10 STEPS TO A MORE ORGANIZED CLOSET

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m really passionate about organizing. I have a very vivid childhood memory of cleaning and organizing my friends’ playroom when I was at their house, and even during my messy years as a young child I always made sure my dolls were in neat rows on my bookcase (even if the rest of my room looked like a tornado hit it). Over the last few years, my love of organizing has become much more aggressive and intense. I love organizing everything, but closets are my favorite. There’s something about the organizational systems, dividers, and the idea that everything has a home that brings me inner peace.

Although my first apartment with Darian had its flaws, its crown jewel was the huge walk-in closet. We used to joke that we could fit a twin-sized bed in there and make it a mini guest room if we wanted to. It was glorious. So when we moved to our current place, I was pretty nervous about downsizing my closet size. Don’t get me wrong – my current closet is still pretty spacious, and we each have our own closets now, but it’s still hard to go from a walk-in closet to a run-of-the-mill one. I knew I was going to have to implement some new organizational systems to make it work. It took several months to feel like both closets were perfect, and now that they are, I want to share the wealth! Read on for my 10 Steps to a More Organized Closet!

1. Organize your clothing by clothing type and color.

This is the most basic of closet organization techniques, and if you’re not doing it already it should be the first one you implement. It seems like such a small change, but you’d be surprised at the immediate impact it can have. Yes, it’ll make your closet look prettier and more organized, but it’ll also make your morning routine so much easier because you’ll be able to find specific items and survey your options so much more easily.

2. Implement the KonMari folding technique.

For those who don’t know, the KonMari method involves folding your clothes in thirds and standing them upright, which makes it easier to see all your clothing at once and keep everything organized. I am one of the lucky people who discovered Marie Kondo a few years before her hit Netflix show was released. I have to admit that I haven’t read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (or watched the show), but thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, I was introduced to the KonMari method several years ago and it really was life-changing. I will be the first to admit that I’m a clothing hoarder. Despite my yearly efforts to rid my closet of clothes I don’t wear anymore, I’m still one of those people who needs options. After years of attempting to be one of those cool “capsule wardrobe” people, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I just really love having lots of clothing, and that’s okay. Before the KonMari method, I basically had to choose between my folded clothing being a hot mess or spending way too much time re-stacking piles when I messed them up by grabbing something from the bottom. And don’t even get me started on my dresser drawers, which were basically a haphazard mess. Now thanks to my current folding method, my drawers are neatly organized and removing an item of clothing doesn’t affect the system. TLDR; if you keep any amount of your clothing in drawers or on shelves, you need the KonMari method in your life.

3. Put your dresser IN your closet.

I know it sounds weird, but the single best thing I did to keep my closet organized was to move my dresser into my closet. This won’t work if your closet is super shallow, but as long as it’s deep enough that you can comfortably pull the drawers out, I can’t recommend this enough. While hanging clothing is certainly more convenient, there are lots of items (such as undergarments, thick sweaters, and t-shirts) that are better off being stored in drawers. Most closets have one of two dilemmas – either there’s only one hanging rack for clothing, which means tons of dead space in the bottom half of the closet, or there are two hanging racks but there are no drawers for storage, meaning that you have too much of one thing and not enough of another. My current closet had the former problem and the dead space was driving me crazy until I realized that I could put my dresser in there. Sure enough, it was the perfect size! This was especially amazing for our bedroom because Darian is also a clothing hoarder and our bedroom is pretty small, so we only have space for one dresser. Darian’s closet is smaller than mine (aka can’t fit a dresser), so my dresser lives in my closet and his is against the wall and doubles as our bedroom TV stand. If you’re not sure what to do with the dead space in your closet, use your dresser to fill the space and I promise you won’t be disappointed! My favorite is the IKEA Malm, but any dresser will do. Since it’s a closet, simple is definitely better (although I think the addition of brass pulls like these ones would be a great way to kick things up a notch). I’ve linked my dresser as well as another great option below!

4. Store out-of-season items on the top shelf.

Unless you have either a) an enormous closet or b) an extremely minimalistic wardrobe, chances are that even with the best of organization skills, your closet probably still feels cluttered sometimes. I recently started storing my out-of-season items on the top shelf of my closet and I was amazed at how much space it opened up. I’ve been resistant to this organizing method for a long time because I like having all of my clothing readily available at any given time, but I quickly realized that I really don’t miss my sweaters in April or my sundresses in November. It’s also 100% worth it solely for the amount of space it frees up – my closet feels so much more manageable and it’s way easier to navigate now! Just make sure that when storing your out-of-season clothing, you make it fairly easy to access and keep it organized. I recommend using wide, shallow baskets because they look pretty and make it easy to keep everything neatly folded. The baskets I use are from Michaels and are only sold in stores, but I’ve linked some other affordable options below!

