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Closet Organizing Tips: Create a Closet Space that Gets Rid of the 'I Have Nothing to Wear' Feeling
I feel like a nomad most times.
Moving from one place to another over the last couple of years, I've successfully resisted the urge to splurge on lots of stuff.
I'm always thinking...
Would I want to carry that around with me in a suitcase?
Even though I've been put for the last five years, this thought still crosses my mind. Not to mention that the small sizes of the closets in my apartment kinda leave me no choice but to try and keep them decluttered and organized.
At this point, my clothes tend to end up draped over the dining room chairs and I wonder...
When did this start happening?
I need my chairs back!
This means that it's time that I put my closet organizing maintenance plan in effect.
But first, I want to share with you some closet organizing tips.
- Have a plan. If you've been reading housecleaning-tips.com for a while you know that I approach my house cleaning and organizing like an agile project. This is a methodology I picked up on the job as a software developer.
First you gather your requirements or just look at the content of your closet with a notebook or index cards in hand and write down each task that needs to be complete in order to have the closet of your dreams (sorry - that's a bit over the top).
How about the vision of a closet containing items of clothing and accessories that don't give you that 'I have nothing to wear' feeling.
- Declutter your closet. Use whatever method you like. I personally am a fan of the KonMari method of 'does it spark joy'. Besides the 'spark' - the lasting method I learned from her book is how to properly fold and store my clothes.
Now there is no turning back for me.
But there's also the gentle art of Swedish death cleaning. I learned about this recently. Sounds a bit final doesn't it? The whole idea is to get your affairs in order so that no one else has to do it for you, which makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it.
You can also start with some cures for closet clutter right here.
- Organize your closet space for optimal use. Once you've decluttered, empty your closet of what remains and wipe down the shelves, sides and doors. Then stare into your empty closet and look at what you want to put into it.
Is there enough room for the clothes and accessories you want to hang, or stack?
Are you planning on also using your closet to store your out of season clothing and linens?
If not, then maybe you're not done decluttering or you need to decide on some space saving solutions.
The whole idea of designing you closet space is to make sure that everything has a comfortable place - without being jam-packed.
You can also be creative when you know that there is not enough space in the closet. For instance, I like to tie my scarves to hangers and just put them different places in the apartment. I treat them like like art on the walls. I do the same with my costume jewellery and belts although these stay in the bedroom.
Out of season clothing can be placed in vacuum storage bags, which compress linens, clothes and bedding items into space efficient and moisture and mildew free bags. They can be stored under the bed or elsewhere out of sight.
What's left in the closet can be hung by length and color.
Stack in categories - you know, sweaters with sweaters, underwear with underwear while keeping the color scheme in mind.
- Consider closet organizers. The amount or number of items you have left will determine how much of your closet should be dedicated to a particular storage style. For example, if you fold your sweaters and shirts, and only hang trousers or skirts and jackets - you would need to provide some shelving and some hanging space based on the number of each type of item you had.
The basic components of closet organizers include:
- Shoe racks - These can be either hanging or free standing in the bottom of a closet.
The free-standing ones are often useful. This is because they can be designed to be as long as your closet but only two or three sections high, so they do not interfere with hanging items, even dresses or trousers.
Shoe racks can also be designed to hang on a rod, and these are usually long and narrow, and may be wonderful if you only plan on keeping 10 or so pairs of shoes in the closet. Some shoe racks use a bin system while others are open to the front.
- Closet Doublers - These rods hang off the top rod to provide additional hanger space under the first rod of clothes.
If you hand a lot of shirts, sweaters, skirts or folded pants these closet doublers are great for increasing your hanger space in the closet.
These items cannot be used for full-length dresses, as they will not allow enough space for the dress to hang properly. Most closet doublers come in various lengths so it is easy to have half the original rod doubled and leave the rest for longer garments.
- Shelving units - Often additional shelves that are wire that stand on the currently installed shelves serve to double your storage.
Some shelving units may also be mounted directly to the wall by the use of metal brackets.
- Bins - Bins can be interlocking or stand alone, or can be contained with free standing or wall mounted cabinets.
Clear bins are a great way to store accessories such as belts, scarves, purses or other items.
By combining the various closet organizers you can truly expand your closet space using exactly the components that you need the most.
- Shoe racks - These can be either hanging or free standing in the bottom of a closet.
- Have a closet organizing maintenance plan. From the moment your clothes and accessories start moving into other living areas of your home - its time to go back to the source of the problem.
In fact, don't even wait until it gets that bad. Make a weekly or bi-monthly appointment with your closet and assess.
Is anything in there that you no longer want?
Is there anything in there that's not supposed to be there?
Remembering the Swedish death cleaning method, is the anything in their that you would not want anyone else to have to get rid off for you?
According to your answers to these questions, make the necessary adjustments to get back to the closet of your dreams.
For more tips like these checkout my ebook and Discover The House Cleaning Secrets That Will Help You Take Back Your Time by Creating a Home That is Quick and Easy To Clean!
