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- Have I worn this shirt or skirt in the last year?
- Does this jacket still fit?
- Do I really need 12 baskets that look exactly the same?
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Use These 5 Steps To Get Your Closet Organized
No matter what kind of closet you’re planning, take the time to think
ahead and really consider what you need to store and where you want to
store it. Taking a hard look at what you have will help you understand
the kind of storage you need.
Designate a staging area and empty your
closet out. You can use your bed or a cleared-out corner of the room.
This important first step requires you to remove everything: clothes,
hangers, boxes, folded blankets or piles of old magazines.
Use a collapsible clothing rack to hang
clothes so you can clearly see and sort exactly what you have. The rack
is a nice addition for your laundry room once the closet project is
over. Take your time with this process, maybe play some of your favorite
music and ask a friend or family member to help if heavy items need to
be moved.
Organize items into specific categories and
take inventory. You can place like items in cardboard boxes, plastic
containers or in piles, and use labels to help keep track of each group
of items. Some organizers suggest starting with “keep,” “toss” and
“donate” piles, while others prefer their clients to start with broad
categories (clothes, shoes and linens) and then divide everything into
smaller subcategories (sweaters, winter boots and sheets).
During this stage, take the time to group
small items like batteries or toy soldiers together in bags or jars, so
they don’t end up “lost” among the boxes or piles of larger items.
Eliminate items that don’t belong in that
particular closet. One of the big causes of clutter and disorganization
in the home is items that belong in the kitchen or bedroom, are found
hiding in closets all over the house. Over time, the temptation to stuff
something like a box of appetizer plates in a bedroom closet or extra
towels for the bathroom in the entry closet can cause you to make some
bad storage decisions. This is the time to return out-of-place items to
their rightful home. But try to stay focused on planning one closet at a
time. You can turn your attention to other closets at a later date.
Remove unwanted items. This might be the
most difficult part of the closet planning process. It helps to
establish some basic rules up front, like anything with holes or pairs
of shoes or socks missing their partner must go. Ask yourself some
questions:
The answer to many of the questions will
likely be “no” and then you can decide if you want to donate items to
charity, try selling items online, hold a garage sale or take unwanted
items to a local consignment store.
If you don’t want to sell your used goods,
hold a swap meet with friends and neighbors who want to eliminate
clutter from their home. Many times a beautiful sweater that looks snug
on your daughter can be a perfect fit for the child down the street.
Just avoid the tragic storage mistake of leaving the swap meet with
items you don’t need. Remember; Keep your eye on the prize!
Clean the closet itself. While you might
think an empty closet is “clean”, now is the time to wipe down the
closet walls and vacuum or mop the closet floor. Once items are removed,
you will probably find stray clothing tags, store receipts or dust
bunnies. If the walls need painting, choose a paint that is specifically
formulated to be mold and mildew-resistant. If you find your closet
walls have mildew or mold after you remove items, have a professional
examine your walls and properly clean and paint them.