Do you open your closets with dread, knowing it’s going to take several minutes to find that certain pair of shoes, or for fear that something will fall off the top shelf onto your head? As dreaded as it can be, now is a great time to get said closets cleaned out and better organized! The longer you dread it, the more it will be piled up, so let’s get to work now! 

 

Clothes First 

  • - Have an empty box or laundry basket handy and take everything on the handing rod off so that you must look at everything as you’re cleaning. 

  • - If it hasn’t been worn in six months, doesn’t fit, or you simply don’t like it anymore, get rid of it.  

  • - Try on anything that you’re not sure about. If you still love it, and it fits, keep it. Otherwise, send it to the declutter box. 

  • - Business attire can be donated to charities that assist those on limited incomes with their wardrobe for job-hunting.  Women's clothing can be donated through dressforsuccess.org, and men’s clothing is accepted through careergear.org. Be sure to check with any organizations for their policies for donations. 

  • - Once you’ve gone through everything, re-hang your items by color or season so you won’t be spending a lot of time hunting them down. 

 

Shoes, Accessories, etc. 

  • - Same as with clothing, get rid of any shoes or accessories you haven’t worn in a long time, no matter the reason.  

  • - Organizing shoes can be a pain with or without their original boxes. Purchase clear plastic shoe boxes in bulk at a discount store and use them to store lesser-worn shoes. 

  • - Place hangers on the back of the closet door or other little-used space, and hang hats, ties, scarves or even jewelry.  Keep your most-used items at eye-level. 

  • - Storing sweaters on a hanger isn’t the best thing for the sweater--they’ll end up misshapen. Fold them and place them in a plastic storage container lined with fabric softener sheets or sachets. A hanging shoe organizer would be another great way to keep them in shape--just roll them up and put them in the pockets. 

 

General Closet Organization 

  • - Add a second rod to your hanging space, which can be a DIY for one day, or purchase a kit that makes this one a cinch to add more storage. 

  • - For closets with limited space, use wall-mount towel rods and shower curtain hangers to hang handbags or other odds and ends. 

  • - Use laundry baskets for storing odd items on the top shelf. 

 

Don’t forget to wipe the closet down when you remove everything for sorting. Wipe down the walls and shelving with a mild cleanser and warm water. Once everything is clean and organized, set aside an hour at every season’s change to keep it that way. 

 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.   

 

Photo credit: Corporette.com