Say goodbye to closet clutter with our dos and don’ts –
Plus: one-of-a-kind tips from a practicing professional organizer
Clutter is the enemy of fashion
The special garments we work so hard to add to our wardrobes deserve to be handled respectfully, not shoved in drawers or closets or thrown on the floor where they risk being jammed, wrinkled, crumpled, stepped on or ripped.
Chaos sneaks in and makes spaces unruly: Disorganization can also damage goods by not allowing fabrics to breathe. When air fails to circulate around things, mold and mildew can ensue, ruining perfectly good clothing. This is an utter waste of money.
Disorder causes headaches: Collections of untidy things make it harder to find what we are looking for, resulting in wasted time and energy, too. If you can relate, it’s likely time to organize and straighten clothing zones – to include closets, drawers, and piles that spill out onto the floor.
Stop the clutter now: Here are some quick dos and don’ts for organizing clothes – plus helpful tips from an expert in the organizing profession.
Dos | Don’ts | Expert tips |
Do keep clothes/shoes/accessories that look good on you and make you feel confident when you’re wearing them. | Don’t keep clothes/shoes/accessories that aren’t flattering or make you feel unconfident. Rather, donate these items. | Try on your clothes in front of a mirror to see what fits and makes you feel good. Use this as a main guideline for what stays and what gets donated. |
Do keep clothes that have timeless appeal. These clothes are versatile and can last in your wardrobe for a lifetime. | Don’t keep clothes you bought simply because they were once trendy. Clothes you don’t wear because they are out of style should be donated. | If you’re having trouble deciding what’s trendy, ask a trusted friend with strong fashion sense to help you sort through your clothes. |
Do read organizing tips and watch videos on closet organization to gain expert tips and shortcuts that you can put to good use. | Don’t feel intimidated. While organizing does require some planning and expenditure of time, know that it is completely doable! | Organizing clothing and accessories can be time consuming. Do plan adequate sessions in which to organize and work in increments to avoid feeling overwhelmed. |
Do use space wisely and make use of all available areas of the home – including wall space or hidden spots such as under the bed. | Don’t let empty space go to waste. Whenever possible, take total advantage of your square footage. | Consider your closet as important real estate. Use it to your advantage – adding shelving and hangers and thinking high to low when it comes to storage. |
Do buy organizing products that are essential for your project. These are items like space saving hangers and storage bins designed to contain clutter. | Don’t waste your money on unnecessary or costly products. While organizational products are helpful, be selective in your choices so as to not waste money. | Before buying anything, look at what you already own. Do you have baskets or other products that can be used to contain items like scarves, belts and more? |
Do match and coordinate your storage supplies, such as hangers, whenever possible. Matching hangers can make a closet look uniform and professional. | Don’t intentionally mismatch hangers and storage containers. Having a uniform look is not only visually more appealing, but it creates more space when things line up neatly. | Consider buying products like matching space-saving hangers in bulk. Often, we need more hangers than we think, and these products are less expensive when bought in higher quantities. |
Do fold t-shirts properly. The key is to fold them all into uniform size and shape so that they look neat when placed in a drawer or closet space. | Don’t ball up clothes or shove them in a drawer. It is no fun having items stuck in drawers. This only serves to make items harder to find and retrieve. | Inside drawers, stack uniformly folded t-shirts vertically rather than horizontally. This makes them easier to see. If needed, use drawer dividers to help. |
Do group like items together and further break it down by color coordinating. This makes items easy to find. Plus, it makes putting together outfits a breeze. | Don’t randomly stick stuff inside the closet. Rather, use thought. For example, stack jeans neatly together on the same shelf, and hang scarves neatly together. | Grouping like items together makes it easy to find things. Build upon this by color coordinating clothes – going from dark to light. This sensible tip helps people access specific colors and dress like professionals. |
Do rotate your wardrobe if possible. This involves thinking seasonally and keeping clothing you currently wear accessible. | Don’t mix seasons of clothes. Otherwise, it may be impossible to find your favorite swimsuit top or pair of shorts that are buried under your winter sweaters. | If possible, store out of season clothes in rollout bins and tuck them under the bed. Or temporarily place them in storage to free up space for the things you currently wear. |
In summary
Clutter is not the friend of fashion – but organization can save the day! Being organized provides major opportunities to care for and access important garments. Keeping clothing items neat and visible puts what you want to wear at your fingertips – so that you can put together an outfit fast, quickly coordinate accessories, and dress to look and feel your very best. Happy organizing!
Excellent article. I’ve read that we mostly only wear about 20% of our wardrobe consistently. And when I look at my wardrobe that’s pretty correct. I’m holding on to a lot of very nice clothes that I haven’t worn in months. I have a lot of nice stuff that’s taking up space. I’ve gone to the 1 for 2 system; two items have to go for anything new I now purchase. So, I’m giving away a lot of nice stuff. That’s kind of against the way I was brought up but it’s the right thing to do. Don’t buy it if it’s not replacing something. Don’t buy it if it’s not better than what you already have. And don’t keep it if you’re not going to wear it. It’s a change in lifestyle, want and need are not always the same.