HOW TO KEEP AN ACCESSIBLE AND CLUTTER-FREE CLOSET

Closets are notorious for becoming cluttered messes. Clothing and other items easily become jumbled and messy, especially when you’re in a hurry to get ready for the day. 

Organizing your clothing in a closet, wardrobe, or dresser can make your life so much easier and less stressful. Here are several closet organizing ideas to help you keep your clothing – and your life – in order. 

1. GO THROUGH YOUR CLOTHING FIRST

Before you begin organizing your clothing and accessories, go through everything and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, is worn out, or is no longer in style. Once you’ve thrown out anything you can’t or haven’t worn in a year or more, install closet systems and drawer organizers to keep what you have left in order. 

2. STORE JEANS AND SWEATERS ON SHELVES

Clothing like jeans and sweaters are easier to see and grab when stored on shelves. Whether inside the closet or out, shelving can greatly improve how you organize your clothing. 

Old bookcases, individual shelves hung on the wall, or any other shelving unit works great for this purpose, and you can even label the shelves for even more organization. 

3. DIVIDE CLOSET SPACE BY CATEGORY

Dividing hanging clothes by category helps you streamline your closet space and keeps you from stuffing too much in one area. Consider dividing the hanging rod into sections, each labeled with the type of clothing it contains. 

For example, hang jackets and button-down shirts in one section, t-shirts in another, and so on. This tip keeps your clothing wrinkle-free and easy to find. 

4. USE WOODEN HANGERS FOR GOOD CLOTHING

Hanging jackets, dresses, delicate blouses, and other good clothing on wooden hangers helps them retain their shape better and reduces wrinkles. If you wear this type of clothing daily, try picking out your wardrobe for the entire week on Sunday with each day divided and labeled. This organizational trick enables you to deal with stains or other imperfections ahead of time and saves you time in the mornings. 

5. USE A FREE-STANDING WARDROBE FOR EXTRA CLOSET SPACE

Not all closets are big enough for all the things we need to store in them. To add extra clothing storage to your existing closet, consider using a free-standing wardrobe. Wardrobes are large pieces of furniture with lots of compartments for storing all types of clothing and accessories. They are as beautiful as they are functional, so if you need more clothing storage, head to your local Ikea or thrift store for a wardrobe. 

6. ORGANIZING KIDS’ CLOTHING

Kids’ clothing is smaller, which means you can store more in a single closet. Try using a multi-tiered system with two or three rods hung on top of each other, giving you more room to store more clothing. Use the bottom rod to organize your kids’ clothing by day of the week. 

If you use bins to store things in the closet, be sure to label or sketch what’s inside so little ones can find what they’re looking for. 

Closets are notorious for becoming cluttered, so use the organization tips above to keep yours organized and your clothing and other accessories easily accessible.