Organize Your Closet Now
do it now: organize your closetcanada
(Sep.19.11)
We won't blame you for wearing white after Labour Day. But that doesn't mean you have to clutter your closet with sundresses and tanks you won't wear for the next 10 months. (Unless you're blessed with a massive walk-in closet. Then we give you carte blanche to hoard away.)
Follow these nine easy-to-follow organization tips and your closet will look clean, de-cluttered and stress-free — just in time for those cooler months ahead.
- Start off by cleaning your room. Closet-cleaning is a messy project, so having a clean base will let you keep things organized from the get-go.
- Have a garbage bag on hand for things to give to charity or throw out. This includes clothes you didn't wear over the summer and torn, stained or ripped clothes. (Unless the rip is on your cherished favourite jeans. That we understand.)
- Take everything — and we mean everything — out of your closet. This allows you to actually clean the inside of your closet with a good all-purpose cleaner (because, honestly, how often do we do that?) and also seriously contemplate what's going to go back in.
- Organize your clothes into four piles: summer clothes to pack away, clothes to be worn through winter, clothes to try on, and clothes to give away or get rid of.
- Try on the clothes from your "to try on" pile. Examine them objectively. If you feel emotionally attached to certain items, ask someone else for their opinion. If something looks ridiculous but you're still attached to it (your ex-boyfriend's hockey jersey, the tube top you saw that Ricky Martin concert in) take a picture, put it in a scrapbook, and scrap it.
- Hang up the clothes you'll be wearing through winter. Make sure you're hanging your hangers in the same direction, and organize your clothing either by length or by colour. Or warmth. Or frequency of wear. Or fabric. The important thing here isn't how they're organized, but that they're organized in a way that makes sense to you.
- Summer clothes that you want to keep for next year should be washed, (ideally) ironed, and folded neatly to be put away. Use plastic containers if you're storing your clothing in a basement or other potentially damp place, and pack each one with a cedar ball keep them smelling good and free of moths during their hibernation.
- Clean sandals and shoes with leather cleaner or a combination of vinegar and dish soap. Let them dry completely and then pack them in cloth sacks or their original shoe-boxes for safe keeping. NEVER keep shoes in plastic bags since natural fibres (like leather) need air to breathe.
- Label everything. You'll want to know what and where everything is come spring. This also ensures that nothing gets accidentally tossed or misplaced. Use a label-maker or print labels from your computer and your summer duds will stay safe until the warmer weather hits.
Yes! You're done! Your closet is officially prepped for winter, and we wholly recommend giving yourself a huge pat on the back. But before you think of this cleanliness as a permanent thing, realize it's going to take upkeep and maintenance to make sure everything in your closet stays in working order.
And, oh yeah, be prepared to do it all over again in the spring. (But don't worry, we have tips and tricks to make it easy and painless then, too.)
For more closet organizing tips, be sure to check out:
This is part of our Daily Declutter Calendar. Every day we’ll show you a suggestion, habit or product that will help you declutter your life, your home and your family.