Hello everyone and welcome to Week One of Towards an Organized Life Challenge!!!!! Your challenge this week is to organize your bedroom closet.....if yours is anything like mine, it's in DIRE need of attention. At the same time, the closet is a small enough space that you won't get totally overwhelmed and ditch the challenge altogether :) I have taken some before pics of my closet, and will post them later. If you can take some before pics of your space, please send them to me at hillaryheidelberg@gmail.com and I will post them too--and don't worry, I will post them anonymously! I am including some helpful suggestions for getting your bedroom closet under control....you have until Monday, September 10th to get this task completed...so get going!!!!!!
Steps for Organizing your Bedroom Closet
- organization begins with an honest evaluation of your wardrobe
- you should have nothing in your closet that isn't currently wearable
- lose anything that doesn't fit or is out of style
- if you haven't worn it in a year, ask when you will wear it again
- make sure everything in your closet goes with something else
- store nostalgic clothes with memorabilia if you don't wear them
- place baskets for laundry, dry-cleaning, and alterations / mending
Categorize your Clothes
- separate by season.
- store off-season in another area if short on space. I put my winter clothes in our storage space during summer, and vice versa during winter...
- separate by clothing purpose (formal, work, casual): as a SAHM, I don't really do this. I only have casual clothes, along with maybe 2 more dressy outfits, so do what works for you.
- separate by type (jackets, blouses, pants, skirts, etc.): I use categories of long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, long pants, shorts, sweaters...
- separate by style (short-sleeve, long-sleeve)
- clearly delineate categories with labeled rod divider discs: I am not going to do this, but feel free.
- or assign each section to a different part of the closet
- hang clothes by color from light to dark: again, a bit overdoing it for me; I just don't have that many clothes...
- for quick and easy dressing, hang full outfits together: um, no. :)
Storing Your Clothes
- be aware of climate when storing items in an attic or basement
- put in cedar chips to keep out insects
- cardboard crossbars get sticky and leave a line on folded pants
- wire hangers make marks in the shoulders of your shirts
- stick to padded or plastic tubular hangers
- take your wire hangers to the dry cleaner to recycle
- use double-hanging rods for shorter items
- get rid of dry cleaner plastic covers as they clutter up your closet
- store small loose items in drawer systems or plastic tubs
- socks, lingerie, bathing suits, pantyhose, etc.
- roll up pantyhose to prevent runs
- hang belts, hats, and purses on hooks on the wall
- hang scarves on a hanger or scarf rack
- take shoes out of their original cardboard boxes
- use a shoe rack to keep footwear in sight and organized
- install shelves or bins for folding items
I am going to add to this a bit. I am going to organize my shoes in my own way. I really wear just 2-3 pairs on a regular basis, so the rest are
going in a canvas bin on a shelf so they don't clutter my floor. I also
use part of my closet for storing empty scrapbook albums and for my
xyron refills. My rule is going to be to THROW THINGS OUT, if in doubt.
I have too many clothes that I don't wear so they are going to Goodwill
or Ebay. Simplify, simplify, simplify, that's my motto this week. I
want to be able to SEE what's in my closet so that I can actually find
stuff (always a good thing, right?)....
I will post throughout the week with photos, tips etc so be sure to check back. I can't wait to see everyone's progress!!! Oh, and the tips are from onlineorganizing.com...good site!!
From that same site, and from photos emailed to me, I am now posting some BEFORE pics..I hope to add more, so be sure to send them my way, okay?
