Learning how to organise your wardrobe can make your life (especially your mornings) so much easier and stress-free. January is the perfect time to tackle the big cleaning jobs, so get your act in gear and organise your closet – and hopefully, these 10 tips will help make the job less daunting!
So, let’s get going!
1: The Clear-Out
Yes, it’s time for the much-dreaded wardrobe purge – a hard step to tackle, but I guarantee getting rid of old clothes will make you feel like a better person (plus, more room for new stuff!). First off you need to take everything out of your wardrobe, making a BIG mess, and start to categorise your clothes.
I am a firm believer in a good wardrobe clear-out, and my tried and tested method includes trying to organise your clothes into 4 simple categories:
- Keeping – This is for the definite, no questions asked clothes. Be sure that everything you are keeping fits properly, is in good condition and clean (if not then a freshen up wash will do no harm!).
- Maybe – I understand, sometimes it’s hard to decide straight away whether to keep something or not. The plan here is to try on everything in the ‘maybe pile’ to make sure it fits, and to make sure you still feel good in it. If it ticks the boxes move it to your ‘Keeping’ Pile, and if not, move it to the Donating or Recycling pile.
- Donating – A no-brainer of a wardrobe clear is that anything, that is good quality, can be donated to a local charity shop or sold on the likes of Depop if you are app savvy, because someone else can love it just as much as you!
- Recycling – It’s also a no-brainer that not everything can be donated (bras, underwear, swimwear, some shoes, etc.) and anything that was a little ~too~ loved, but if you cannot donate them then most can be recycled - so check out your local recycling centre, or sometimes clothes shops do collections also!
2. Categorize Your Clothes
Once you’re down to a single pile of Clothes in your Keeping pile, sort it into two further piles:
- Clothes to Hang Up – Once I know what clothes I am going to hang up, I sort them out by the type of clothing first, and then by sleeve length. Currently my wardrobe goes like so: Coats, Jackets, Cardigans, Shirts, Tops, Bodysuits, Dresses, Skirts (also by length), and finally Trousers. Everything has a place, and everything stays in place!
- Clothes to Fold – Your clothes to fold should also be categorized further, sort them into piles - each pile should be clothes of a similar manner (e.g. long sleeve tops, t-shirts, jeans, pyjamas) and then each should be folded in the same way, this way you can see what exactly you have in your wardrobe!
3. Swap the Season
It is hugely important that you utilize the space in your wardrobe as best as you can, so that means when the sun is blazing (yes, that is wishful thinking) that your Winter Woolies are stored away, and when the temperature drops to freezing that you have something a little warmer than a straw hat.
I recommend buying vacuum bags or storage bins to keep your seasonal clothes together, clean, and out of sight when they aren’t required!
4. Invest in Matching, Non-Slip Hangers
Once you have completed your clear-out, and you have just your 'Keeping' clothes it’s time to find the best way to put everything back in. I personally invested in 100 black velvet (aka non-slip) slim-line hangers during the year, and I recycled all my old mismatched hangers, and honestly, my life feels very put together right now.
Not only does my wardrobe look much neater thanks to the matching hangers, I save so much time NOT picking stuff up after it slides off the old hangers I used. You may think it’s a simple step, but trust me, it’s worth the change!
5. Tiered Hangers = Space Saving!
During my own wardrobe revamp, I also invested in tiered hangers for my skirts/trousers. The ones I got can hold 4 items of clothing with the trouser clips, and hang neatly downward. This saves so much space. You can also buy similar tiered-hangers for regular clothes, which would be great if you are lacking space but want to hang up lots of clothing!
6. Shelf Dividers are your Friend
If your piles of lovely folded clothes all end up toppling over and spilling into other piles, then it may be an idea to invest in some shelf dividers. Shelf dividers do what they say on the tin, they keep piles of clothes neatly together – simple, and effective!
7. Organise your Drawers
If you’re like me and you also have drawers to contend with, there are tons of nifty tips online to ensure you are utilizing the space in your drawers, and that you can actually see what you have - this is especially true for underwear and bras (no, they shouldn’t just be in a pile!).
Also if you are putting your folded clothes into drawers there are lots of great tutorials - like the Marie Kondo method - on how best to fold clothes so you can see everything you have in storage - be sure to check it out!
8. Use Hangers for Scarves & Ties
Don’t use a door handle or drawer to hold your ties or scarves, display them with pride on a hanger – not only will they look neater, but they also won’t get lost in the oblivion, and you’ll be able to see what you have to choose from at a glance!
9. Find a Way to Store Your Shoes
Nothing clutters up a room like loads of pairs of shoes lying around, so depending on the space you have available, find a solution to store your shoes. This will really depend on your room/wardrobe, but there are lots of options like shoe racks, shoe shelving, shoe displays, boot hangers, high-heel racks, and whatnot so again, a little research will go a long way!
10. Get Creative with your Space
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to closet organisation, as no two will be or hold the same items! Use the space you have to hold the clothes and shoes that you use and love, and find a nifty solution for other non-essential items. There are tons of ideas out there so just get googling and find something to suit you!
Whether you manage to tackle all 10 of these tips or just 1-2 of them - every little step will help you organise your life. Your wardrobe should be a stress-free, tidy, organised space to display all of your beloved possessions, so give them the treatment they deserve and take care of your clear out!
At McElhinneys we have a range of products that will help you to organise your home. Shop our home collection here.
Good luck,
- Niamh x
