Opening the door to a well
organized closet is a peaceful way to start the day.
Wouldn't you love to be able to open your closet and
pick out an outfit to wear for any occasion in 20
seconds or less. Well, I can teach you how and it will
only sting for a minute. Did you know that most people
wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time? That's a lot
of clothes taking up valuable room in our closets that
we rarely, if ever, wear.
First things first. Empty
the whole closet. That's right, take everything out of
the closet. You'll be amazed what you'll find. While the
closet's empty you might as well wash the walls, shelfs,
rods and vaccum the floor.
Now it's time to go
through your clothes and decide what to keep, give away
or throw away. You will need four boxes for sorting: put
away (things you are keeping, but do not belong in your
bedroom closet) give away, throw away and store away.
Ask yourself these questions about each article of
clothing: Would you buy this again today? Is it easy to
wear and care for? Do I feel good when I wear this? That
should weed out the obvious duds. Next, try on the
clothes you're not sure of. Don't keep those clothes
that are 2 sizes too big or small. What a waste of space
and you don't want to get back into those clothes that
are too big anyway. If you have to think about keeping
an item for a minute or longer, it is probably not worth
keeping. This goes for clothes and anything else. If you
still have some indecision, I have one more trick for
you. When it's time to put your clothes back in the
closet hang all the hangers on the rod backwards. As you
wear an item place the hanger on the rod the right way.
If the hanger is still turned backwards after 6 months,
donate the item. Your husband might think you're crazy,
but it really works.
You're almost ready to
start putting your clothes back in your closet. First,
you need to get rid of all those wire hangers. Run to
the store and buy those thick plastic hangers. They are
so inexpensive (10 for $1) and make your closet look so
much neater. They also force your clothes to hang
further apart to help prevent wrinkles and they don't
get tangled in one another. I prefer the white ones for
my closet, but each member of my family has a different
color.
As you're returning
your clothes to your closet, Keep Like With Like! This
means categorize: pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, etc.
Next, hang categories grouped by color. This makes
selecting and coordinating outfits quicker and easier.
Say you need a red shirt to go with those gray pants,
you could pick out those items in a manner of seconds.
Hang your skirts on skirt hangers to save on space (keep
colors together). Add a lower rod to your closet to add
to or even double hanging space. It's so quick and easy.
Put your shoes on some kind of shoe rack, not on the
floor. Get rid of all your shoes that look 10 years old
or hurt your feet. You know you're never going to wear
them again. Remember, waste of valuable space. I prefer
cubbies or shelves, but you could also use metal racks,
depending on how many shoes you have and how much closet
space. Put your belts, scarves, hats, ties, etc. where
you can see them for fast and easy retrieval. I love
hooks, all kinds of hooks. They work for everything and
they're inexpensive. Remember, like with like in
everything.
Do not put anything
back in your closet that does not have a home there. Ie:
bags from stores, school supplies, kids items, things
that have a home in another room, etc. Don't buy
something just because it's on sale. Take an inventory
of your closet and only buy what you need, and what
makes you feel good about yourself when you try it on. I
organized a clients closet and she ended up having 19
black sweaters and 13 white button down shirts. Eight of
them still had the tags on them. She had wasted time,
money and space not knowing what was in her closet. Keep
a bag or basket in the bottom of your closet where you
can toss items to donate. Take to a charity when the bag
is full. Don't forget to use the valuable space on the
inside of the closet door. This is a perfect place for
your exercise clothes, pj's, sweat jackets, robes, etc.
Put sweaters on shelves and categorize by color for
quick retrieval. Wow, now you have an organized closet.
Don't you feel so much better and think of how much time
you will save picking out that perfect outfit for a day
with the kids or a night out with your husband. Time is
money and an organized closet is peace of mind.
