How to organize your closet

Posted on by Forest in General, Minimalism, Opinion

Knowing how to organize your closet is an essential step to organizing your life!

You should have seen my closet and whole bedroom when I was in my early 20′s. At one point I honestly swear it was knee deep in clothes (the room not the closet) and the closet was almost empty. I owned so much crap yet only wore a few items on rotation. As I moved towards taking better care of myself and minimalism as a whole I learned to organize my closet effectively. Oddly having an orderly closet gives you a feeling of calm and zen, well it does me anyway!

How to organize your closet in simple steps

I pretty much try and do these steps every few months. Sometimes I don’t need to do all of them but here is the rough guide.

1. Pull every single thing out and throw it on the bed – I love starting with an absolute mess and getting it cleaned up from there on. I get every last item including hangers from the closet and just throw it on the bed.

2. clean the closet inside and out - Get some damp clothes and white vinegar/water solution and clean the inside of your closet completely. You may be astounded at how much dirt and dust is in that thing! Get into every corner and up high too!

3. First rush through clothes with rough sorting - At this point I do my first clothes sort. I make piles for each type of clothing and make 2 piles on the floor too. One is for clothes I will donate and one for clothes I will throw away. Sometimes other circumstances require another pile but not often. On the bes itself I get trousers, sweaters, shorts, t-shirts, shirts etc organized into rough piles. I also keep all the hangers in one handy pile.

4. Getting everything back in - This part is the bit where it all comes together. I organize the hanging a little different each time but generally keep the same items together and hang all t-shirts too. I only fold gym clothes and underwear and the rest gets hanged. As you pick up each item and hang it ask yourself a 2nd time if you really need it. If it hasn’t been worn for a year then throw it on the donate pile (this doesn’t go for expensive suits!). By the time your bed is empty you will feel great and your wardrobe will be nice and neatly organised.

Other quick tips - I hang belts and ties on one end and put shoes nearly in the bottom of the wardrobe. Loose items should go in drawers rather than being flung on a wardrobe shelf or at the bottom. If you don’t have enough hangers leave the house and go and get some more now! If you don’t do it whilst in the organizing mood you may never!

5. Donate to Goodwill and get your tax receipt – Take all that clothing to Goodwill (or offer to friends) and make sure you pick up a tax receipt to claim a little tax relief. A little saved money and a lot of saved space will make you fee great!

What tips do you have on how to organize your wardrobe?

Tags: closet organizing tips, easy organizing, get clothes in order, how to organize your closet, organize your life, organize your wardrobe, wardrobe organizing tips