Does this picture make you think of home? Than you need this Closet Organization Crashcourse!
Your closet is your personal clothing store, the home of your wear-em-every-day jeans, the place to organize your favorite things and keep your go-to items easily accessible. If you can’t reach in and grab a sweater in under 2 minutes, you know the time has come to get your closet in order. You don’t have to be ridiculously anal to maintain an organized space! Here are a few tips to get your closet in order, and keep it that way.
Week One: Structure
First, we’ll focus on the basic structure of your closet. Whether your wardrobe is stored in a walk-in, built-in shelving, or a free-standing rod and over-the-door organizer (read: dorm room and/or studio apartment), work on these structural issues so every item has its individual place to chill until you rock it.
- Not enough lighting. In order to work your threads, you’ve got to be able to SEE them. Fix that light bulb, hang string lights, or buy a lightstrip to keep things visible and bright.
- Extra, unused space. Most built-in have a high shelf above the hanging rod, and floor space below the shelves. Take advantage of that area to store more items (see below!).
- Bad clothing placement system. Store your most-reached-for items at eye-level (think tees,jeans, and undergarments), less used items on lower shelves (sweaters, outerwear, and pj’s), and least used on the highest and lowest shelves (seasonal items, older clothes, and embarrassing T-shirts).
- Extra surface area. Hang hooks to use every spare space in the closet. Hang jackets, jewellery, or even shoes.
- A clunky, space-wasting door. The door to your closet (if you have one) can also offer some great storage space. Hang your hooks there, hang over the door organizers, jewelry, or hang a mirror and create a mini dressing room! Or better yet, remove the doors completely. Hang a curtain instead! Instant space saver.
So get to work! Once you fix those structural issues, you can start working on next week’s topic, actual clothes organization to fit your now-optimized space. And if these tips don’t help, you simply be trying to stuff too much…well…stuff into one space! It may be time to consider a mini self-storage rental to house those unending odd and ends!