How I controlled the chaos in my closet
It took me most of the day last Sunday, but it looks glorious!
I couldn’t take it anymore — the chaos of my closet. I felt like such a hypocrite because when I meet with clients (and friends) to help with their closets, I talk so much about organizing your closet to make it work for you and easy to get dressed. My closet was ANYTHING but that.
I go into an office basically 5x a week so I don’t have the luxury of not “getting dressed” everyday. And, I’m in commercial real estate, so it’s a little different from the last 10 years I’ve been working in ad/marketing agencies, and the magazine and fashion industries I worked in before that— I can’t just roll up in jeans all the time.
So, last Sunday, I put on a podcast, wheeled in my rolling rack (I use this when I meet with clients), a step stool, the vacuum, and some cleaning materials and got to work. (Here’s one at Target, and another one that’s really inexpensive.)
First, I took everything out of my closet. Literally everything. I have the rolling rack (and I realize not everyone will have one of these) so I put all the clothing and anything I had on hangers there.
Any storage containers, boxes, suitcases, shoes, anything else, went on the floor in my bedroom. Folded items and my jeans and sweaters on hangers, I stacked on my bed. My room looked like an explosion, but I had a clean slate to start with in my closet.
Next, I vacuumed and dusted everything. (Ooof the dust that had been hiding on the floors or on the top shelves of my closet!)
I have a large walk-in closet with built in rods, drawers, shelves and shoe shelf storage. That honestly, was half the battle to beginning to organize and put things back.
I started with putting things back by “section” or “type of item”. And as I hung things up, I organized like colors and sleevelength together. For one of the sections in my closet designated for longer hanging items, I hung the dresses and long skirts. In another section, all of my coats and outerwear. (I have probably more than necessary but after almost a decade of winters in Chicago, I built quite the outerwear wardrobe!) Next up, the denim, sweaters, tops … And so on, and so on.
Any items I knew I wanted folded on the shelves, I refolded neatly on my bed before moving to the shelves and using dividers to separate them. I even organized my handbags (I have a lot of bags and especially clutches) with the dividers and made sure they were all in their dust bags, too.
When I was done, it was so clean and organized — and didn’t give me a sense of overwhelm and dread … but calm.
OH — here’s how I hang my sweaters + denim/pants. With sweaters, I just fold them in half, and then drape the armpit area over the hook. With denim, shorts, I fold in half, and loop the two belt loops around the hook of the hange, and fold the pants up to hang over the bottom rod of the hanger.
No one:
Me: Here’s my must-have items an organized closet
I don’t allow wire or plastic hangers in my closet. They tangle, their are bulky and clothing usually slips right off them anyways. I use these felt hangers - they work for everything including sweaters and pants without creases in the shoulders. For jackets and coats, or anything that I need a little stronger hanger, I go for these wooden ones. And for pants and skirts, I use these.
Where to store your hangers when they aren’t in use. We have one in our laundry room and in each closet, when you take something off the hanger, drop the hanger here so you always have them at the ready.
I’ve actually been using one of these since my wardrobe styling days because they work — and last forever. Just rub lightly where you’ve got that pesky deodorant rub and they disappear. Keep one in your car, desk drawer or gym bag so you always have one.
Boot Trees (seriously they are magical)
These are magical. You just roll them up and shove them down into your boots and they will keep them shaped to stand up in your closet! And they are so inexpensive — truly great.
This Sweater Shaver (it’s 20% off rn!)
Look, I know that pilled sweaters and shirts may not bother people as much as me, but if it does, this baby does the trick. I also find shaving sweaters weirdly cathartic.
I just recently added these this year to section my shelves where I have folded items.
That’s it my friends. If spending a whole day/evening organizing and cleaning your closet sounds like a dreadful, overwhelming, or just simply a “no- thanks” activity — reply to this, comment, or email me! I’d love to help! No shopping involved, just an OCD gal who loves a good closet organization sesh.