The 11 Step Plan for Organizing Your Close
The 11 Step Plan for Organizing Your Closet
Reading the "C" word may make you recoil in horror. Needless to
say, this challenge isn't for those who lack courage or for the
faint of heart. Going boldly doesn't entail conquering just the
junk drawer. In The Change Your Life Challenge we go for the
gusto, the big time, the whole enchilada. That being said, you
don't have to tackle your whole closet in a day! We will take
simple steps each day to tackle this big job. As a Chinese
Proverb states, "yard by yard life is hard...inch by inch, it's
a cinch."
So my guess is you have more than one of these "C-word" areas in
your home. The good news is that you can pretend (for now) that
you only have one, yours. (We will get to the kids next time!)
So here are the steps I challenge you to take.
1. Grab all of your dirty clothes and clean them. This includes
dry cleaned clothes too! (Imagine my surprise when I found all
my missing kitchen towels and long-lost summer shorts!)
2. Take anything that is off-season, fold it neatly and pack it
away in labeled storage containers. (I like those large plastic
Rubbermaid containers. They can be stacked easily in a garage,
attic or another "C-word" area.)
3. Grab a box and remove all the hangers from your closet that
don't have clothes on them.
4. Now arrange all your hangers so that they are facing the same
direction. This will help avoid tangles that require advanced
yoga-skills in order to extricate yourself.
5. Decide what is going to be on hangers and what is going to be
stacked. Are you going to hang sweaters or fold them? T-shirts
and light cottons? Pants? I love to hang just about everything
as I find it gets less wrinkled---and as you probably guessed--I
don't own an iron.
6. Now that you have decided, go ahead and put everything in its
proper place, hanging like items together.
7. You knew the "use it or lose it" talk was coming. I saved
this for after the sorting process so that you could easily see
what all you have (how many black skirts does one person need?)
Take all those clothes you don't wear and get them out of your
closet. Here are a few options for removal:
a. If you have a bunch of clothes from when you were a different
size than you are now and you anticipate needing them in the
future, fold them all neatly and put them in a Rubbermaid
container with the size clearly marked on the outside.
b. If you aren't sure whether to keep something or get rid of
it, try it on. Go look in a full-length mirror. How do you feel?
If you find yourself smiling, promote the article to a hanger.
If you find yourself experiencing disassociate disorder, give it
away. If you are impartial, grab a Rubbermaid and toss it
inside. In 6 months, repeat the experiment. (Many professional
organizers suggest that if you haven't worn something within a
year, let it go. I find that often I don't wear something
because I have forgotten I own it or simply can't find it!
That's why I suggest the try-it-on experiment.)
c. If you have a hard time letting go of something because it
was expensive, a gift, or you have some other attachment, the
best cure is to give it a good home. Place in a bag and deliver
these items in-person to a homeless shelter or woman's shelter.
You'll never regret your decision. If you need extra cash there
is another alternative. Become an E-bay junkie. You'll be amazed
at what a silk shirt and other nice clothes will auction for...
The key is to be descriptive and take a good photograph.
8. Remove anything in your closet that you wear only once a
year. If you have a few fancy outfits or suits that you rarely
wear, get them out of your working space. Put them in a hall
closet. The goal is to get your closet to the point that
anything you grab will be something you can wear--and feel great
in!
9. Now you have streamlined your clothing and gotten everything
in its proper place. If you have a separate wardrobe for work,
group it together at one end of your closet. Basically
categorize like items together so you can easily find work or
casual wear.
10. You are almost done! Tackle socks, hosiery and intimate
apparel next. Throw out anything with a hole or tear. Match up
socks. Create a lost sock box to keep in the laundry room for
socks seeking partners.
11. Tack up nails to hold accessories, purses and belts. Buy a
storage box from your local craft store to securely hold
jewelry. Purchase a shoe rack or an over-the-door organizer that
easily hangs and holds 20 pairs of shoes. Or... be like me and
use Rubbermaid. I have three tubs (1) for dress shoes (2) for
boots (3) for all other stuff.