Declutter + Organization: Master Closet Organization
On Monday I shared how to decide what to keep and what to depart with when it comes to cleaning out your closet. Today, I’m sharing with you how to organize what you decided to keep.
A dear friend of mine, Holly from NEAT Method Nashville, helped me get organized this year and her insight was sooo helpful! Holly kept me focused, provided good conversation, and left my closet looking like a high-end boutique store. Is it possible for your favorite room of your house to be your master closet??? I can honestly say that I can’t wait to put up laundry to keep my closet lookin’ this good all year long! Before you dive into this blog, if you haven’t decluttered your closet first, go read this blog first. I think what people often get wrong when cleaning and organizing is they try to do both at the same time. Don’t be afraid to make your space “messy” for a day or two when decluttering. By ridding yourself of all the things you don’t need anymore first, it’ll be easier to see what you have left to organize and figure out your organization system.
Let’s talk hangers…
Hangers are most likely going to be the first thing you need to get your closet in order. And, though I’m a the Mix and Match Queen, when it comes to my hangers I like for everything to be uniformed. (It’s totally a-okay to be a hanger snob!) Examine your clothes and the materials they are made of. If you have satin blouses you’ll need a hanger with velvet or some other sort of non-slip guard to ensure these tops hang properly. If you have clothing items made with heavier materials, you’ll want to make sure you have hangers that can hold a bit more weight. The ones below are my personal faves.
What to Hang vs. What to Fold
Living in Nashville, we are experiencing our cold weather right now. Holly shared with me that folding my heavier sweaters would save hanging space in my closet, Plus, heavy sweaters are usually meant to be fold vs. hung.
Light weight sweaters are okay to be hung including other items made of linen, flowy blouses, dress pants, and clothing pieces that would easily wrinkle even if folded to perfection. You’ll also want to hang any jackets if you don’t have a dedicated coat closet (even though these can be bulky, jackets are meant to be hung). Then, of course, hang dresses, skirts, and if you wish and have the closet space you can hang nice t-shirts, too. When it comes to folding, like your chunky sweaters, you’ll also want to fold activewear, shorts, and the optional t-shirts. I have plenty of hanging space, so I hang my jeans, but you could fold these if you are limited on hanger space.
AND… when it comes to hanging items you can also hang your purses and scarves!
If you have clutches or wallets that can’t be hung consider a clear acrylic organizer. Of course, you may have seasonal handbags or travel bags that are only used a certain amount per year. I’d place these particular items on the top shelf of your closet. More on this later in the blog.
So now that you know what to hang, how should you hang things?
This is where Holly was like Wonder Woman! She helped me organize my clothes by sleeve length, category, AND color. Ya’ll it has never been easier to decide what to where in the mornings because I know exactly where everything is based on if I need business casual attire or running to Target attire. We laid out all of my clothes and put them in to their category and then begin to sort them by their sleeve length and then followed by color. The outcome was beautiful! Again, can my new favorite space be in my house be my closet?
Utilizing Your Space
I’m all about maximizing your closet space just as much as i am all about #alwaysaccesorize. Holly showcased ways I’ve never thought of using my closet space before. First, you’ll want to make sure your closet has only the items you can currently wear for the season you’re in. If it’s summertime, I’m not going to want my bulky sweaters folded taking up shelf space. Therefore, anything that isn’t in season, pack it up and put it away or if.your closet space allows, have a dedicated area for hanging those out of season items. Second (and back to those handbags) if you have travel bags and hand bags that are only used every so often, put them in a storage bin that is still easily assessable when needed. You may also find you want to have a dedicated storage container to hats or scarves.
Do you have any areas of your closet that are difficult to get to?
I have this particular drawer that’s not easily accessible due to a mirror right now so I keep my shorts there since we are in a colder season. So, when you are looking to maximize space, Holly also mentions to maximize prime real-estate spaces. The not-so easy drawer is not a prime real-estate space which is why my shorts go there for now. Come summertime, I’ll most likely swap them out and put my sweaters in that drawer.
Remember how I shared about that 6-month pile in my declutter post?
If not, let me refresh your memory real quick… If there are items that I’m not ready to depart with just yet and they are in good condition, I’ll put them in the attic for 6-months or up high in my closet for 6-months. If I don’t go searching for said item in that timeframe, I ditch it. For me, I have some booths that fall into this category so I’ve placed them on the top shelf of my closet. You’ll also notice that I store my steeplechase hats up high as well. This isn’t so much that they aren’t used often, but the fact that they are delicate. When you are placing things up high to maximize space or because items have fallen into the 6-month pile category, you’ll want to label things so you don’t forget what you have. This will allow you to easily glance up and know what you have without having to break out the ladder.
Shoes
Shoes are one of the easiest things in my closet to organize. I like to place my sneakers together, heals, and then boots. I’ll organize them by color as well, if possible. For those shoes I’m not 100% sold on getting rid of yet, I’ll place in a clear acrylic box to avoid dust and put them away. If I need them, I know where they are.
Okay, now let’s talk about those accessories…
Y’all know I’m an accessory gal so this is always one of the hardest things for me to organize. I’ve been obsessed lately with the clear acrylic boxes and drawers because they allow you to see what you have. I also love the divider boxes that can be utilized within drawers. You can stack these so you are maximizing your space (again, I’m all about using what space I have) all while keeping things from getting tangled and lost in the mix. Holly helped me sort my jewelry by color, statement pieces, earring studs vs. dangle earrings, bracelets, watches and all the items in between.
In my closet, I have shelving where I can put jewelry pieces and even handbags.
Holly helped me pick out pieces that go with my current in season pieces and we placed those pieces on my shelving organization. That way, I can easily accessorize every day. And, come summertime, I’ll swap these pieces with the bright colors pieces, but still keep those timeless pieces out that go with everything.
And, there you have it! An organized closet that you can be proud of!
Special thanks, once more to Holly Trepka with NEAT Method Nashville. For more organizational tips, make sure to follow her on Instagram. As always, if you decide to join my declutter and organizational challenge, I’d love to know and see your organized closets. Now, time for me to go organize the kids closets.
*This blog contains affiliate and commission links. When you shop using my links, my family and I do a happy dance- so THANK YOU!
