7 Simple Rules for Organizing Your Closet

Have you ever opened your closet doors only to find a massive pile of chaos and clutter?

Well, you are not alone! 

A disorganized closet can wreak havoc on your efforts to find an outfit on busy mornings and lead to unwanted stress and anxiety.

To help, I’ve created a list of 7 simple rules for organizing your closet; this list should help you to get started in your closet decluttering journey.

Rule 1: Start by Decluttering

First, we must remove the clothes you are not using anymore. This process can be overwhelming for you, but it is necessary for organizing your closet.

Here are some ideas to start with:

1. Take the time to organize your closet:  Make sure you set aside enough time to declutter your closet because sometimes it might take longer than expected.
2. Create three piles: Separate your items into the following three piles: keep, donate, and toss away. Only keep the clothes, shoes, and other things that you KNOW you will wear that fit you; donate the ones that are in good condition and toss away the ones that are not.
3. Use the “hanger trick”: This can be used to notice the clothes you regularly wear by turning your hangers in the opposite direction from those you don’t wear frequently. This way, after a few weeks, you will realize you only wear certain clothes, and then you can donate the rest.
4. Don’t hold onto sentimental items: You might hold onto old things you got from a loved one, but if you don’t use them, you could consider giving them away. If you donate an item that is still in great condition, think about the joy it can bring someone else. I know it can feel challenging to let go of certain clothes, but it can also feel liberating when you do.
5. Donate or sell old items: You can either sell old items for extra cash or donate them to your local thrift store or charity.

Rule 2: Create a System for Organizing Your Closet

To start organizing your closet, one of the things you can start with is creating a system for yourself. 

Here are some benefits of creating a system for your closet:

1. Create categories: When you organize your clothes in categories, it’s a thousand times easier to find what you are looking for—no more digging through piles of sweaters to find your favorite one.
2. A huge time saver: When your closet is super organized, you save tons of time when looking for specific items—no more early morning meltdowns when looking for your work outfit.
3. Feeling less stressed out:  It’s no secret that if you have a clutter-free closet, you will feel less stressed out. Because having to dig for items in a cluttered closet can stress out even the calmest person.

Now let’s organize your closet by categories.

1. Think about the proportions of your closet space:  When reorganizing your closet, you have to think about the size and space of your closet because if you have a small closet, you really need to find ways to maximize your space.
2. Sort your items by different types:  Sort all your items by separating them into different types—shoes, tops, bottoms, etc.
3. Use closet organizers:  Use hangers, shoe racks, and other closet organizers; these can help you create more space for your closet.

Rule 3: Use Organizers for Organizing Your Closet

Now let’s dive into the helpful world of organizers. With the right organizers, you can create more space and find what you are looking for more easily and quickly.

Here are organizers that you can start using to create more space:

1. Hangers: Hangers are essential for any closet as they help you keep your clothes wrinkle-free, and you can see your outfit better if it’s not folded in a pile.
2. Shelves: Now, everyone needs shelves in their closets to keep folded clothes, hats, and shoes. There are tons of different shelves that you can use, such as wire shelves, solid wood shelves, or even plastic shelves.
3. Drawers: Drawers are great for storing jewelry, accessories, underwear, and socks. 

Are You Choosing the Right Organizers for Your Closet?

1. Think about the space you are working with: If you have a small closet, it might be best to use hangers since shelves can take up much of your space.
2. Think about what items you have: If you have a thing for hats, then you need hat storage. If you love shoes and you have a few too many, well, then you need shoe storage. 
3. Consider your closet budget: You can organize your closet in several reasonably priced ways. You can find these options at Target, Amazon, and Container Stores.

The Best Way to Maximize Your Closet Space

1. Make use of vertical space: If you have a small closet, you should definitely use vertical space with clothing hangers and cubbies.
2. Add a hanger behind your closet door: Adding a hook to hang bags, for instance, to your closet door can be a helpful way to maximize your closet space.
3. Use box dividers:  You can use hanging divers or box divers. These can be super helpful if you have a small closet.

Rule 4: Organizing Your Closet Maintenance

Now that you have sorted out your closet, you need to find ways to maintain the organization. 

Here are a few tips to start with:

1. Put everything in its proper place in your closet: Every item in your closet should have its own section and place. Shirts go with shirts, hats with hats, etc.
2. Take time to organize your closets: Schedule time each week to clean and organize your closets.
3. Whenever you don’t use something much, donate it: This will help you keep your closet less cluttered. 

Once you get in the habit of organizing and cleaning your closet, it will become a routine, and it is good to let old items go. It never hurts to purge your closet once in a while. 

Rule 5: Add More Light

It’s amazing how much flair a good light can add to a messy closet. Adding a modern light fixture can upgrade your closet’s look.

Here are some ideas for adding light to a closet.

1. Choosing the right light:  What type of lights you choose will depend on your closet size and style. There are many different types of lights that you can add; some include overhead lighting, track lighting, and strip lighting. Choose what works best for your closet.
2. Think about the layout:  If you have a small closet, overhead lights might be best, but if you have a large closet, you might want to add lights in multiple places.
3. Style it up:  Adding modern or interesting lights can definitely add some flair to an otherwise dull closet.

Adding lights to a closet can spruce things up and make you feel like you have more space; plus, finding items when you have more light is more straightforward.

Rule 6: Keep Organizing Your Closet Simple

The best thing you can do to feel good when you walk into your closet or open your closet doors is to have simple, organized closet space. And to achieve this, the truth is that the less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep an organized closet unless you are Lisa Vanderpump and your closet is the size of most people’s apartment living rooms; well, then you can have as much stuff as you can, but even she has the most organized closet I’ve ever seen on TV.

But for the rest of us with smaller closets, we have to keep our items in check, and one way to achieve this is to practice minimalism with our clothing. This means letting go of things we don’t need anymore, and when buying something new or getting rid of something old, you can use the “new item in, old item out” rule. 

Another simple way to keep things from getting out of hand is to organize everything in their sections and to buy organizers. Add bins, baskets, and dividers to separate items; you can even categorize them by style, color, and season.

A well-organized, simple closet can make getting dressed and finding clothes feel like a breeze.

Rule 7: Enjoy the Benefits of Organizing Your Closet

Now it’s time to reap the benefits of your well-organized closet. No more endlessly looking for that cute outfit you wanted to wear for work. No more getting stressed out because you are in a hurry in the morning. 

Now you know exactly where everything is, and you find it easy to find everything you need. 

An organized closet is great because it saves us time and a lot of headaches when we try to find something, and I know you know what I’m talking about.

It also helps us to get into a habit of donating old items, letting go of our attachment to things that we don’t really need anyone.

Conclusion

Overall, an organized, decluttered closet has so many benefits, from becoming tidier to having less stress, making it easier for us to find items when needed. And that sums up these seven simple rules for organizing your closet. Thank you for reading!