Twice a year I go through my closet and organize it and make it pretty. It feels so good to have a closet full of clothes you actually wear that are ironed and mended and hung neatly in a row. Here is my basic process for organizing my closet.
Tip 1: Brutally Edit
Ask yourself: Do I love it? and Do I wear it? If you don’t answer “yes” to both questions then sell it or donate it. Sometimes I realize I’m still in love with the “idea” of a piece of clothing because I got lots of compliments back in the day, when in reality its out of style and I never wear it anymore.
Tip 2: Get Matching Hangers
It sounds like a superficial detail but it makes such a difference in how organized your closet feels to have matching hangers. It feels good visually to have a consistent row of hangers lined up all in a row.
Tip 3: Build Your Staples
I try to have a wardrobe of staples like trench coat, black pants, ballet flats, striped shirt that I wear to death. I fill it in with trendy items that I rotate out every season. But maintaining my basic staples it helps me to keep my closet simplified and organized.
This is the first apartment I’ve lived in since I’ve been married that has a washer and dryer (it’s heaven!) Our apartment is small so I was so happy that Method sent me some of their new laundry detergent to try out. They’ve created a higher concentrated formula so it comes in a cool little bottle that is much smaller than regular laundry detergent bottles. It is perfect for me and my tiny kitchen.
Do you have any tips for cleaning out your closet or for not accumulating too much stuff? I’d love to hear them.
This post is part of the Get Clean campaign with Martha and Method. Go here to join the project and to read more.
photos by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day
Sarah
March 27, 2011
Great post! Thanks for sharing =)
– Sarah
http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com/
AJPerry
March 27, 2011
I do the same things but tend to do it about every 3 months, because I would get so frustrated throwing the same clothes around and only wear about 1/3 of my closet. I have downsized A LOT, and have one closet for coats and dresses (coctail attire). The daily wardrobe items go on a clothing rack in my dressing room….EXPOSED! I have it, as if it were a piece of art, so I always want it to look good.
Another tip, if you're questioning an item…. pair it with something you love and hang it on the same hanger. Next time you want to wear the item you love, and the other item gets tossed…. YOU MUST TOSS IT! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your tips. It's great to have a reminder!
kim
March 27, 2011
Thanks for the tips – I had gone through my closet a few months back (for the first time in years!!), but of course, there are still things in there that probably should just go too! I really love the Method brand and philosophy, however their products aren't the easiest to find on shelves here in Australia. (Love all the stripes, by the way!)
Lester - Adult Tricycle
March 28, 2011
Housekeeping no longer seems to be boring with these great tips. Thanks for sharing with us.
Christiane
March 28, 2011
hey! i just found your blog and i love love love it! keep up the beautiful posts you gorgeous thing!
amanda jane
March 28, 2011
I love how all your laundry is striped! So paris! 🙂
--r
March 28, 2011
every time i try to clean out my closets, i'm reminded about how sentimental i am. i believe it runs in the family.
megancolby
March 28, 2011
Thanks for the motivation to tackle the closet again! By the way, what is the best way to wash lovely striped clothes to prevent the white from getting dingy?
Lara Arenghi
March 28, 2011
Tenho uma dica para organizar o armário, faço isso pelo menos duas vezes ao ano. se a roupa está sem ser usada a mais de um ano será mais útil com outra pessoa!
Funciona, assim tenho mais espaço nos armários e não guardo peças obsoletas.
Abraço
Lara
bluebadgerbaby
March 28, 2011
We used the Method laundry soap for about 6 months, but finally gave up. The pumps wouldn't work about a third of the time. And to tell the truth, as much as I liked the idea, our clothes were dingy.
besquirrely.com
March 28, 2011
Loving all the stripes! A-door-bell. Simply a-door-bell, lady!
whitneyingram
March 28, 2011
When you organize your closet, hang all the hangers backwards. When you wear something, wash it and then hang it back up, hang the hanger in the right direction. The next time you organize your closet, see what hangers are still backwards and those are things you haven't worn (and probably never will). Toss those things out.
r8chel
March 28, 2011
I actually don't have the problem of acquiring too many clothes, but I agree that a closet feels much more organized when all the hangers match. Mine are just those white-covered metal hangers, but at least they all look alike. 🙂
rebecca
March 28, 2011
I agree – matching hangers helps immensely! I also try to organize by color – it makes my closet so pretty!
