Do-It-Yourself Clothes Organization

Organizing maximizes your available space.

Organizing your clothing can be a challenge, especially if you own a lot of clothes. With basic organization techniques, you shouldn't need anything more than items you already own -- assuming you have a basic chest of drawers and closet. If you don't have drawers, use open shelving or some other organization method in an unused closet. If you use only a closet, consider a set of shelves or chest of drawers, which will open up and de-clutter your closet.

Things You'll Need

• Trash bags
• Large plastic storage containers
• Hangers
• Paper and pen
• Scissors
• Tape

Instructions

1. Go through all your clothes, and put anything you haven't worn for two years into two trash bags: If the item is still wearable, put it in the donation bag. Put anything ratty, torn or unappealing in a trash bag for garbage pickup. Keep items of special importance or sentimental value -- but store them with other keepsakes, not in your active closet with clothes you intend to wear. Exceptions should be made for formal wear and special occasion items, such as ski clothes or beachwear; set those aside and sort them into their own categories as they come up. Remove the bags from the room so all you have left is your true wardrobe.

2. Set aside all clothes that need repair, whether it's a button sewn or a seam that needs to be let out. Keep these near your sewing machine or put them in your car to remind you to stop at the tailor's.

3. Sort items that are out of season. If it's summer, pull out your winter items. However, keep all pieces that serve all seasons. Check off-season clothes to make sure they're freshly cleaned. Fold and store them in plastic storage bins. Stack the containers in the bottom of your closet or under your bed, and change them out as the seasons change. Pull out everything remaining in your closet, placing them on your bed or other wide surface.

4. Cut pieces of paper about 2-by-4 inches. Write "work" on one paper and tape it to the top of the hanger. Leave the hanger itself empty, and place it at one end of the hanger rod. Go through all of your work shirts and hang them behind the work hanger. Find all of your work pants, skirts and dresses, and hang them behind the shirts.

5. Label the next hanger with a "casual" tag, taping the paper as you did in Step 4. Hang up all of your casual shirts and then all of your casual pants, skirts and dresses.

6. Tag another label hanger "formal," and hang all of your fancy clothes behind that hanger. Add other sections such as "beachwear" or "travel," and a final section called "miscellaneous" for clothing that escapes categorization.

7. Sort all clothing from your drawers into three piles: socks, underwear and other. If you have a large "other" pile, try to divide it further. Pick a drawer for each pile; if you have large drawers, section off the interiors by placing one item type toward the left and the other item type toward the right.

Tips & Warnings

• These instructions are basic and need to be refined to your personal needs. Your work wardrobe and your casual wardrobe may intermingle, or you may not have work-specific clothing. You can also sort by color palettes or by light to dark. A section called "favorites" for most-worn clothes will help you decide what other sections need weeding out for the trash bags by season's end. Try to keep your bottoms separate from your tops, but personal preferences will dictate what works for you.

• Most people keep clothes that no longer fit as motivation to wear them "someday." However, these items take up a lot of closet space. Part of organizing is utilizing space efficiently, and your closet and drawers should be your active space. Store "motivational" clothes in plastic containers -- try them on every few months to check your progress.

References

• Real Simple: Clothing Closet Organizing Checklist