Skeletons Lurking in Your Closet?  Here are Put It There’s Top Closet Organizing Tips

With the approaching change in seasons and Halloween around the corner, what better time to clean out the skeletons lurking in your closets!  Read on for favorite products and top closet organizing tips from the entire Put It There team.

Michelle suggests the following tips for approaching closet organizing projects:

• Do not try and tackle a closet all in one day!  Rather, chunk it down…shorts today, skirts tomorrow, jeans the next day, etc, etc.
• Your clothing should make you feel good about you!  If you are holding on to items that are a few sizes too small, adios.  You don’t need them mocking you every time you go to get dressed. Should you get back to that smaller size, then you deserve a reward by investing in some new, current clothing.
• Same goes for clothing that is too big for your current you.  By holding on to them, you are giving yourself permission to go back to that larger size.

Eileen’s top tip is:

• Always keep a shopping bag in the closet for donations.  When you try something on and you don’t like it for whatever reason, don’t hang it back up!  Most likely you will never wear it again.  Put it immediately in the donate bag. Take the bag to the car when it’s full and right to donation drop off.

Laura suggests:

• Pick a date and turn all of your hangers around so the hook is facing you on the rod. 
• When you wear an item, turn the hanger back around so the hook faces the wall of the closet. 
• Then set another date on your calendar to review your hangers – it could be 3 months, 6 months, a year….  When that alert shows up on your calendar, review your hangers.  If you have clothes on a hanger where the hook is still facing you, you may want to let that item go. 
• Lastly, while you are turning your hangers around, if you find the clothing item is dusty, rusty, torn, stained, broken, ill-fitting, or you don’t even like it, go ahead and take it out of your closet.  Depending on the state of the item, donate, trash, or sell it.

Need some guidance on how to best approach the purging process?  Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I really need it/wear it?
• How many other items do I have which are similar?
• Do I want to allot space for it? (The Home Edit girls say, “You can have the item or the space but not both.”)
• Is this the only one I have that serves this purpose?
• Is there an occasion to wear it in the near future?
• Will it be very difficult to buy it again?
• Can I live without it?
• Do I love it?
• Do I love the way I look in it?
• Is there anyone I can give it to who needs it more than I do?
• Will a picture of it suffice? (Especially good for any sentimental clothing items)
• Does keeping this item help me meet my goals?

When it comes to products, there are many that are super helpful when it comes to closet organizing.  Here are some of our favorites.

• How are those hangers holding up?  This is a good time to replace bent, wiry, thick hangers for some durable, sleek hangers that will treat your clothing well and not take up as much room as some of the thick plastic or wooden ones you may have.  These are our favorite hangers which can be found on Amazon and at Target, The Container Store, and Home Goods.

• Ann loves these zippered storage cubes because you can see what is in them and keep dust out.  Great for sweaters, purses, linens and more! 

• Do you need to make more space?  Consider a closet doubler or a hanging closet organizer.

Lastly, I’ve recently learned about a few apps which can help with closet organizing as well as outfit planning.  Check out Closet, Smart Closet, and Get Wardrobe.

Worn, tattered and out of style “skeletons” lurk in all of our closets.  By revisiting your wardrobe regularly throughout the year (we recommend seasonally), your closet will be filled with items you love, wear and feel good about without getting stuffed and overwhelming.