There's no need to dread organizing your closet when you have a game plan. Blogger and expert organizer Teresa Sharp is here to help even the most organizationally challenged with her step-by-step guide to cleaning out and organizing your clothing storage space. Now take a deep breath — you can do this!
Note: If you only own wire hangers, go out and buy as many plastic hangers as you can afford. Not the flimsiest version, but they don't have to be very expensive. It's nice to have a variety of styles: the smooth ones with a large opening and some with notches to keep spaghetti straps from slipping off. I also like to use about 10 of the felt-covered nonslip type for things that tend to slip off (they used to sell them at Costco). I do not like to use them for everything, though; it's too hard to remove garments.
If you don't have any empty hangers, you can start with Step 2, but you will need a nearby bed to have space for sorting, so don't start close to bedtime or you will be moving a pile of clothes to get into bed.
You will need:
If your clothes are packed in so tight that you cannot easily move things around, then take several pieces out and lay them on the bed (if you have large items like coats or jackets, that is an easy category to start placing on the bed, and it will quickly give you room to maneuver in the closet). Also remove any ties or belts you might have hanging in the closet.
Note: If you are easily distracted or overwhelmed, get a kitchen timer or use your smartphone to set the timer for 10- to 20-minute work periods.
*As you remove last season's clothing, begin to ask yourself some questions:
Once that's done, you can start dividing up your wardrobe as such:
What you should have left hanging in your closet are the current season's clothes arranged by type and color. Place the out-of-season boxes under the bed, at the top or bottom of the closet, or in the spare bedroom closet. Worst case, you can move them to the garage if there is no room in the house, but I don't recommend that.
You are over your first big hurdle; now take a break and celebrate!