For the first time in a very long time, many of you may finally have all of your clothes in one place.
Think about it…for the last few years of college you have been living half here and half there. Keeping a few seasonal clothes in your closet back home to maximize the storage you have in your dorm room or your tiny city apartment.
When you’re living in two worlds, it’s easy to forget exactly what clothing items you left behind. It might even feel like you have absolutely nothing to wear sometimes, when in fact the perfect outfit is hidden in your closet miles away.
Events come up. Formals, award ceremonies, concerts, you name it, and suddenly it becomes time for another shopping hunt. We fill our closets up with these one-time use styles and throw them into the corner to never see the light of day again.
Whether you were forced to return home early due to the coronavirus, or you are coming back home for the summer, this article is for you.
Piles on piles now sit in the middle of your bedroom floor with no pattern of organization. The stack of hangers you started with has now dwindled down to the final few. You ask yourself, “How did I end up with so many clothes?”
There are many tricks for getting organized, but this simple method is quick and effective to find a place for each item.
Categorize
Start by sorting out your clothing into three categories: Keep, donate, and sell.
If you haven’t worn something within the last year, it’s likely that you probably will not wear it again. It’s also understandable if you just can’t get yourself to throw something out because you have never worn it.
Clothes can be expensive, and it seems like a waste to just give clothes away for free sometimes. If you have anything that you think you could get money back for, consider creating a Poshmark account, a clothing Instagram, or posting them on Facebook Marketplace. Additionally, places like the Buffalo Exchange, Plato’s Closet, and others accept gently used items in exchange for cash.
Once you have decided which items you are keeping, categorize these further in terms of type. Separate the sleeve lengths so that you can group the clothes for each season. This will make it easier on those cold winter days when you’re looking for the perfect cozy sweater.
Color Code
The most organized closet is always separated by color. Take the time to further categorize each season by color and watch your closet fan out like a rainbow.
Uniform Hangers
Your Pinterest page is likely full of dream closet goals. The unique part about many of these pictures compared to your own closet at home is uniform hangers.
No one knows where the collection of hangers in your closet came from, right? A mix of colors and materials cluster together and look down-right messy.
A cheap and easy step towards creating your very own dream closet can be done by tossing the old hangers and keeping one consistent kind. Try to find a hanger that will take up the least amount of space so that you can fit each clothing piece that needs to be hung.
Fold
If you are low on hangers, use them only for clothing pieces that absolutely need to be hung up. These are your dresses, jackets and coats, delicate shirts, button ups, etc. Use your dresser space or shelving areas to keep pants, sweaters and more neat and organized.
You want to be able to see everything at once so you are more likely to wear all of your clothes. If a T-shirt is stacked at the bottom of your dresser drawer you will never touch it!
Drawer Dividers
Keep your drawers organized by purchasing drawer dividers. These are great for undergarments that don’t need their own whole drawer.
Use the dividers to separate your socks from your sports bras and underwear to start, or any other small pieces you may own.
By continuously sorting out the items you no longer wear and following the rule of giving something away each time you purchase a new item, your closet should maintain this level of organization.
Instead of filling your closet up and forgetting about many of the pieces inside it, try to keep less items that hold more value to you. These should be your favorite items that make you feel the best when you wear them and that you wear often. Think about how much easier it is to find something you like at a boutique than a popular store like Forever 21. Less is more!