hooks in the closet {if you have the space} for things you use regularly, like robes, etc.  That way, you won’t be tempted to leave it in a pile on the floor,  instead of putting it on the hanger, you can just throw it on a hook quick and easy like.
15. Hang purses on pot hooks on the closet rod.  It keeps them from getting all scrunched and ruined at the bottom of the closet.

How about you, what tricks do you have up your sleeve for keeping your closet organized?

~Mavis