There is no one size fit all solution for when it comes to organizing your clothes and a closet. There are however some concrete steps on how to tackle your own closet, create a system that works for you, and get everything organized in a way that fits your needs. Below I go over the steps and all of the questions you need to ask yourself to get your closet organized.
Step 1: Trimming down 80/20
Pretty much everybody could do with some trimming down in their closet. You have to be pretty ruthless here, and get rid of as much as possible.
Trimming down the number of clothes you have will mean:
- You’ll have less decision making to do when you open up the closet
- Every time you open your closet, it will be easier to get dressed – because you will really like everything in your closet
- It is easier to get dressed when you have less
3 Questions To Ask Yourself
- “What do I love in my closet vs. what is just ok?” (try and git rid of the ok items)
- “Have I worn it in the last 12 months?” (Figure out which pieces you use the most, and the ones that just sit round. We tend to use 20% of our clothes 80% of the time – those are the pieces you want to keep)
- “If I saw it in a store now, would I buy it?”
If you have any sentimental items that are too hard to get rid of, store them out of the way.
Step 2: Figuring Out Your Needs
The next step is to figure out what you need in a closet system.
These questions below will help you figure out what sort of closet system you need. If you have dresses to hang up, you’ll maybe need more railings than shelves. If you have winter vs summer clothes to store, then you’ll probably need closet storage containers that can be closed up and stored away at the top of the closet, or under the bed.
The items you use the most, you’ll want to be super organized and the easiest to get to. These pieces should be upfront and center and clutter free.
- What items do you need in your closet? What can you store out of the way?
- Do you have long dresses?
- Winter and summer wear?
- Do you need to store linens?
- Do you need to store other items?
- What are the clothes you use the most? Workwise, and weekend wise?
Step 3: Designing Your Closet
Once you know what you need to store, the next step is to figure out how to organize your closet. So the next thing you need to do is to compare what are your needs (from step 2), with what you have to work with as your current closet – and what you need to change to get it right.
Are you building a closet from scratch, or do you have drawers, or just railings. Can you expand your closet? Are you able to store non essential items out of the way, under the bed or in a different room.
- What are you going to need in your closet system?
- If you have drawers, then you’ll need dividers to keep things organized – get some here
- If you don’t have enough railings or closet shelving, is there a way to change it up
- If you need more shelving than railing space, then you could get one of these hanging closet organizers and shelving units
- Do you need shoe racks to keep your shoes tidy?
- If you use drawers, could you do with drawer dividers to keep things organized?
- Shelf dividers can help keep shelf space tidy
- Do you need zip up storage or bins with lids to store seasonal items?
One great closet organization system design is IKEAs ALGOT. You can pick and choose railings, shelving, and all of the containers to store things away. These can be fitted into existing closets.
A Few Storage and Closet Organization Ideas
Here are a few quick ideas on storing clothes in your closet. You’ll need to find the right ideas that fit your needs and the space you have.
1) Here is a way to fold your shirts so they stand up in your drawers – making them easy to get to. 2) Steel hooks can be used to hang up pants – the ones pictured are expensive ones available on Etsy but you can get cheap ones here. 3) Drawers are where things go to get lost. Keep them organized with dividers. Picture from Lifeflix – get your drawer organizers here.
If you need help with shoe storage, head on over to my other post: Unique Closet and Entryway Shoe Storage Ideas
Need Extra Storage Space?
When storing things in the bedroom it is best to keep things hidden away and out of sight. This creates a less visually cluttered bedroom.
- Hooks or even a pegboard attached to the inside of the closet doors is one way of adding storage space.
- Under the bed rolling drawers
- A bedroom bench with storage
- Do you have any suitcases that are being stored away? These can be used to keep seasonal wear.
- Alternative ideas include over the door hooks, a standing coat rack, or a ladder to hang up everyday cloth items like jackets (Ideas for Decorating With Ladders).
If you have a small closet, then have a look at this post for some creative ideas: Smart Small Closet Ideas and Storage Organization Tricks.
Style Tip: Get Decorative
It wouldn’t hurt to make your closet space look good, at the same time keeping it organized. You can easily do this by getting more decorative storage items such as:
- Wicker baskets
- Wire baskets
- Enamel buckets
Check out my storage page for more stylized ideas.
Adding some closet lights, such as battery powered motion sensing lights, will help you see things in the back of the closet.
How about this chic simple closet makeover idea from Popsugar:
For more closet makeover ideas, check out my post here: DIY Challenge: Give Your Closet Doors a Makeover
Getting Started
Step 1: Trim down
Pull everything out of your closet. Get ruthless in decluttering and getting rid of everything that you don’t need.
Step 2: Figure out your needs
Once you are left with just the items that matter, you can start to plan out what type of closet you’ll need to keep your clothes organized.
Step 3: Adjusting your closet design
You can start to adjust and customize your closet to fit your needs. By adding or taking away railings, drawers, or by buying drawer organizers and shelf dividers.
More closet related posts:
- Creating a Workspace at Home: Closet Office Ideas
- Creative Ways of How To Store Scarves
- Getting Creative: No Closet Solutions and Storage Ideas
- Search all of my closet posts for more ideas
