While some people use their closets religiously, other people may just throw old shoes and unwanted clothing inside and shut it for the season. No matter which side of the spectrum you’re on, there is a chance that you could make some improvements to maintain your closet organized. Expecting a special visitor? Is your closet overflowing? Are you trying to sell your home? While a real estate agent could tell you how important closet space is when selling your home on the real estate market! It is also much more convenient to not have to battle your clothes every time you need a clean shirt.
Let’s explore some options and you can decide which one fits your situation best. Clearing the clutter in your closet is a good way to save space and make the most of your small house/apartment. Whether you’re just using it to store off-season clothes or organizing your entire wardrobe inside, the size of the closet determines how you use it. Have a small closet, medium closet, or large walk-in closet? Here are some closet organization tips below to help declutter your life!
Make the Most of Your Closet
The size of your closet determines the tips, tricks, and ideas that can be applied. The amount of clothing that you own also influences the way in which you organize them, so if you own a lot of clothes and have limited closet space, it might be necessary to purge your closet before you start organizing it and, you could also look at ways to add an eco-friendly flair to your wardrobe. The fact of the matter is that no matter how stubborn and determined you are to organize your closet, if you don’t have the space for all your clothing you won’t manage to organize them to fit.
Small closets
With small closets, investing in affordable closet organization systems is wise. Find ways to reduce the number of shoeboxes by storing them on racks. You can even hang them on the inside of the door with a shoe-hanger. There are different types of organizers that you can use for most of your foldable clothes. Take sweaters for example or t-shirts. If you simply stack them one on top of the other, you’ll wind up messing up your folding system every time you take one out. Besides this, you will also find it hard to pinpoint the clothing article you are actually looking for and take out several t-shirts before you find the one with the Rolling Stones print.
Limited storage space requires a different folding method that offers you the best visual of each t-shirt. Using baskets to stack them vertically will ensure that you won’t disturb the others when you take one of them out. This can be applied to anything that is foldable including your undergarments and jeans. Try to make the most of your hanger space, and put off-season clothes at the back of the closet or under your bed instead. Another option is to have a trunk or a bench with storage where you can store all the seasonal clothes when they are not needed.
Medium closets
While medium-sized closets do offer more space and freedom, you probably won’t fit a lounging loveseat in it. The actual size of these closets can vary and may even be a smaller walk-in closet, like a pantry or a service bathroom. These types of closets can give you the impression that you have unlimited space, but they are just tricking you. If you have the budget for it, you could invest in a tall closet system that is customizable and will help allow you to design it to fit your needs best.
Utilize buckets and organizational systems to keep things tidy, and arrange your closet in order of what you use the most. Vacuum sealed bags, plastic boxes & storage rooms make it easier to switch out your wardrobe for each season, by putting only the season at hand in your bedroom closet, while other seasons’ attire is stored away.
Large / walk-in closets
Everyone wants a big closet, but no one knows what to do once they have one. If you have one, and the funds to go along with it, turn it into a custom closet! Don’t have the funds for a custom closet? Then add a full-length mirror inside, organize your clothes by style to make them easy to find, and invest in a few velvet hangers to prevent your clothes from falling off the hangers. Attaining your dream closet might not be as difficult as you believe.
Depending on your budget and closet design style, think of an island. Not a kitchen island, but a closet island. Right there in the middle of your closet, taking center stage (with some great task lighting) a closet island will not only give you plenty of storage space through drawers, but you will also be able to display your favorite items, bags, shoes, or even some flowers and framed photos to increase the cozy factor. The added benefit of this would be that, while your closet’s central area will be occupied, you will need easy access all around it, transforming that into a clutter-free zone.
Kids’ closets
Monsters aren’t the only terrifying thing that dwells in kids’ closets. It can be hard to organize your children’s closets in a satisfying way, but it is possible. Here are some closet organizer ideas that can turn any messy closet into clean and organized. Buy colorful buckets, racks, and organizing shelves for your child’s closet, and make a yearly sweep of their toys. Decide together what to donate and throw away. Allow them to choose some of the places their toys go and then teach them how to put them away to keep a tidy room & a tidy closet.
Bonus closet tip: Having trouble deciding what you do and don’t need? Try the hanger trick! At the beginning of the season, turn your hangers the opposite way. By the end of the season, you’ll have a good idea of what you did and didn’t wear. This can make it easy to weed out unworn clothing.
Organization Tips from the Pros
Closets come in various shapes and sizes, but regardless of the space they occupy or whether you have it all in one place or in separate areas of the house, the way you organize it makes the difference. Develop a system that fits your lifestyle and is easy to maintain, no matter how packed your schedule can get. Having a pristine closet doesn’t work well if maintaining that aspect takes hours of your time. Keep things simple so that way picking out an outfit won’t turn your closet into a chaotic mess every time you go out.
Categories
Depending on how you use your clothing, organizing them based on categories can monumentally improve your life. You’ll no longer waste time digging in your closet for your gym clothes and you won’t create a mess anymore. Color coding can be added to this to make it easier to find things that work best for your outfit.
Storing method
The space available influences the storing method applied. The type of clothing article also has a say in this. However, if you have unlimited hanging space and prefer to have all your clothes accessible, hang away. Still, the clothes that are best folded are t-shirts, workout clothes, pajamas, swimsuits, and other items that aren’t used on a regular basis. Sweaters should always be folded in order to maintain their shape.
Fold like Marie Kondo
Aside from the KonMari art of decluttering, Marie Kondo also promotes a different folding system that works wonders in any storage space. Instead of the traditional folding style, try stretching the item out, folding it in half, placing the sleeves (if it has any) on top, tuck in every edge, and fold it in a small rectangular shape, not bigger than a small purse. Having all your similar items folded the same way makes your drawers look neater and helps you quickly find what you want.
Hanging technique
Quick hanging tips:
- All items face the same way – left for a right dominant hand, right for a left dominant hand;
- Arrange items based on their length – short to long;
- Fold long items over the hanger or use a second hanger for the bottom part;
- Bulkier items go on the lower rack if you have two hanging rows’
- An empty hanger’s place is at the beginning of that hanging section.
Save space
Quick space-saving techniques:
- Roll – saves space and is ideal for t-shirts, tank tops, or other small clothing articles;
- Hanging storage – if your space is limited, apply hanging options for accessories or shoes;
- Vacuum bags – seasonal clothes, or clothes that aren’t worn often can be placed in vacuum bags that occupy little space when voided of air.
- Seasonal storage – clothes that aren’t used in the summer can be stored in another closet, giving more freedom to your main closet.
Conclusion
At any rate, whichever closet type you’re dealing with, whether it’s a big walk-in closet or a small closet, our closet organization ideas are a great guide to start when in need of help. Know how to use your space and don’t store things that you’re no longer using. Use the 6-month logic: if you haven’t worn it over the last 6 months, consider giving it another home. More clothes usually translate to not having anything to wear because we are drowned in an ocean of options and are unable to decide. Fewer clothes simplify the decision-making process not to mention that if we invest in sustainable clothes we can also limit the negative impact our modern lifestyle has on the environment. Follow The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory® for more home living, real estate, home decor, and lifestyle tips. We are curious to know what your thoughts are on this subject and what method seems to work best for you. If you have a tendency to hoard things, it might be a good idea to implement these tips and organizing methods. Like & Share this article with friends and family to improve their organizational skills. At least when it comes to their closet.
