Is your closet a cluttered mess? Here are some steps you can take to make it less so.
Decide what types of items you want to store in the closet. Clothes and shoes only? Linen? Towels and washcloths? Sporting equipment? Plan ahead and create storage space elsewhere for items that will be evicted from your closet.
Next, take everything that's not on a hanger out of your closet. As you remove each item, sort it into one of five piles: trash, giveaway, projects, storage or closet. The trash pile is going to be tossed into the garbage bin. Giveaways are those items you no longer need, but can be of use to someone else. Projects are those articles that need mending. (Make sure they're things you actually WILL mend. Storage consists of things you want to keep elsewhere. The pieces in your closet pile will go back into your closet once you've finished organizing.)
Now consider the clothes on hangers. Go through each piece, one at a time, with as much objectivity as you can muster. Does the item fit you at your present size? If not, immediately place it into either the giveaway or trash pile. Have you worn it in the past year? If the answer is no and it's still in good shape, the piece goes in the giveaway pile.
Once you've sorted through everything in your closet, it's time to assess your progress and put everything in its proper place. Organize your hanging clothes by their function: sportswear, casual, career, special occasion. Within each function, group like items together: blouses, skirts, pants, jackets. Within these groups, organize by color.
While it may be quite the undertaking at first, take it one step at a time and you will be well on your way to a fully organized closet!
