I worked in retail for a handful of years and would use my merchandising skills to make closets look like little stores. I was a fun way to make a closet feel luxurious, while eliminating clutter and letting go of items that have been collecting dust for more years than we would all like to admit.
It has been some time since I used my organizational tips to de-clutter closets, but I still use them whenever it’s time for me to go through my closet and get rid of clothes that have served their purpose two times over.
Here are a few tips I would like to share with all of our SmartFem readers to help you de-clutter your closets and get a head start on that growing spring cleaning list.
If you haven’t worn it in six months, it’s time to let it go.
This may seem harsh but trust me, unless it’s a seasonal item like a winter coat, you won’t wear it if it’s been untouched for the past six months. Basic tees apply to this rule, and so do trendy items that you wanted to try and the trend has now passed. If you stick to this rule and clean out your closet twice a year, you’ll notice your closet will stay de-cluttered even as you bring new items in.
To see exactly what you haven’t worn in six months turn all your hangers backwards and when you wear something and go to hang it back up, hang it the correct way. At the end of six months you’ll see what you have and have not worn.
Fold your sweaters over a hanger or put them in a drawer.
In Arizona we pretty much have two seasons; hot and hotter. In order to preserve winter sweaters fold them and hang them on the rod of the hanger, or if you have extra drawer space keep them in a drawer. With sweaters we only get so many months to bring them out and wear them, so they tend to last longer. I usually replace my sweaters every few winters and this is because I keep them folded. Hanging them causes the material to stretch and loose its shape, making their wearability far less than you can ideally get out of them.
Hang clothing by color, season, and shape.
The easiest way to see what you have so you don’t accidentally purchase two of the same item is to be diligent about keeping your clothing categorized. I usually start at one end of the closet and work my way down to the other end, starting with summer and transitioning to spring, then to fall and lastly to winter. I have the summer clothing start at the end of the closet that is the most accessible. This works for us Arizonans because we rarely use the winter end of our closets. I start by hanging tank tops, then shirts with sleeves. Because my closet is broken into three sections I hang my summer dresses behind my shirts, starting with sleeveless to sleeves. The next section has shorts, then skirts, then slacks. The last section has shirts with three quarter sleeves, then long sleeves, and lastly sweaters. Depending on what works for you, you can transition your clothing any way you like. The main goal here is to keep similar items next to each other.
I also categorize by color. I start with the lightest colors, white and cream, and transition to black.
They may seem simple but these quick tips definitely help me keep my closet organized, and they are still my go-to tricks when I organize my friends’ closets.
Try them out and let us know what you think!
