Having a dedicated dressing room or closet space is ideal for keeping clothes, bags and accessories all in one space, meaning that the rest of the home can stay clutter-free. However, this means a closet can easily become a dumping ground.
Calling in a professional organizer is one way of solving the problem, but if you don’t feel like you’re quite at this stage yet, closet organization is definitely a job that you can tackle yourself with a little guidance.
We spoke to the organizing experts to see what DIY methods they would recommend for a clutter-free closet.
1. Commit to a closet review
A closet that’s in a state of disarray is hard to organize without decluttering first. It’s important before you embark on any DIY solutions to make sure your closet is rid of any unnecessary items that are taking up space.
Professional organizer Ben Soreff from H2H Organizing explains that ‘step one of organizing a closet is the review. If you don’t review, then you aren’t organizing your closet, you are just making it neat and tidy’. When it comes to how to declutter clothes, Ben goes on to suggest ‘instead of being negative and saying I haven't worn it in a year or I don't need it. Focus on why you haven't worn it, maybe it is a keepsake, like your 80s jacket, or the size is aspirational for the future, or in the case of shoes maybe they look great but hurt your feet’.
After the review and once you’ve donated or sent your unwanted pieces to a fabric recycling center, take a good look at the items that are left and decide how often you wear them. Try and be as ruthless as you can with this process so you are only left with items that are regularly reached for.
2. Color blocking
An organized closet isn’t just visually pleasing but it’s calming for the mind, too. Clothes hung in no particular order can naturally look quite cluttered even though they aren’t. A good way round this is to create a color organized closet.
Elsa Elbert, founder and CEO of Composed Living, explains that ‘the visual effect of a color coordinated closet is very soothing and instantly makes the space feel elevated. I prefer to sort from light to dark (left to right). Use your best judgment with patterns - this can be tricky’!
3. Add matching storage
An easy DIY closet organization hack that won’t cost a lot of money is making sure that your storage is cohesive. Mismatched storage solutions can look messy and not very well thought through. Elsa says ‘use matching baskets on the top shelf of your closet to store out of season or less often used items. The baskets will create a high-end, uniform look while also hiding any unnecessary clutter’.
In terms of the best closet organizers, try to avoid plastic boxes as these can look quite cheap and aren’t the best for storing clothes, especially items that are made from fragile materials. Instead, opt for storage baskets and containers made out of natural materials such as cotton or canvas.
4. Add a shelf and hooks
Chances are, if you’ve got dedicated clothes storage, then you’ll have built in closet or some kind of bespoke storage. If you’re finding it tricky to store accessories and jewelry or you’ve simply run out of room then you can always add extra wall storage that can help.
Professional organizer Lilian Chiu recommends ‘use S hooks (like these from Walmart) to hang hoodies and jeans. They’re inexpensive and they make it easy to hang back up’. Additionally, Elsa recommends that ‘if you’re running out of space, add a shelf or some hooks! I love adding hooks to any under utilized wall space to hang purses or hats’.
5. Use air packs
Handbags and clothes are an investment and if you’re guilty of purchasing designer items then you’re going to want to take care of them as best you can.
Lilian recommends that you ‘fill your purses with air packs’. You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy these as they often come in packages that you order online. She goes on to explain, ‘this helps your purses retain their shapes and you can stand them up on shelves. It also makes it easy for you to remove the dust bag and switch purses with ease’.
