With the end of Summer, I always find myself scrambling to fit in all of those last minute trips and keeping my life in balance. Since I am still adjusting to condo life, I am definitely limited on space so I thought a
closet re-haul was in order.
If you are cursed with small closets, I can help you out with a few simple steps.
Step One: Empty out every inch of your closet.
Step Two: Gather all the essential tools to create an organized, easy to function dressing area.
Step Three: Evaluate your stock and purge.
Step Four: Put away.
Now that doesn’t sound so scary does it? By emptying the area completely and filling putting back only the items you need or want, you are setting yourself up for a lot more clarity when getting ready in the morning. Let me show you in detail why these steps are so important:
Step One – Empty out every inch of your closet:
This is a must in order to gain a true vision of what your needs are here. By emptying the space completely, you have a fresh, clean perspective of what you own.
Place your clothes on top of your bed or hang in another empty closet and vacuum out the space, wiping you’re your shelves and adding some nice smelling air-fresheners. I found some great ones by Glade that I use in the corner of mine that give them a nice fresh scent, especially right next to my dirty clothes hamper.
Step Two – Gather all the essential tools to create an organized, easy to function dressing area
If you do this ahead of time, I suggest purchasing several bundles of the same style hanger. I prefer the department store style clear plastic hangers, but there are a great number of new styles to choose from. Some have a velvety finish to keep delicates from wrinkling, some with special material to prevent slipping & those with several tiers to keep slacks in one convenient spot.
Check out the container store and search for small boxes to hold your smaller items such as socks and underwear. You can find great drawer dividers for your accessories and numerous drawer units that can either be assembled into your closet, or placed on your closet floor. I try to keep mine set up like a nice dressing area, searching all different stores for fun and unique uses ways to display and store my items.
Some of the essentials – Decorative boxes for accessories, hooks for scarves and belts, wall racks for bags and purses, shoe racks, plastic bins for seasonal items, note pad for needs & wants, drawers for underwear, jewelry box, a tray for daily items like change, cell phone and sunglasses, a special hook for your main purse… Depending on your taste and budget, you will want to put some thought into what will fit your needs.
Step Three – Evaluate your stock and purge
Next, find a few large boxes or tape up signs to garbage bags, and label them as follows:
- Purge
- Donate
- Repair
- Store
Take a look at what you have – are your clothing and accessories stylish & in good repair? Are they tailored to fit your body and current weight? If not, begin tossing anything that may be holding you back or cluttering up the vision of what will work for you. Items that are un-repairable, those that no longer fit, those that you may want to give away to a friend your size or may be able to donate to your favorite charity (The Discovery Shop at your local
American Cancer Society is a great one). Some items you may be able to salvage by replacing a button or mend. Also, decide what clothing is out of season and can be stored for next year.
Purge, Purge, Purge!! It doesn’t do YOU any good by keeping clothes that do not fit, are in disrepair, or unflattering. Do yourself a favor and get rid of them!
Go through everything until you can rest upon knowing what is placed back into your closet is a workable wardrobe that you feel great about.
Step Four – Put away
Okay, so let’s review what has been done here… You have emptied out and cleaned every inch of your closet, you’ve gathered the tools you need to create an organized dressing area, you have evaluated your stock and purged what you do not need. Now, you are going to put away only the items that you love, need and make you look fabulous… Are you ready?
Here is the key to creating a closet that works for YOU. When you place your clothing back on their racks, hang them in groups of color. Begin with black and end with white, adding all the colors of the rainbow in-between - (You know the old saying: “Roy G. Biv” – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet).
When you have it all back together, go back through each color and hang your clothes from warmest to coolest, for example – Jacket, Sweater, Blouse, Tank… Do you get the picture? By doing this, you are creating a wardrobe that you can easily navigate when you are scrambling to get out the door. I love this concept because when I know I want to wear black slacks with a red blouse but it is very warm outside, I can go right to the front of the reds & find exactly what I am looking for. It may sound like a lot of work, but believe me – when you set it up ahead of time, and add to it as you do laundry, this will be a huge time-saver.
Add your hooks and accessory trays, storage boxes and shoe organizers.
(Mariah Carey's Closet, above)
Step back and evaluate your space – How does it feel? I am sure you will feel a sense of pride in what you have, and relief to unload all of those unwanted items. As you look through your
organized space, get out a notebook and jot down any key pieces that you want to add or replace. Keep your notebook in your closet for these ideas, and soon you will have the dream style you have always wanted.
Now tell me, what do you have planned for your closet? Is there a tip that you can share with me? What are some of your struggles? I would love to hear your thoughts!
