Closet Organization Tips That Are Easy To Maintain
I have a confession. I've always been obsessively organized! Whether it be my desk, my closets, my computer files, or anything else, I can't relax if things are not perfectly in order. Keeping things neat comes naturally to me, but that's not the case with everyone else I live with. What I've learned over the years is that the key to organization is having systems in place that make upkeep foolproof. Anyone can clean out a closet, but keeping it that way despite daily pressures is the real challenge. Starting with the master bedroom closet, I'm sharing with you my top closet organization tips that are easy to maintain.
Let's begin with a before picture. I'm lucky enough, in my new home, to have a bedroom closet that's quite spacious. But size, in this case, definitely doesn't matter. Often, the larger the space, the more junk people fill it with. So if you are concerned that your closet is not as large as what you see here, please keep in mind the same principles work no matter what size your closet is. I promise you, my closet was just as neat in my previous homes when I had far less space. The photo above is what my closet looked like when we first moved in. It was a big empty area, with cheap wire shelves, randomly hung. This was never going to work for me...
I'll also confess, my DIY skills are confined to design. So, I knew I'd be working with a closet company to fulfill my plan, but many of you can achieve these goals doing the building yourselves.
Once you have your hanging space determined and rods installed, it's time to actually organize what you're planning to keep there. My primary hanging space shown above, pretty much tells you everything you need to know about my approach. Like items hang together, always facing in the same direction on identical hangers. They are grouped by color with tops on top and bottoms on the bottom. Always make sure you have plenty of extra hangers because the very first way to undo your system is to buy something new and have no place to put it. (I also practice the 'one in, one out' rule, where I try *really hard* to eliminate something every time I add something new.)
Hanging space is fairly obvious, so most of what I'll address is the rest of your 'stuff'. I prefer to keep my perfume and makeup somewhere other than the bathroom to keep it fresh and free from humidity. If you have a spot for it, it's nice to keep perfume bottles on a tray atop a small display shelf.
Folded items are where I get crazy obsessed. The whole point of being organized it to be able to find your things when you are rushing to get dressed, so I always keep my sweaters grouped by color. For my black sweaters, which I have many, I segment even further and group by knit quality.
It's actually a pleasure to see your things grouped this way. It also helps to show you at a glance what colors you have enough of when you're going to shop.
If you have a walk-in closet, another nice feature is to add a small ottoman to sit on while you dress.
I'm one of those people that's crazy about matching hangers. Nothing makes a closet look messy faster than hanging your clothing on flimsy dry cleaning hangers, half broken and all at different heights. Trust me, I know. In the spirit of full disclosure, you will notice I'm only showing 3 sides to this closet. That's because hubby's things are on the fourth side and he refuses to let me change his hangers!
In addition to wanting my clothing easy to find, my other key issue is keeping things dust free. For that reason I've added a few shelves with glass doors, a perfect place to keep less used accessories.
I also included a few specialty hooks that would help corral items requiring individual treatment. For hubby I added two pull out tie racks, as well as another for hanging belts.
You're probably wondering where I keep my shoes and the quick answer is everywhere! But this also brings me to my secret weapon, an item I use for just about everything. I have a countless number of clear pull out drawers that you'll continue to see in future posts. I love that they keep things visible, organized and dust free. I use them for all my shoes that are small enough to fit, as well as cosmetics, accessories, undergarments and more.
I also added a belt rack to my side of the closet, another set of hooks that slides out for easy use.
One of my favorite extras is the valet hook, a great way to prepare an outfit for a special event. It's also a great place to hang the clothing that otherwise winds up thrown on a chair.
I often buy cosmetics in bulk for convenience, and while I keep my everyday items on my dressing table, I keep the extras in the plastic drawers.
I left taller space at the bottom of the shelving to accommodate my boots. Inexpensive plastic boot trees help keep the boots lined up neatly while ensuring they maintain their shape.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 comments
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I am overwhelmed by how much stuff you have! And this is edited. You are so far from my reality!How many sweaters, and of the same color, do you have? and Boots and...Just not a reality of wealth that I inhabit!
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Wow! this looks great, i love it! Super inspiring and motavating to me! lol
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Thanks so much!!
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