How to Organize Your Closet - Once and For All!
Wanting to finally figure out how to organize your closet and keep it organized!? These 7 simple steps will help you clean out, declutter, and reorganize your closet into your fantasy storage space solution and keep it that way for good.
Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I love organizing my closet. But since having kids, the thought of having to tackle yet another seemingly giant household chore every other season isn’t on the top of my priority list. Learning the best way to organize your closet and keep it organized is such an important skill for a busy mama. Over the years, I’ve been able to nail down a perfectly simple closet organization routine that turns the task of decluttering and organizing into a relaxing, self-sufficient system. That way, I can focus my time and energy on other family needs. It’s just 7 easy-to-follow steps. Easy-peasy, mama! You can do this!
How To Organize Your Closet! ~ A Breakdown
Remove, declutter & rehome unwanted clothes and items
Clean your empty closet
Assess your storage areas
Decide what closet system is right for you
Begin to organize your closet + Closet organization tips & hacks
Rotate your clothes seasonally
Set up a system to declutter regularly
Step 1. Remove, Declutter & Rehome Unwanted Clothes and Items
The first, and possibly most forgotten step in learning how to organize your closet, is to rid yourself of clothing and items that you just don’t jive with anymore. Clearing out the clutter and opening up poorly utilized closet space will truly transform and optimize even the smallest of closets.
Some items that will help make clearing out your closet easier:
A couple of boxes or baskets: One for items to rehome or donate and another to act as a catch-all for things that don’t belong in your closet (loose change, hair ties, old mail, receipts, etc.). You’ll also want to designate an area of your room for items to keep.
Trashbags: For trash—obviously...
Full-length mirror: You’re going to want to try some of your clothes on when deciding which items to toss or keep.
Your phone or computer: This will help with the rehoming process.
Now, if you’re like me, you’re probably storing more than just clothes in your closet. You may have other closet inhabitants using the space such as suitcases, gifts you’d like to hide, that old shoe box full of memories of your embarrassing first boyfriend, seasonal gear, etc. As a result, knowing what to begin with can feel overwhelming.
It’s easiest to start by removing everything from your closet in a specific category. Decide what you want to keep and what you want to rehome or repurpose. Place each item in its designated Items to Keep pile or Items to Rehome box. Place any items you come across that don’t belong in the closet in their designated Catch-All box.
How to Decide What Items to Donate
I ask myself this question: “If I was shopping in a store right now, would I buy this?” If the answer is no, it goes in the Items to Rehome box. If the answer is yes, it goes in the Items to Keep pile. If I’m still not quite sure, I ask myself whether or not I’ve worn the item in the past year. That’s a pretty good indication of whether or not it should be occupying prime real estate in your closet.
Continue with each category of closet items until you’ve cleared everything out of your closet. Trust me—Starting with a blank slate can make the closet reorganization process so much smoother.
Also, you’d also be surprised what sorts of fun surprises are hiding in the deepest corners of your closet. The last time I cleaned out my closet I found a box of last year’s birthday cards that still had cash inside. Score! I also found a dead lizard though, so… Be prepared for ALL types of surprises.
Rehome, Don’t Throw Out!
Once you have your items to Rehome box all filled up, I recommend putting this off to the side until you’ve finished learning how to organize your closet. Rehoming each item could take a little time depending on what avenue you decide to go down.
Rehoming or repurposing unwanted closet items is a more sustainable and eco-friendly way to deal with your old belongings than throwing them away. You can do a number of things to accomplish this: Call up friends and organize a clothing swap. Hold a garage sale. Donate to a local charity organization. Resell gently worn clothes online. You can even turn damaged and unmendable clothes into cleaning rags.
Step 2. Clean Your Empty Closet
Once your closet is emptied out and you’ve begun the decluttering process, the second step in learning how to organize your closet is to get cleaning! That’s right. Grab some of those old raggedy t-shirts you’ve decided to repurpose, roll up your sleeves, and get to it.
You’re going to want a clean, blank canvas when reorganizing all your items back into your closet. It will help you see every bit of space you have and will aid you in our next step in assessing your closet storage space.
First, make sure everything is cleared from the area including hangers, bobby pins on the ground — everything. Next, remove any cobwebs hiding in the high corners of your closet and dust off all walls and shelves. Then, you’ll want to grab an all-purpose cleaner and give everything a good wipe-down; I’m talking shelves, hanging rods, bins, walls, baseboards, all of it.
Quick cleaning tip: Start high and work your way down when cleaning. That way dust and gunk won’t fall into your previously cleaned areas.
Finish by vacuuming the floor of your closet. Don’t forget about those back corners!
