5 DIY Creative Closet Organization Tips that Will Save You Time and Money

Do you think you have a custom closet ? Each season, you need to get in there and switch out your wardrobe for the new weather forecast; if you don’t do it, no one else will do it for you! Whether you live in a climate with four distinct seasons, or you only experience “cold” and “colder” (or “warm” and “hot”), switching your closet for the seasons is something that you need to do at least once or twice each year. Instead of dreading closet organization, consider these tips on optimizing your closet storage capabilities!

It’s been said that the average person wears about 20% of his or her clothing, 80% of the time. If it’s true, that adds up to a whole lot of clothing that you’re not even wearing! As you go through your closet to remove clothes that are out of season, be honest with yourself: Are you really going to wear this again? For each item, ask yourself if you like it, if it fits well, and if it goes with other items in your wardrobe. If the answer to any of these is a big “NO,” then it’s time to let the item go. Make a trip to your local thrift store, and be sure to get a receipt for next year’s taxes!

There’s nothing more frustrating (or gross) than opening a bin of stored clothing, only to find moth larvae or mold on your belongings. Yucko! If you were going to be storing items in the garage or your basement, where they may get damp, please think again! You want to choose an area that is cool, dark and dry. The top shelf of your closet might be a good choice to store clothing in cardboard boxes.

For the clothes that will be staying in your closet, now’s the time to use the correct hangers for each fabric type. If you are using wire hangers, take a cue from Mommy Dearest and banish them from your closet! Drop them off at the nearest dry cleaning company. Other popular types are wood, plastic and the kind with clips.

It will be so nice to have all of your clothing hung neatly, where you can find it. You can use these cool separators to make it clear which items belong where in your closet. You could also color-code your hangers or simply designate a different hanging rod for each type of item. Check out Different Ways to Organize With Hangars.

If you have certain separates that you always wear together, you can use soda pop tabs to keep them in line. One caveat: Doing this can stifle your creativity when it comes to putting outfits together. If you want to mix things up, you should feel free to do so! Still, if you’re not exactly a morning person, having everything on one hanger can reduce the chances of an embarrassing wardrobe faux pas, like wearing a navy skirt that you could have sworn was black.

Remember how we suggested purging items that you don’t wear anymore? It can be hard to recall whether you’ve worn a certain item in the past several months, but using the hanger trick can make it simple.

- When you return all of your seasonally appropriate items to your closet, put the hangers in backward, with the hooks facing you.

- As you wear, launder and re-hang your items, position the hangers the right way, with the hooks facing away from you.

- As you go through the season, you’ll be able to see at a glance which items have and have not been worn. When the time comes to do this again next season, part of your work will be done for you!

Switching out your wardrobe for the season may seem like you need a closet professional , but it does not have to be a big project. The first time you do it, it may take a few hours, but in subsequent seasons and years, it can go a lot more smoothly. You just need to create good habits. Following the tips above will be a great start.

When it comes to closet design and organization, we offer many options. To see what would work best for your home, request a complimentary in-home closet estimate.