1. Downsize your wardrobe. Go through each item in your closet and ask yourself if the garment fits and flatters, or whether you have worn it in the last six months. If the answer is no in either instance, then it should be donated, purged or recycled.
2. Organize your closet in sections (informal vs. formal wear, shoes and accessories, etc.). Then, organize each section in a chronological manner the way you would get dressed in the morning – underwear first, then tops and bottoms, and lastly, shoes and accessories. This system can save a lot of time each morning when getting dressed.
3. Create a system for your items on hangers and items in drawers. You can organize by color, brand, fabric, cuts, etc. Then, stick to whatever system works for you! Dividers in drawers and pull-out shelves can be used to keep smaller items organized and stacked properly (e.g. lingerie, undergarments, purses, etc.). Try to avoid stacking sweaters and shirts too high. 3-5 high is a good number.
4. Replace your hangers. Omit those flimsy dry cleaner hangers from your closet and replace them with good quality hangers. Having matching hangers in your closet will instantly give your closet a face-lift!
5. Use pull-out shelves for easy access. Narrow depth shelves should be used so smaller items don’t hide at the back of your shelves. All your clothing should be easily visible. After all, what you don’t see, you will likely never wear.
6. Organize shoes. Just like you would sort your clothes, it is important to sort through your shoes. Ask yourself again – keep, purge, recycle, or donate? Shoes that are not worn frequently but are a must save, such as occasion shoes and winter weather shoes, can be stored in small plastic boxes on a high shelf in the closet.
7. Designate a dirty laundry area. Pull-out or free-standing laundry baskets in a closet can prevent garments from landing on a chair or on the floor. Make sure everything in your closet has a space and is always kept in its place.
8. Include a landing table (island or pull-out table). This allows for ease of packing and folding garments.
9. Invest in pull-down swing rods. Pull-down swing rods are a great addition to closets that have vertical height. The rod can be placed at a higher height than traditional rods, but with a swing of a rod, pulls down to eye level. This way, you can maximize the vertical height by creating more accessible drawer/shelving space below.
10. Compartmentalize small items. It is much harder to organize smaller items such as belts, ties, and jewelry within the closet space because smaller items tend to get lost much easier. There are unique organizational tools on the market that make it easy to organize, view and store these accessories
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This article was written for the CRAVE company by Lisa Adams, founder of LA Closet Design. LA Closet Design focuses heavily on the design process, customizing wardrobe spaces every step of the way; from concept to completion.
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November 17th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Excellent and very useful tips on wardrobe organization. I also have a basket where I can quickly throw items I decided not to wear or clean clothes from the week and at the end of the week I will re hang the items. Great tips!
November 17th, 2010 at 10:48 am
lisa doesn’t live in minnesota– items i haven’t worn in six months are usually for whatever season we’re not having.
November 17th, 2010 at 11:46 am
So love these tips. We encounter so many closets in need of closet systems to make getting dressed in the morning easy. When the downsizing becomes a difficult task, then the help of us (your fellow CRAVE babe) organizers can come to the rescue. We provide helpful links to organizations if you need suggestions where to donate.
November 17th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Hi betsyl! Just so you know, like most of our posts these days, this article went out to all of CRAVE’s cities because we want everyone to benefit from the advice of fellow women entrepreneurs. Thanks so much for your comment (that goes for everyone else too)!
– Sarah | Social Media Director at CRAVE