A Pro Organizer's Top 5 Closet Tips
Ok, this is WAY overdue! I wanted to get it up shortly after my last blog post detailing my master closet organization but so much has been happening. For one, I began as a freelance writer for Better Homes & Gardens and two, my TikTok following has gone a little crazy (in a good way!) so I’ve been focused on creating videos. Which, if you know anything about content creation, can take a lot of time. But man, as much as I love to write, I also love to film. I think I just love creating in general. That’s why organizing spaces never feels like work to me :)
Getting right to it, there are my top 5 closet organization tips as a professional organizer:
Psst I posted a TikTok with a short version of this exact list and for a breakdown of my closet organization, refer back to my last blog post!
ONE
KEEP LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER
I know, I know this is an overused professional organizer phrase but we try to beat it into the heads of all our clients! It’s the go-to way to organize things so that they make sense to us mentally. Need to find a lightbulb? Look in the place where all the lightbulbs are stored. Want to find that specific pair of jeans? Head to where all your jeans are stored.
This makes it easy to know where a particular item is at any given time and, also, when something might be in the laundry. I don’t know if this is just a me thing but I’m not the best at remembering when the last time was I wore something. So if I go to look for a t shirt and it’s not hanging with the rest of them, I’ll know it’s in the hamper and not randomly hiding out somewhere else in the closet.
In addition to storing like categories of clothes together, i.e. those jeans, tee shirts, dresses, etc., keep similar types of clothes together. For example, hang casual things in the same spot. So when you’re getting dressed to run some errands, you don’t have to go far to find an outfit. Same with nicer things - think blazers, blouses and dress pants all hanging out in one corner of the closet.
TWO
COLOR CODE ALL OF YOUR HANGING CLOTHES
Notice I said hanging clothes and not all. That’s because even I, as organized as I am, could care less about keeping my folded things in rainbow order. It’s not the easiest method to keep up so unless it’s something you’re really into, you can skip trying to color code your drawers.
Hanging clothes, however, can really benefit by being separated by color. If you know you wanna wear black on a particular day, you can make a beeline to the section of black clothes to make your decision easier. I sort my colors within the categories so, for example, my black jeans are together, my black t shirts are together, and my black dresses are together.
I suggest going from either light to dark or dark to light with a little ROYGBIV action in between. Really, whatever makes the most sense to you and your eyes. If you have a lot of things like tops or dresses with patterns, here’s a trick to figure out where they should land. Hold the item up in front of you and squint. Whatever color is the most obvious, use it to color code. If you have a ton of patterned clothes, feel free to organize them into their own section. I’ve put all of my clients' striped or floral shirts together, for example.
THREE
KEEP EXTRA (EMPTY) HANGERS TOGETHER
This has been a lifesaver for me personally. One of my least favorite tasks, like ever, is putting the laundry away. And to have to dig through my closet rod, in between my clothes, to find empty hangers is just an extra step in the process I already hate.
So a few years ago, I stopped pulling things off the hanger when I wanted to wear it and, instead, lifted the whole hanger off the rod. Side note, this helped cut down on broken velvet hangers because I wasn’t so aggressive. Once I take the item off, I put the hanger in the front of my closet with other empties. So now, when putting laundry away, it’s so easy to just grab a handful of hangers from this spot rather than go on a scavenger hunt.
It took a little while to get into the habit of taking the whole hanger off, but once I did, it’s like I don’t even have to think about it anymore. It also makes my closet look SO much neater because I don’t have random hangers poking out everywhere. Lastly, I love that it shows me exactly how many hangers I have left as I buy new things. Once I’m down to zero, it’s time to declutter because the goal is to have only X amount of items, not just buy more hangers to stuff my closet.
FOUR
ORGANIZE ITEMS THE WAY YOU WEAR THEM ON YOUR BODY
This is a weird little trick I use with clients (and myself, duh) that seems to work on a subconscious level. If you’re fortunate to have a double hang rod in your closet, hang your tops and jackets or open sweaters on the top rod. Use the bottom for shorts, pants and skirts. I don’t know why but it just makes sense to me to have your clothing stored the way you wear it on your body!
You can even take this to your dresser or drawers. Store bras in the top one, then underwear in the middle and socks at the bottom. I find it easier to, well, find what you need in a hurry. If you try it, please let me know if you love it!
FIVE
CONTAIN ITEMS YOUR DON’T USE OFTEN/DON’T HAVE SPACE TO HANG
Not everything needs to be hung or even has the space to be hung. Jeans, for example, absolutely do not need to take up room on a rod if you’re struggling with a small closet. They can be folded and either placed on a shelf or, as I like to do, placed vertically in a bin or drawer. Same with bulky sweatshirts or sweaters (which shouldn’t be hung anyway unless they’re really thin or you use this trick).
The other things I bin up in my closet? Shapewear i.e. Spanx and tights and fabric care i.e. sewing and shoe care kits. I even use two medium sized bins to corral my clutches which are separated into summer specific and all year wear.
If you can incorporate these 5 rules into your closet organization, I can guarantee it will be SO much more organized on a regular basis. And, if you think you want a little more help in this area, I have a class giving you the exact road map to declutter and get and keep your closet organized. Get all the info for the Get Organized Like a Pro : Closet Organization class right here. Happy organizing, friend!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.