organization - closets

Clothes Closets

1. If you want to ease into the process, make your first step turning the hangers the opposite way. With the extra effort of adjusting to the new direction when you go to grab your favorite items, you will start to see which clothes you are not using, don’t want, or wish to donate.
2. Be honest with yourself on necessity.
3. Make a tentative game plan as to how you will tackle the task- gut it out, buy storage compartments, and reorganize.

Here are some tips the Moxie Girl Household Assistants use:

• Remove all items from the closet. Take note as to any existing systems that are working. Verify how hangers are used (certain types of clothing hanging vs. not)
• Categorize articles as you remove them. Some may include the following:
  • Men’s Dress Pants
  • Women’s skirts
  • Men’s t-shirts
    • Women’s workout gear
      • Remove any undesired sizes,
      • Separate clothing with holes or stains.
• Decide whether you want to: SAVE, DONATE, REPAIR, TRASH
• Stay focused- you’re almost done.
• Wipe down shelves, rods and clean floor.
• Once the closet is empty and clean, create a plan for where everything will go. Typically, closets get put back the way clothes are worn with shirts usually up high, pants, dresses, and skirts down low (may require a longer/larger area).
  • Do you need new hangers, bins, under the bed containers, etc?
• Organize shoes by heel type, then by color.
• Replace clothing by category. Separate dressier from casual clothes first. Then categorize by article of clothing, such as tanks, T-shirts, button-ups. Keep sweat suits together. Then subdivide by color spectrum, thinking lighter to darker as you go.
  • White, Cream, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Red, Purple, Green, Blue, Brown, Gray, Black
• Before proceeding to put items back in the closet, draw out a simple sketch of the available space, shelves, drawers, etc. Fill the closet back up on paper based on where items make sense and the amount of items in each category. 
• Hang clothes and hangers back up the way that works for you. This small detail goes a long way.