How to Organize Your Closet
For many of us, our closets are some of the most important spaces in our homes. Whether you’re going for full glam or every day comfort, your closet is an essential space for your daily routine. Aside from just clothes, many people utilize closet space to store memories and keepsakes. No matter how you use yours, implementing systems and zones will help to maintain an organized space as it expands and evolves over the years.
Purging your closet
The one thing that initially keeps many people from organizing their closet is the essential purge. Clothes are something that people generally form a sentimental attachment to as they create memories in outfits they love, so getting rid of clothes in your closet can be understandably tricky. We know it can be hard to let go, even if you haven’t worn something in years, but sorting through your closet is crucial to start. To get started, we recommend working on one category at a time. Start with your jeans, then onto pants, and so on. When you take it section by section, it keeps you focused on one task at a time, and doesn’t make for overwhelm. You’ll also see your entire inventory for each type of clothing when you sort through it by category, which simplifies the process. Be honest with yourself while purging, asking questions like “when was the last time I wore this?” “how often do I find myself reaching for this?” and “would I buy it again?” Of course, be sure to donate or sell any of the clothes you purge that are still in good condition.
Hanging vs. folding vs. placing
The next step once you’ve purged is to space plan. Depending on how much hanging space you have in your closet, especially in comparison to folding space, it’s helpful to prioritize hanging formal clothes and then move to casual. If you run out of hanging space, casual clothes can be file folded and placed on shelves or tucked away in drawers. We use the file folding method for folded clothes (if you’re not familiar with this, check out our tutorial here!) Undergarments, loungewear, athleisure, leggings, and pajamas are typically the types of clothes we file away in a dresser or drawers within a closet. Also, if space permits, we recommend keeping your dresser in or close to your closet to have all your clothing items together in one space. Typically, we recommend storing larger accessories and folding nicer folded clothes on exposed shelves. Shoes, purses, hats, and jewelry, sweaters and jeans are our preferred items for shelves in closets!
MAXIMIZING YOUR SPACE
No matter the size of your closet, we love to save you space wherever we can! Even if you have a walk-in, maximizing the space is always the best method to streamlining your routine. Of course, file folding is our #1 space saver! File folding makes for more room and makes it easy for you to see every article of clothing. We also love to accompany file folded clothes with expandable drawer dividers, making one drawer into multiple sections for different categories. Bins and baskets are our favorite space savers for shelves. We list out all of our favorite space-saving techniques and products in our How-To Organize your Closet Guide if you’re looking for more in-depth tips.
PLANNING FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE
As you're putting your items away, think about how it can flow with your routine. This means choosing which categories to put where and how to place them back. Typically, we organize tops by length and by color within each length. We like to go from long to short (with long starting in the back), then from dark to light (with dark starting in the back.) Also, we like to put most-frequented items in the prime real estate of the closet when possible. For hanging, choosing one type and color of the hanger makes for a more cohesive flow and uniformity. For folding, file folding to the same size creates the same uniformity in drawers and on shelves.
Styling your closet
Once you have your items placed in a spot most functional for you, you’re onto the final step, and arguably the most fun part—styling your closet! Adding miscellaneous accessories such as hats, statement jewelry, or decorative baskets makes for a dreamy look every time you open or walk into your closet. At the end of the day, the combination of aesthetics and functionality creates a beautiful space that you can breathe easy in.
Hopefully, our closet tips can help you to kick start your organizational journey. You’re steps away from achieving your dream aesthetic and simplifying your routine! If you feel like you need more of our guidance along the way, be sure to pre-order our founder Jen Robin’s first book, Life in Jeneral: A Joyful Guide to Organizing Your Home and Creating the Space for What Matters Most, before it launches December 7th to receive all of our How-To Guides FREE of charge (including our how-to closet guide!) The closet guide is complete with 22 pages of detailed, in-depth guidance based on the LIJ organizing method. This guide expands on the tips above as well as how to organize your closet based on its type, jeneral guidelines for placement in the closet, how to hang/fold/store clothes properly, our favorite closet products, and more! Happy organizing!