Step 3. Assess Your Storage Areas
Now that your closet storage space is sparkling clean, the best way to organize your closet next is to assess all of your different storage areas. Take another look at the belongings you’ve placed in your Items to Keep pile. Ask yourself, “Does this belong in the closet, or can I find an even better home for it in my house?”
Sometimes having smaller designated areas in your bedroom can help keep your spaces, including your closet, more organized. Consider storing bulkier items under the bed. Make sure you’re placing items like towels under the sink or put away with your sheets in a designated linen closet. Maybe having a finishing-touches station just outside your closet makes more sense space-wise than stuffing all your accessories in a drawer.
If you can, I recommend storing your seasonal items out of your closet and in a bin under your bed or in the garage. Moving some items out of your closet and into new spaces will free up more space and leave you with an even more decluttered closet in the end.
Step 4. Decide What Closet System is Right For You
So your closet is clean and you’ve decided what items are actually going back into your closet space. The next step in learning how to organize your closet is to decide on an organization system that will work for your individual needs. There are many different options out there at a variety of different price-points.
Weighing Your Closet System Options
If you’re on a budget, I recommend working with what you primarily have and possibly adding a couple of soft closet organization essentials. Doing this has completely transformed my closet.
Individual organization items like a soft hanging organizer shelf or hanging shoe storage is a lot less intimidating to add to a closet space than meticulously measuring and buying an entirely new closet system. If you have the money and the patience though, I say—Go for it!
Utilize All of Your Closet Space
Get creative. Take a step back and really look at how you can utilize every corner of your closet. Consider hanging your suitcases or rarely used hats above your closet door. Use the back of your door to hang a soft shoe organizer, hamper, or mirror.
Don’t Neglect the Lower Half!
One of the most underutilized storage spaces is the bottom half of a closet. Nine times out of ten, this is where random items get thrown which are then lost forever to the closet gods. The biggest way to combat this is to already have a system in place. Installing a second hanging rod and double-hanging your items is one great solution. Another option is to place some storage racks or shelves with drawers in the lower half of your closet. Purchase some bins or shoe racks for further floor organization. If you can avoid putting anything directly onto the floor, this will really help with keeping your closet organized long-term.
Step 5. Begin to Organize Your Closet + Tips & Hacks
Once you’ve implemented your new closet system, the best way to organize your closet moving forward is to… organize your closet!
Start from the bottom and work your way up. This will help you to see and assess what’s really going on with the lower half of your closet.
Keep like items together.
Label storage boxes. (Don’t overlook this one!)
Hang anything lightweight, fancy, or wrinkle-prone. This includes blouses, skirts, dress pants, and dresses.
Fold sweaters, knitwear, t-shirts, loungewear, jeans, heavily embellished items, or anything stretchy or prone to sagging
Quick Closet Organizing Hacks
The poor man’s double-hanger: Thread your hanger through a pop-top from a soda can or a safety pin. Then add another hanger onto it. Now you’ve got a double hanger!
Shower rings and S-hooks: Shower rings or S-hooks are a great hack for hanging anything from shorts to tank tops to scarves to belts!
Step 6. Rotate Your Clothes Seasonally
Your closet is looking great! Take a step back and admire all your hard work. It really does look so much better now.
Okay! Now that we’ve given ourselves the proper credit of a job well done, the next step in organizing your closet is to store all the items that are currently not in season. Keeping these items out of your closet and rotating them back in when the time is right will leave you with so much more closet breathing room. There’s no need to have your snow coats hanging right next to your swimsuit cover-ups. Wait until that first snowfall, or when you go on that yearly ski trip to break out the winter gear. Trust me, your closet and sanity will thank you.
Step 7. Set up a System to Declutter Regularly
Don’t worry. The hard part’s over. The final detail in how to organize your closet (to KEEP your closet organized) is to implement a simple system to help declutter regularly. This really is the best way to avoid having to do an entire closet reorganization rehaul again.
You’ll want to set up a system to easily distinguish items that you want to rehome or donate. Keep a box or bin in your closet for bulky items like shoes or accessories. Don’t forget to label the bin! For clothing and items stored on a hanger, a simple solution is to turn the hanger around so that it’s facing the back of your closet. Try to avoid piling unwanted items in a corner. They WILL be forgotten.
Make a quarterly or biannual habit of taking your designated donation items to your local charity or thrift shop. This will help to keep your closet space clear of unwanted items.
Learning how to organize your closet doesn’t have to be an impossible task. As you can see from this simple closet organization routine, with a little bit of prep work, your closet can stay neat and organized long-term. No need to tear your closet apart every single year. By cleaning out the clutter, considering the design and configuration of storage spaces, and rotating and decluttering regularly, closet-organization just became simple.
