Organizing a closet seems like a fairly simple project yet it has the potential to prove quite complicated, time-consuming and even slightly frustrating.  This project is absolutely essential for those who are moving into a new home or apartment.  Organize your closet in the proper manner right away and you won’t have to worry about maintaining this space in the weeks and months to follow.  The challenge lies in properly organizing a closet with limited space in a manner that will stay organized across posterity.  Here’s how to do it.

 

Start out With the Right Organizational Tools

Well-organized closets make use of organizational tools ranging from hangers to bins, baskets and beyond.  In other words, it is a mistake to fold clothing and stack it on the shelves of your closet.  Most closets are not large enough to accommodate a dresser of any size so it will certainly help to have bins and baskets at your disposal.  Once you run out of room to hang your clothes in the closet and the dresser drawers outside of your closet are full, it is time to put some items in sweater bins, wicker baskets and other storage spaces within the closet.  Pick up a few of these items before attempting to organize your closet so you have a place to put everything instead of piling it all up on shelves.

 

Where to Start

Do not attempt to organize your closet after a long day at work.  Give yourself at least an hour or two after a grueling workday to wind down prior to embracing the challenge of organizing your closet.  Ideally, this project will be completed on a weekend when you have an abundance of energy and patience. 

Begin by emptying your closet of all its contents, ranging from shoes to clothes, closet organizers, hats and sundries.  Once all of these items are moved out of the closet, it is time to clean it from top-to-bottom and end-to-end.  Once you are done cleaning the closet, take a close look at all of your belongings removed from the closet.  Determine which items you would like to keep and which should be donated, thrown out or moved to another part of your home besides the closet. 

 

Group Similar Items

If you are like most people, the items in your closet are scattered about somewhat haphazardly as you were either short on time or space when putting things inside this cramped storage area.  Now that everything is pulled out of your closet, it is time to organize items into groups.  Separate all the shoes, clothes and accessories from one another.  Identify the items you wear at a high frequency and place them toward the front of the closet.  Gradually move each group of similar items back into the closet making strategic use of the fore-mentioned bins, baskets and hangers.

Not Sure Where to put Something?  Use a Catch-all Basket

If you are uncertain as to where a specific item should go during your closet organization process, do not toss it onto a random shelf.  Put such items into a catch-all basket for sundries.  Everything from hair clips to receipts, rubber bands and loose change can be temporarily placed in the catch-all bin until you figure out exactly where these random items should be permanently placed.