Marlena
March 28, 2011
I'm with you in brutally editing. I passed along 5 pairs of pants to a friend yesterday because I haven't been able to fit in them for 3 years. What also helps is that my friends and I have clothing swaps every 2 to 3 months, so that forces me to look at my closet and see what needs a new home.
Hannah
March 28, 2011
I love that those stripped socks are making an appearance again. Where did you find them?
lovemaki
March 28, 2011
i love how the clothes are stripes!
i have a collection of stripes too, and slowly adding a collection to my son's wardrobe as well:)
marymuses
March 28, 2011
I am buying no new clothes in 2011, and it's amazing how much I've already learned, just three months into it, about what I actually wear and like. There's a lot in there that I just never wear, and I had no idea because there was always something new to catch my attention. Turns out that I wear the same two pairs of jeans, four shirts, and three cardigans most of the time. I thought that this year would make me want to hold on to more stuff, but I actually feel more inclined to get rid of things than if I'd just kept buying clothes as usual. Goodwill is going to love me this year.
The Maltese Kat
March 28, 2011
Great tips and I have to say I love ALL of the stripes in your laundry!
*{Maltese Kat}*| Le Blog
B
March 28, 2011
i love all of your stripes!!!!
please visit my blog for my spring cleaning tips!
happy spring! )
bridget
http://b-unbuttoned.blogspot.com/
lovely lady lessy.
March 28, 2011
I do the same every few months or so. I haven't included mending and ironing everything though –that will be a great addition to my purge.
annie
March 28, 2011
Great post…especially perfect for Spring Cleaning! I have been inspired by that Project 333 where you can only wear 33 items for 3 months. I have not actually done it, but it made me sort through my closet, buy all white wood hangers at IKEA (they look great) and makes you think twice about purchases. Don't you love the small bottles of detergent these days?
veryheatherly
March 28, 2011
Beautiful photos.
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March 28, 2011
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March 28, 2011
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irati_e
March 29, 2011
I find that the most efficient way of getting rid of unwanted/unused items of clothing is… moving to a new flat/house!
Sadly I never make time to organize my closet, so when I move houses (I have done so about a dozen times in the last decade)I throw about 10 to 20% of the stuff.
Designs Good
March 29, 2011
thanks for the reminder that i NEED to clean out my closet ;).
christine
March 29, 2011
I've been wanting to try Method's detergent. And I recently made a promise to myself that I would simplify my closet using this list for staples: http://www.inklemonade.com/blog/2011/03/23/the-style-list-project-part-2/
Anonymous
March 30, 2011
Hows about a post on where to buy all these great clothes and stripes…especially for little boys!
mygoodness
March 30, 2011
i love, love, love that you can make closet cleaning inspiring 😉 i also organize my closet by color and sleeve length… so all my pink tops are together from strappy, to short sleeve, to long sleeve; then reds, oranges, etc. it makes for a more visually appealing closet. and, it seems less chaotic at 6:00 AM when i'm making the important decision of what to wear!!
happy organizing!
kerri
Scarlet Lily
March 31, 2011
I'm laughing that someone else has a stripe obsession as intense as my own. I never think about it consciously, but every time I gravitate towards a top, it inevitably has stripes!
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April 1, 2011
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natalie
April 1, 2011
This was motivating. Closet domination this weekend!
kahlia
April 12, 2011
I pare down my closet twice a year, when I have to switch it out. Our tiny city apartments over the past 5 years (first Barcelona, now Florence) have usually meant that my entire closet space was an armoire, which only fits one season's clothes at a time. In summer, I store my winter clothes in my suitcases (better to put them to use for storage than to leave them empty & taking up space!).
@mygoodness/kerri I organise by colour and sleeve length, too! Most days I pick my clothes based on my mood (and often have changed my mind from what I've laid out the night before), and colour is the biggest part of that.
@whitneyingram Backwards hangers is brilliant! I'm especially guilty of hanging on to things for their sentimental value, so that might help me make a decision on some things.
carpet cleaning
June 9, 2011
Very nice and good article.
carpet cleaning
Office Cleaning London
June 14, 2011
I will certainly buy the new Method.
Carpet Cleaning
June 15, 2011
Great post and even greater blog. Thanks a lot for sharing so many useful tips. Although it seems easy, cleaning the closet can be very hard sometimes.