How to Organize Clothes

Have you ever experienced the gut-wretching feeling of opening your closet door? It happens to the best of us. Life doesn't always give us time to properly put away that shirt that didn't match or those unflattering pants. Organizing your clothes just kinda falls to the way side.

Plus, most of us have a lot of clothes that are for certain situations. Think about it, there are only a few of us who can say that every piece of clothing in their possession is absolutely necessary and worn regularly. I've found shirts from ten years ago in the mysteries of the closet.

The sheer wreckage behind that closed door haunts me. But I never, ever want to start sorting out that mess because it looks like it will take forever. But, trust me, its better to face the closet beast. Imagine actually being able to find what you need all the time. Plus, once you start organizing your clothes can be an easy, enjoyable task.

Sounds too good to be true? Trust me, it really isn't...

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Here's how to organize your clothes

First things first...

Go through your clothes. Touch every piece of clothing you own. Think about the last time you wore it. How often do you wear it? Does it go with a particular outfit? Does this particular clothing item make you feel good when you wear it?

Know when to keep clothing and when to get rid of it.

If you haven't worn the item in the last year, it doesn't go with any outfit you own, or it makes you feel terrible about yourself, you should probably get rid of it. If you're not going to wear it; its just taking up space in your closet.


Go through all of your clothes and weed out the things that are too big, too small, or you haven't worn in the past year. This doesn't have to be done in one sitting. Divide up the work into small pieces and really think about the particular piece of clothing. It really is a drag to throw something away and want it a week or two down the line.

Make piles for your clothing.

Making piles really helps me to organize everything quickly. Typically, I'll make three piles: keep, maybe, and get rid of. I bag up all of the items in the "get rid of" pile and write “get rid of” on the bag with a sharpie.

The "maybe" pile

Then, I take all of the maybes and put them in a bag and write “maybe” on it. I'll keep this bag for at least three months, just in case I need something. If I do need to take something out of the maybe bag, I will hang it up like a normal piece of clothing.

Finally...

Finally, I hang up all of my clothing with the hook of the hanger facing the opposite way. When I wear the particular item, I will hang the clothing normally. If, there are any hangers that are still in the opposite way I know to get rid of that particular item.

I try to clean out my closet seasonally. I try to thin out my wardrobe in the winter and summer.

Have a great day!