Organize your clothing with these easy ideas to save space and declutter. They make the best use of your storage and make getting ready in the morning so much easier!
Seasonal weather changes are the perfect excuse to clean out the closet.
Hold on a minute… who are we kidding??
“Seasonal weather changes”? Nope! That’s not real motivation in my world.
Real motivation is when I’m about to be late for work and I’m frantically digging through the closet for a shirt that won’t make me sweat all day!:)
A few of those heart-pounding moments almost always get me in the mood to organize my closet.
I’ve finally worked out some easy clothing organization ideas that don’t take long and are so helpful. I used this same method last winter when I refreshed the master bedroom.
If you want to get your clothing organized as quickly and easily as possible, here are the simple steps I recommend. And at the bottom of this post you’ll find a helpful printable closet organization guide to walk you through it.
How to Organize Clothing Quickly and Easily
1. Pull everything out of the closet and drawers
Trust me. Things will get worse before they get better. But it’s worth it!
Stack everything on the bed by category. For instance, all the sweaters in one pile, all the pants in another, and so on. Then go through each pile one category at a time. The fun part is finding items you completely forgot you had. (Or am I the only one?)
2. Try every item on
Pretend your closet items are selections in a great clothing store and you’re hunting for your favorites. Try on every. single. thing. Then, as you look in the mirror, ask yourself these key questions:
- Does it fit the body I have right now?
- Is it comfortable?
- Is it flattering?
- Do I like it?
3. Work with the 3-bin system
Have 3 boxes or bins ready with these labels:
- Donate
- Sell
- Throw away
Once you’ve tried on each item, quickly decide which “bin” it belongs in.
If you don’t answer a resounding “Yes!” to all of those questions, it goes in the donate, sell, or throw-away bin. (If I’m really on the fence about something, I may keep it for one more season, but if I haven’t worn it in a year, it goes…)
If you decide to keep it, place it with all the “keeper” items.
**Remember, the goal of your wardrobe is to have items you wear, love, and feel confident in.
4. Start a shopping list
As you try things on and notice pieces that need replacing or are missing, write them down. It will be much easier to pull out a list when you’re shopping next time.
Keep accessories in mind, too. If an outfit looks great but just needs an accessory, write that down as well.
5. Arrange the current season’s clothes front and center in your closet and drawers
I don’t pack away clothes that aren’t for the current season since I don’t have extra space for that. Instead I store them in the harder-to-reach areas. It’s a rotation system that works well. Winter items hang at the far end of the closet, with summer items close at hand.
You may want to sort your clothes by category, such as tops, bottoms, dresses, and outerwear. Within each category, arrange the pieces by color or style. This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and creates a visually pleasing display.
(See our small closet organization ideas here.)
6. Fold clothes in drawers or baskets like “file folders”
Years ago I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I still use many of the systems I learned from it. One of the most practical pieces of advice was to fold clothes so they can be viewed like file folders in a drawer.
It works so well! Instead of a pair of shorts getting forgotten at the bottom of a pile, they can all be seen at once.
7. Invest in good-quality hangers.
I recently bought a set of velvet hangers. Not only do the clothes hang so nicely on them without slipping off the sides, they save space, too!
8. Get some help if you need wardrobe assistance
There are many online resources for wardrobe help that you can find once you start digging around.
Personally, I took Alison Lumbatis’s Outfit Formulas program years ago, and I kid you not, it was an investment in myself that totally changed my life. She has also written a book I highly recommend, The Ultimate Book of Outfit Formulas: A Stylish Solution to What Shall I Wear. In it she discusses:
- mixing and matching clothing items (you may already have many of them in your closet!),
- which items are “closet staples” (pieces that can be worn season after season, year after year) and which are trendier pieces. (This helped me learn what was valuable to invest in.)
- a calendar of exact outfits to put together with those items
For more organization ideas:
- Small bathroom organization ideas
- 10 Clever Small Kitchen Storage Ideas for Awesome Organization
- Get Organized! Home Organization Made EASY
- Easy Home Organization Ideas in 15 Minutes a Day