5. Use shoe racks.

Your shoes protect your feet every day and TBH they deserve a better life than being thrown on the ground haphazardly at the end of the day. I am a strong advocate for shoe racks because I believe that there should be a home for everything. At our old apartment, I used a few of these simple shelves to keep my shoes neatly organized and kept my flip flops and sandals in a basket. I’m not a huge shoe person (my feet are wide so it’s hard to find ones that fit and I usually end up wearing the same 3 pairs), so when we moved I took it as an opportunity to purge my shoe collection. Once I had it pared down to the essentials, I found it was much easier to store everything. We were also really lucky because our landlords kept their ELFA closet systems installed for us, and in my closet that included an amazing metal pull-out shoe rack system. If a closet system isn’t in your budget, this can easily be replicated with a small shelf like this one.

6. Utilize hanging organizers for smaller closet items.

When organizing your closet, it’s easy to push the smaller items aside and worry about them later. I’m here to tell you: DON’T. There’s nothing more annoying than a tangled pile of belts and scarves that prevents you from finding anything in your closet. I highly recommend using hanging organizers for these smaller items! If your closet has the wall space, install a wall-mounted rack on one of the side walls and use it to store belts, ties, or purses. Darian and I both have the rack I linked below in our closets and it seriously makes it so much easier to choose accessories in the morning. It’s also immensely helpful for someone like Darian who without these racks lost his belt approximately every five seconds. I’m also a big fan of hanging shoe racks, but not for shoe storage – we hung ours over the inside of our coat closet door and we use it to store our cold weather items such as hats, gloves, and heavy knit scarves. You can also use these for storing scarves or small purses! I’ve linked the one we use below.

7. Use drawer dividers.

Drawer dividers are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to keep your closet tidy! Even if you already fold your clothes neatly and keep them organized, trust me when I say you need drawer dividers. I am meticulous about folding my clothes and keeping things tidy, but without drawer dividers I found that my organized rows tended to get a little haphazard if a few items were pulled out. Drawer dividers will help you ensure that everything stays where it needs to be. They’re especially helpful for organizing undergarment or sock drawers. I’ve linked some of my favorites below!

8. Get quality matching hangers.

Matching hangers might seem like a silly thing to spend money on, but I’m telling you – not only will they will make your closet look a MILLION times better, but they’ll also immediately make everything feel more organized. I prefer slim black velvet hangers because they’re simple, pretty, and take up less space than plastic or wood hangers. I always buy mine at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Homegoods, but I’ve also linked some pretty inexpensive ones you can buy online below.

9. Purge your wardrobe on a regular basis.

In addition to putting things away and using organizers, it’s important to weed through your wardrobe regularly. Whatever you do, just don’t do the backwards hanger method. It’s a pain and it makes things look disorganized. Ugh. But aside from that method, there are many ways to purge your wardrobe. My favorite ways are the paper bag method and the “one item in, one item out” method. The paper bag method involves keeping a paper grocery bag in your closet. Anytime you try something on or pull something out of your closet and think “meh,” it goes into the paper bag. When the bag is full, you can donate it and put a new one in your closet. This will help you instantly rid your closet of clutter, and it’ll make it that much easier when you do seasonal purges. The “one item in, one item out” method is pretty cut and dry – every time you add a new item to your closet, choose an old one you don’t love anymore and add it to your donation pile. By doing this, you’ll ensure that your closet never becomes overcrowded. I also do two big clothing purges per year – one in the spring when I’m getting my fall/winter clothing ready to store, and one in the fall when I’m getting my spring/summer clothing ready to store. At these points of the year, I’ve already pulled an entire season’s worth of clothing out of my closet, so it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate each of my pieces and get rid of the ones that I don’t really love. Regardless of which method you use, it’s important to set aside some time every few months to do a deep clean – it’ll keep your closet looking organized, and it’ll ensure that your wardrobe is full of items that you love!

10. Stick to the system.

The truth of the matter is, none of these organization tactics will be effective unless you really stick to them. When you get careless, things will get messy quickly, but if you’re consistent about neatly putting away your clothes and keeping everything tidy, it should only take a few minutes a day to maintain your system.

With the help of these 10 steps, you can be on your way to the perfect closet before you know it! Did I miss any of your closet organizing tricks? Let me know in the comments!