Closets are like chocolate. Once you have one or two, you just want more soon after. If you’re like most Americans, your home’s closets are a touchy subject. They are often cluttered, disorganized, and full of things that you probably don’t need anymore. With spring right around the corner, why not get a jump on at least THINKING about cleaning out your closets this year? In this guide we will cover some of the basics tips and habits that you can start doing right this very instant (after you finish the article, of course). While it is no easy or fun task necessarily, we can promise you this: once you’re finished, you’ll feel a lot better. Heck, why not reward yourself with some real chocolate when you're through? Any day you finish a big organization project can be declared a cheat day!

Start Small. Don’t Overdo It Right Off

One of the reasons our closets get so disorganized in the first place is that the thought of having to jump in there and reorganize things is an hours-long endeavor at the very least and no one wants to burn a whole Saturday afternoon stuck at home shuffling junk around. Worry not. You don’t have to do it all at once! If you set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes at a time and stop as soon as the timer goes off, then you don’t have to get sucked into an all day project. Just knock it out 30 minutes at a time over the week and you’ll be done before you know it. You can also just keep going if you are in a good swing of things. 

Triage Your Closet Before You Organize It

Grab a few boxes on your way to your closet. Use one for items that you want to throw away, use another for clothes and trinkets you want to donate, and the third for relocation. There are definitely going to be things in there that you don’t want to toss or donate that just need to be relocated. That third box will help with that. 

Once you have your boxes set out, then it’s time to start going through your closet. Try starting at the top left and working your way from left to right and top to bottom. Don’t be afraid to take most everything out of your closet during this process. The triage portion has to happen before we can start organizing. 

Once It’s Been Triaged, Then Organize As You Put Away 

After the triage has been completed, it’s time to start putting the things you absolutely want to keep and need to store in your closet back in your closet. While there is no hard and fast rule for organization, we recommend starting with a simple system like color or season. Whatever you go with, make it something you would be happy doing on a regular basis as you wash dry and put your clothes back in your closet week after week.

Buy extra hangers! Hanging is the most efficient use of space and it helps to keep more of your clothes at eye level. Hang up things you don’t normally think of hanging like jeans and t-shirts. You’ll be amazed at how much space you can save and how much you won’t miss folding all of those t-shirts ever again!

This is by no means a complete guide, but it is a good start to helping you and your family stay organized this year. Need a jump on the winter cleaning? Give us a call for a quote! Have fun and stay safe out there!