Have you ever sorted through your closet and discovered some long lost shirt that you haven’t worn in ages? If your closet is filled to the brim and unorganized, there are so many pieces of clothing you might label “missed opportunities.” By that, we mean the clothing articles you might have chosen to wear on certain days – except you completely forgot they existed.
It happens to everyone. Your closet is such a mess that clothes fall to the floor or get squished in between bulky jackets, never to be seen again. This doesn’t have to be you any longer. You do not have to suffer with substandard clothes that don’t quite match the occasion. You can organize your closet in such a way that you won’t miss that perfect top when you’re dressing for your dinner date.
So, how do you get the closet of your dreams, no matter the size? Spend a few hours committing to the process and you will never spend time digging through your wardrobe again.
Get rid of the clothes you no longer wear.
If you’re going to completely revamp your closet, you need a fresh start. That means getting rid of all of those clothes you haven’t worn in ages – and probably won’t again. This can seem overwhelming because we have such a personal attachment to our clothes. But we have a few tips for this.
If there are any items you are questioning, ask yourself when was the last time that you wore it. An age-old trick for this is to start off every year by hanging your clothes in reverse on the hanger. As you use them, hang them up normally. The clothes that are still in reverse a year later are candidates for donation.
And don’t forget to dress for your current body. A lot of people hang on to old clothes that don’t fit the same in the hope that one day they will. Keep the clothes that fit you now, so you can make space for clothing you will actually be able to wear.
Assess your space.
Everyone has a different closet. That means the way that you allocate space will be different. Maybe you have a huge closet and are able to hang every piece of clothing up. Hanging clothes is the easiest way to find them later and keep them neat.
But if you have a small space or you’re working with lots of clothes, that might not be an option. In that case, figure out what items you’ll be hanging up and how you’ll organize your other clothes. Delicate clothes should be your first choice to hang up. Fold bulkier items. You can use a big dresser or smaller ones. The key is to find out how many you need and where you have room to put them. Ideally, they would go under your folded clothes to take up less room.
Categorize your clothes.
Get everything out of your closet and onto your bed, or another place where you can organize them. You’re going to create categories and subcategories. Start big and get more narrow. For instance, you might divide by tops and bottoms, then divvy each category into different subsets – like pants, shorts, and skirts.
If you’re someone who has a very active lifestyle, you might separate workout clothes from non-workout clothes first. The key is to find what makes most sense for your life and how you will use your closet. One of your categories should be color, since this is such a big determining factor for what clothing item you might want to wear with your outfit.
Practice regular upkeep.
Once your clothes are organized in a way that allows you to grab whatever you need, you want to honor your hard work by keeping up with it. As you put clothes away, stay within the system you created for yourself. The easiest way to lose track of your closet again is to neglect maintaining it day to day. Pretty soon, your closet will be overwhelming again.
There are plenty of good reasons to be more organized with your clothing, but the number one reason is that it will make life easier for you. Just a little work everyday can make a big difference. Let Splendid Maids know how you updated your closet!