If opening your closet door carries the risk of having an avalanche of stuff completely burying you, then it is probably time you cleaned and organized the closet. Here are some tips for how to organize a closet properly.

Have a plan before you start. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. There are several excellent books on the subject of closet organization to help you if you get stuck. Some titles to look for are “Smart Closet Makeovers” by Cynthia Overbeck Bix, “The Essential Guide to Closet Organization” by Bonnie Jacobson, and “Black and Decker’s Build Your Own Custom Closet” by Gillett Cole.

Once you have a plan figured out, you need to decide what materials you will need to implement said plan. There are many organizational components you can buy and install in your closet. Storage bins, shelves, and clothes bars can help greatly with keeping things neat and tidy. There are many brands to choose from, Household Essentials and Rubbermaid to name a couple, and they vary in appearance. Some are fancy and others are more utilitarian, but the choice is up to you to decide the style. There are also baskets that small items can be stored in and placed on shelves.

After you have your system in place, you can start really organizing. Get rid of anything that you don’t need, things that are broken or damaged, clothes that are too big or too small or out of style, and anything that you never wear for whatever reason. Clothes can always be donated, and shoes as well, if you have an aversion to throwing out perfectly good things.

You can arrange the clothes you keep into specific sections of the closet. Shirts can be put together, then pants, then skirts. You may also like to sort your clothes by color or by specific outfits or ensembles that go together. You should keep the clothes you wear often near the front of the closet and the ones you wear less often or seldom in the back. This way you won’t have to dig through your clothes until you find what you want.

 

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