Where to Start
Let’s face it, closets can be like a big ole black hole! You know you have to get in there and find something magical to put on each day, but it’s become a frustrating experience every morning because nothing seems to pair nicely together, or fit properly! Well, I’m here to change all that! No fear we WILL organize your closet! These 7 easy steps to purge and organize your closet without the overwhelm will help you feel accomplished in no time!
Step 1
Let’s start at the beginning. First, you will begin by taking everything out of your closet that doesn’t fit properly or that you haven’t worn in a year and lay them on your bed. This includes everything in your closet including folded items like sweaters, scarves, handbags all of it!
Step 2
Next you will immediately do a search for the nearest:
- Fifi’s Consignment
- Plato’s Closet
- Clothes Mentor, or
- Sell on your PoshMark or eBay account
With the money you earn from the sales you can start buying some new pieces for your wardrobe!
Don’t want to be bothered with that approach? There are plenty of local charitable organizations that would love to have your gently used items. You may want to try:
- Dress For Success
- Goodwill
- The Salvation Army
- Local Women’s Shelters or Rescue Missions
Step 3
Organizing What’s Left. Now that your closet has more space the next step is to organize it. Begin by placing all your pants together arranging them from lightest color down to darkest color.
Step 4
Next, you will arrange and organize your tops in the same fashion from lightest to darkest. Now begin placing them in order starting with tanks and sleeveless tops, followed by short-sleeved, then 3/4 and long-sleeved tops.
Follow this same pattern with every article of clothing that is left hanging in your closet. Spring and Summer dresses together then Fall and Winter, short to long sleeve, light to dark colors.
Step 5
Hang your belts on a belt rack, but before you do you may want to try them on to see if they still fit and if they pass the style test..do they match with any of the clothing items you decided to keep? Neck scarves can also be placed on a belt or tie rack. These versatile little scarves are making a comeback and can be used in multiple ways! I love putting mine on the handle of my handbag for a pop of color or to add interest to a monotone outfit. They are great as ponytail scarves and can be used as belts or even wrapped around your hat to add color there; the possibilities are endless! Be sure to watch for my free Basics of Styling e-book coming out this Summer. Now that I’ve gone ahead and given you some style ideas though, don’t be feeling like you’ve got to keep it, you need to apply the same rules as above, i.e. if it doesn’t fit or you haven’t worn it in a year it’s gotta go!!
“Placing all tops together ranging from tanks to short-sleeved, and then long-sleeved tops, then arranging them by coordinating colors brings immediate order to your closet.”
Karen April @myconfidentstyle
Step 6
What To Do With Footwear. Gently used footwear can be sold or donated, so no need to toss those! When it comes to organizing your footwear it’s best to do so by season or style. I find shoe shelves to be a lifesaver here! You may want to organize by:
- Flats
- Sandals
- Pumps
- Sneakers
- Booties
- Tall Boots
“Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.”
Also, shoe shelves make it easier to find a matching pair of shoes than if you’ve got them tossed in a bin. Here are some examples of handy shoe shelves.
If you don’t already have one you may want to add one of these babies to your closet, they are SO handy!! The ones pictured above range from $11 – $34 which is quite affordable. All are from walmart.com The shelf racks are nice enough to place outside a closet should you desire. I have used both types and find they serve their purpose well in giving you the organization and extra space desired from a shelf. Links for each are included should you wish to purchase directly from here without going to Walmart trying to find the exact item either in store or on line.
Shoe rack links match with coordinating numbers in above photo
1 https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6i7whcvapp
2 https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6i7tvcvapp
3 https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6i7rpcvapp
4 https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6i7nzcvapp
5 https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6i7kycvapp
Step 7
DO NOT attach emotional or sentimental value to your purged items or you will NEVER get rid of them and they will take up valuable space in your closet.
Helpful Tips For The Finishing Touch
If you really want to do it up right, and give yourself that great feeling of accomplishment; having quality hangers can make all the difference! It provides uniformity and keeps all your clothes fresh as old metal hangers have ridged edges and plastic hangers can damage clothing with their sharp edges. I’ve had my PLU bomber jackets damaged at the collar because of this, but it no longer happens now that I’ve switched to velvet or “flocked” hangers! I personally like the black, but have included some bright pink ones here which are really fun! (they also come in a host of other colors as well!) I have included the direct links below.
Hanger links
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6rq2bcvapp Black Velvet Hangers
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6rq5fcvapp Pink Velvet Hangers (these come in multiple colors)
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e6rqv2cvapp Pant Hangers
Feeling better, but feel like you need to do more? Check out my blog post on How To Know What Colors Look Best On You here From start to finish the entire process of pulling out what doesn’t work and organizing in this new fashion takes approximately one hour. Here’s the kicker though; you MUST do this without attaching emotion to each article of clothing or you will never get rid of it, and it will take up valuable usable space in your closet.
As a brief reminder these are your 7 simple steps:
- Take out items that no longer fit or that you do not wear.
- Contact local re-sale stores and donation centers to deliver your unwanted items.
- Organize starting with your pants first arranging in lightest to the darkest color.
- Arrange tops in the following order tanks/camis to short sleeves followed by 3/4 and long sleeves.
- Hang belts and neck scarves on a tie rack.
- Toss out any unworn/out-of-date footwear. Organize what you have left by style/season and heel height. Utilize a shoe shelf for the best use of overall space and proper organization.
- Do ALL of this WITHOUT attaching emotional or sentimental value to items or you will NEVER get rid of items you truly do not need.
What has worked for you? Let us know if you’ve got any ideas you’d like to share, until next time…Happy organizing! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how it went!
As always friends, be confident!
xoxo, Karen
