Here's some friendly advice. Heed the old saying, "Less is more." You'll save an enormous amount of time, money and stress by thinning out your huge wardrobe.
Get the proper supplies
Buy a starter set of 30 hangers, or 60 if the closet is shared by two people. Get the sturdy, plastic ones. They're inexpensive and can be obtained at a homegoods store. Buy all one color for uniformity (or if you're sharing closet space with someone, get one colour for yourself, and another colour for the person you're sharing space with.)
While you're at the store, pick up a few sturdy skirt and pants hangers. Vertical skirt hangers with clips that hold 5 to 6 skirts on one hanger are a great choice. In addition, pick up an expandable shoe rack and a tie rack if you wear ties.
Start with a clean slate
Pull out everything (yes, everything) that's currently in your closet.
Keep in mind, as you're doing so, that you probably only wear 20% of your clothes on a regular basis, 10% of them are for special occasions, and the other 70% of them are probably never used at all.
Start organising
Separate clothes into piles that meet any of the following criteria:
Pile A
- Outdated
- Ripped or torn
- Stained
- It doesn't fit (if you're not sure if it fits, try it on now)
- You think it may come back in fashion someday
- You wouldn't dream of ever wearing it again
- Wire Hanger Pile (they damage your clothing)
Pile B
- Clothes that need minor repairs: e.g replacing a button.
Pile C
- Clothes you love and wear at least once a month AND clothes you love and wear at least twice a year (special occasion wardrobe). Your wardrobe should always make you feel good about yourself. If you don´t love it or wear it often, it doesn´t belong in this pile.
- Other items that don´t fit into any of the above.
Dump it or donate it
Ok, now here's the fun part. Grab a large plastic garbage bag or cardboard box and dump everything (yes, everything) from Pile A into it. Take it to your local charity organization first thing in the morning or dump it now.
If you're still reading this in disbelief, take a deep breath to get over the initial shock, then go ahead and toss it or donate it. You’ll feel better in the end.
C'mon now. Are you still considering keeping something in your A pile? Please, dump it. It's clutter. You'll feel better about it later when your closet is organized, inviting and free of chaos.
Mend it or not
Ok, now that your A piles are donated or trashed (I hope), let's move on to your B pile. This pile should contain those articles of clothing that need minor repair. Get a basket or container. Dump this entire pile in it. Now, carry that basket over to your clothing repair area. Give yourself a 2 week deadline. If it's not done in two weeks, dump or donate the entire basket. After all, if it's not important enough for you to repair, it's clutter. Sound drastic? I wouldn't steer you wrong. It's very easy for clutter to build up, and I want to help you eliminate any chance of it happening to you again.
Organise your keepers
Sort everything in your C pile by category of clothing (blouses, skirts, pants, suits, etc.) When done sorting, start with one category. Take one article of clothing at a time, put it on a hanger (the colourful, sturdy, plastic kind) and hang it in the closet. (Important Note: If you found something that didn't belong in the closet in the first place, don´t put it there again.)
Do this until you've managed to hang all of your categories of clothing, making sure that all clothing and hangers are facing the same direction. (By the way, if you share your closet with someone, don't mix clothing together. Put each individual's clothing on either side of the closet.)
If, due to lack of additional storage space, you have some items that simply have to be returned to your closet which haven't been put there already, categorize them. Then, get some inexpensive organizing containers so that each category remains separated and place the containers on shelves in your closet.
Now is a good time to set up your brand new, sturdy, expandable shoe rack and neatly place your shoes on it.
Finishing touches
Now, you're ready for some finishing touches. If you install a few hooks on an empty closet wall, you'll be able to hang belts, umbrellas and handbags. If you're lucky enough to have cubbies in your closet, purses and hats can be stored there; otherwise, put them on your closet shelves.
You can even pick up a clear, over-the-door shoe bag for small accessories such as hosiery, scarves, jewellry and the like. Don't put shoes in the shoe bag. It may sound funny, but these bags are too flimsy and awkward for the weight of most shoes, plus they collect dirt from shoe bottoms.
Congratulations! You're done. Don't you feel great?! You deserve a special reward for your hard work. Treat yourself to dinner. Go for a massage. Rent and watch a favourite movie. Be happy. Your closet is!
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