9 Tips for Successfully Organizing Your Closet
(Yeah right, I Just Want To Find My Shoes!)

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1.  All clothes in your closet must be in usable/wearable condition. You are probably only using 20% of the clothes in your closet 80% of the time. This means, remove the clothes you don’t or can’t wear. Store out of season or alternative sizes in a suitcase, under the bed or in another closet.

2.  Utilize the full size of your closet. Expand the useable space in your closet by installing a rod for shorter clothing. Easy do-it-yourself projects for expanding closet space can be found at local hardware stores.

3.  Install a good light. If you don’t want to bring in an electrician, a battery operated fluorescent light can be purchased at a local hardware store.

4.  Use a high-quality hanger for your clothing. Premium hangers are not provided by the dry cleaners. Wooden hangers are recently enjoying a renewed popularity. Padded hangers won’t leave marks on your clothing; however, they take up a lot of space.

5.  Show off your shoes. If your shoes are in boxes, take a Polaroid or digital picture of the shoes and tape it to the box. This way, you know the exact location of each pair. You can also buy clear boxes that can be seen through. Reduce the number of shoes that you have by getting rid of those that hurt.

6.  Leave room to grow. Be sure to leave enough room in your closet so that hanging clothes aren’t cramped and wrinkled. If you have to iron your clothes before you wear them because they got wrinkled in the closet, it defeats the purpose of hanging them.

7.  Consign your clothes. Check out local consignment stores to get rid of extra clothing. Call first to find out what kind of items they are wanting. There are stores for children’s items, men’s clothing, women’s clothing, and even evening wear. If your items don’t sell, you can still donate them to charity.

8.  Organize your closet by color, function (work clothes, workout clothes, everyday clothes), or item (coats together, long sleeve shirts together, short sleeve shirts together).

9.  Know your clothes. To figure out what clothes you wear on a regular basis, turn all the hangers in the closet one direction. When you return a piece of clothing to the closet, hang it in the other direction. Any clothes still turned the original way (after a set period of time) should be donated to your local charity.

Copyright 2013 Nancy Miller
This article is free for reprinting provided terms and agreements are followed.
Nancy Miller, a professional organizer with over 20 years of experience coupled with a Certified Professional Coaching credential offers both personal and business consultation. Nancy’s credentials include past membership in the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. She delivers over 100 programs nationwide each year. Her book, Clutterology® Getting Rid of Clutter and Getting Organized is in it’s 4th Edition

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