A big part of the cleaning process comes down to organizing. It’s something I often struggle with, especially when it comes to clothing. When I moved into my new house, our closet was way smaller than our previous one. We no longer had a walk-in and our new home has pretty much the equivalent of our childhood bedroom closets.
Today, I want to share with you some closet organization strategies. Let’s take a look at what to do when you have to downsize your closet and how to get the most out of your small spaces!
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Closet Clean-Out
Successful people often say, “get the hardest thing done first, and then everything else feels easy!”. I think that there’s a lot of wisdom to this statement, so let’s start our closet makeover with the most difficult thing of all, the full clean-out.
Begin by taking everything out of your closet, placing it on your bed, and asking yourself, “Do I really need this? Am I going to use this?”. Scrutinize each piece of clothing. Then, put back the stuff that you wear, that you love, that fits, and that is seasonally appropriate. Everything else gets put in deep storage, sold, or donated.
It’s also good to do this as the seasons change. Obviously you’re not going to need that thermal underwear in June, so pack it up and put it in storage! I do this twice a year because I live in a 4 season climate but you should do it whenever you feel a major shift in your wardrobe is coming.
When I last took stock of my clothing and closet, I took notes on my entire process and I put it all into our new fantastic E-Book Closet Changeover Guide!
Maximize Space
No matter how big or small your closet is, the key is to figure out how to maximize every square inch of the space you have. You want to get as much in it as you can without it feeling crammed or stuffy.
When Chad and I moved into our new home we brought in a handyman to maximize the possibilities of our smaller closets. We both needed something a little different, me with my dresses and Chad with his shirts and in the end, getting a custom fit for our needs really made a huge difference.
You can also look at all of the creative DIY solutions that are out there to try and give your closet the personal touch it needs. There are bins, organizers, hanging shelves, and so many options, tools, and products out there that you can pick up to maximize every single bit of space in your closet.
Folding & Hanging
The secret to having an organized closet is having amazing hanging and folding techniques. These are so important to keeping things neat and tidy, and they really don’t take long to learn. 3 minutes of watching a video online, 3 minutes of practice, and it will forever change how your organize your closet.
The way I hang my jeans… classy. The way I hang my sweaters… consistent. The way I hang my blouses and delicates so as not to stretch or damage them. These are fairly easy things but they make a huge difference in my closet. I like to practice my techniques so that when I’m doing laundry and putting clothing away, I can just go on autopilot. This is simple stuff that will help keep your closet consistent and organized!
Sections & Colors
It’s also important to create sections in your closet and try to color-coordinate your garments. You need a method to the madness and organizing the sections in your closet will allow you to simply park each item where it needs to go when putting stuff away. It will also save you tons of time getting ready for your day when you know exactly where to find what you need.
Tools
One of the things we always talk about at Clean My Space is the PTT’s; products, tools, and techniques. Here we will focus on tools you’ll need when organizing your clothing, inside and out of the closet.
Now, you can always get free hangers at the dry cleaners or plastic ones at your mother’s house from 1987 but it’s not going to be best for your garments. If you want a nice consistent look and want to slim down the amount of space that you’re using then space-saving hangers are aces! We love them here at Clean My Space and it seems like others do too!
Second, there are many back-of-the-door hanging solutions. These are great for small slippers, scarves, belts, and other accessories that you’re not quite sure where to put.
When storing my off-season clothes I like to pick up those really big plastic storage containers. These can hold a lot of clothing and last forever. We also use the space-saving storage bags that you stuff full and then suck all the air out. These will save you a ton of space and are great for long-term storage. These are some of the tools that I have found are extremely helpful in managing my closet and maximizing the space that I have.
When we moved to our new place I was quite intimidated by the idea of downsizing my closet. But, I can tell you now, after getting my organizing game together, I absolutely LOVE having a smaller closet! It forces me to only keep what I love and what I need. I buy less, worry less, and get to spend time focusing on the things that are important. Hopefully you’ve picked up a tip or two and can start organizing your closet in a better way. Thanks so much!
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