Closet Organization

Thanks to the popularity of television shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and The Home Edit, closet organization has never been trendier. And while color-coding your wardrobe is certainly aesthetically pleasing, there are so many more benefits associated with a neatly categorized closet – it will save you time, energy, and yes, even money! Best of all, this project can be tackled over a few hours or a few days, with results that will last for years to come.

Ready to spark some joy? Here’s how to categorize your closet.

1. Start with a clean closet.

Chances are, there is a blouse hanging in your closet that hasn’t seen the light of day since 2008 – which means it’s time for a refresh. Before you even think about categorizing anything, take everything out of your closet and give the space a good cleaning: vacuum the floor, dust the shelves, wipe down the walls. Then sort through your clothes, shoes, coats, and accessories and determine what you’d like to keep, what you’d like to donate, and what you’d like to throw out. (If you haven’t worn something in over two years, it’s probably time to part ways.)

2. Group like items together. Your closet is going to need dedicated spots for your shoes, your clothes, and your accessories. If your closet doesn’t have a built-in shoe rack, a hanging shoe organizer or stackable shoe cubby will keep shoes accessible and organized. Installing hooks gives you somewhere to store belts, hats, and jewelry, while handbags can be stowed away on the top shelf of your closet. When it comes to your clothes, spend some time grouping shirts, pants, outerwear, and formal wear into separate piles – this will come in handy in a bit. photo by Mark Gilliland 3. Categorize! When it’s time to return your clothes to your closet, you’ll want to further categorize based on occasion, length, and finally, color. For example, group together your work shirts, your casual shirts, and your fancy going-out shirts, and then within these sections, organize your shirts according to sleeve length. Your last step is to arrange the clothes in rainbow order: white, tan, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, gray, and black. Multi-colored items can be sorted based on their dominant color, or in a separate category altogether. This system is guaranteed to make finding what you need quick and easy.