Here’s some friendly advice: heed the old saying, “Less is more.” You’ll save an enormous amount of time, money and stress by thinning out your huge wardrobe.

1. Get the proper supplies

Buy a starter set of 30 hangers, or 60 if the closet is shared by two people. Go for the sturdy ones. They can be obtained at a houseware store or online. Buy all in one colour for uniformity [or if you’re sharing closet space with someone, get a different colour for yourself]. While you’re at the store, pick up a few sturdy skirt and pants hangers as well. Vertical skirt hangers with clips that hold 5 – 6 skirts on one hanger are a great choice. In addition, pick up an expandable shoe rack and a tie rack if you wear ties.

2. Start with a clean slate

Pull out everything [yes, everything] that’s currently in your closet. Keep in mind, as you’re doing so, that you probably only wear 20 per cent of your clothes on a regular basis; 10 per cent of them are for special occasions; and the other 70 per cent of them are probably never used at all.

Keep in mind, that you probably only wear 20 per cent of your clothes on a regular basis

3. Separate clothes into five piles

A  Piece of clothing that meets any of the following criteria:

• it is outdated
• it is ripped
• it is stained
• it doesn’t fit [if you’re not sure whether or not it fits, try it on now]
• you think it may come back in fashion someday
• you wouldn’t dream of ever wearing it again

B   Wire hanger pile. If you have any wire hangers in your closet, this is where they go. Here’s the problem with them: they’re weak, they stick up in the air, and they damage your clothing.

C   Clothes that need minor repairs such as sewing a hem or replacing a button. If it’s too much of a hassle to repair it, then don’t put it in this pile.

D  Clothes you love and wear at least once a month AND clothes you love and wear at least twice a year [special occasion wardrobe]. Your wardrobe should always make you feel good about yourself. If you don’t love it or wear it often, it doesn’t belong in this pile.

E  Any other items that don’t fit into Category A, B, C or D.

4. Category A or B

Dump it or donate it. Okay, now here’s the fun part. Grab a large garbage bag and dump everything [yes, everything] from your ‘A’ pile into it. Bring it to your local charity organisation first thing in the morning. If you’re still reading this in disbelief, take a deep breath to get over the initial shock, then resolve to toss it or donate it. You’ll feel better in the end. While you’re at it, take all those terrible, awful, lousy wire hangers in your ‘B’ pile and bring them to your dry cleaner’s for recycling, or dump them immediately. Are you still considering keeping something from pile ‘A’ or ‘B’? Please, dump it. It’s clutter. You’ll feel better about it later when your closet is organised, inviting and free of chaos.

5. Category C

Now that your ‘A’ and ‘B’ piles are donated or trashed [I hope], let’s move on to your ‘C’ pile. This pile should contain those articles of clothing that need minor repair. Get a basket or container; dump this entire pile in it. Now, carry that basket over to your clothing repair area. Give yourself a two-week deadline. If the repairs are not done in two weeks, dump or donate the entire basket. After all, if it’s not important enough for you to repair, it’s clutter. It’s easy for clutter to build up, and I want to help you eliminate any chance of it happening to you again.

6. Category D

Organise your keepers. Sort everything in your ‘D’ pile by category of clothing [blouses, skirts, pants, suits and so on]. When done sorting, start with one category. Take one article of clothing at a time, put it on a hanger [the colourful, sturdy kind] and hang it in the closet. [Important note: If you found something that didn’t belong in the closet in the first place, don’t put it there again.] Do this until you’ve managed to hang all of your categories of clothing, making sure that all clothing and hangers are facing the same direction. [By the way, if you share your closet with someone, don’t mix clothing together. Put each individual’s clothing on either side of the closet.]

7. Category E

Categorise and organise everything. Now is the time to categorise what is there in the ‘E’ pile. If these are items that have to be stored in your closet for lack of any other storage space, then start by sorting them. Then, get some inexpensive organising containers so that each category remains separated and place the containers on shelves in your closet.

8. Sort your shoes

Now is a good time to set up your brand new, sturdy, expandable shoe rack and neatly place your shoes on it.

Remember that a well-organised closet always has room to accommodate more clothes or accessories

9. Finishing touches

Now, you’re ready for some finishing touches. If you install a few hooks on an empty closet wall, you’ll be able to hang belts, umbrellas and handbags. If you’re lucky enough to have cubbies in your closet, purses and hats can be stored there; otherwise, put them on your closet shelves. You can even pick up a clear, over-the-door shoe bag for small accessories such as hosiery, scarves, jewellery and so on. Don’t put shoes in the shoe bag. It may sound funny, but these bags are too flimsy and awkward for the weight of most shoes, plus they collect dirt from shoe bottoms.

10. Final thoughts

Don’t overstuff. There should be plenty of room in your closet to get an item in or out. If there’s not, consider thinning out your wardrobe a little more. The goal here is quality, not quantity. Don’t buy another thing to wear without first determining if you really need it. Some people like to discard something they’re not really happy with anymore, for a new item.

Congratulations! You’re done. Don’t you feel great?! You deserve a special reward for your hard work. Treat yourself to dinner, or a double hot fudge sundae. Go for a massage. Rent and watch a favourite movie. Be happy. Your closet is!

The post 10 steps to a happy clothes closet appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

1. Make good use of mirrors

Strategically placed mirrors can reflect light in a room and will add the illusion of square footage without costly renovation. You have plenty of options here, from freestanding mirrors to reflective tiles. Go through the room and figure out where a mirror or two might be appropriate and attractive. I recommend at least one over-sized mirror as opposed to many small ones.

2. Cut back on clutter

Clutter results in a feeling of confinement, even in medium to large-sized rooms. If you have clutter, like stacks of unread magazines, overstuffed bookshelves, toys strewn about, extra seating for the 20 guests that ‘might’ visit all at once, and random items on every surface, start clearing it away. You’ll automatically open up more space.

3. Avoid bulky and unneeded furniture

The more bulky your furniture, the more space it’s taking up and the smaller your room is going to look and feel. If you’re feeling cramped, it may be a good time to sell what you have and purchase furniture more appropriately-sized for your space. You may even be able to switch furniture from one room to another. Perhaps you don’t need a bookcase in your living room, for example, and it can be transported into your home office or bedroom.

In addition, sometimes furniture doesn’t need to be in a room at all times, especially if it isn’t used very often. For instance, if there is an extra dresser in a room for your sister who only visits once a year, perhaps you can move it out of the room it’s in, and into your store room to help you store other materials. Sliders will help you easily move furniture from one room into another as long as no stairs are involved.

4. Think about form and function

Form deals with how something looks, whereas function deals with how it actually works. When you don’t have a lot of space to work with, function is very important. For instance, maybe you have always wanted an ottoman, but it seems like a waste of space in a room that has limited square footage to begin with. In this case, you might opt for an ottoman that ‘opens’ and provides you with extra storage space.

5. Paint colour matters

A ceiling that’s painted white will draw the eye upward and immediately give your room a larger look… it will make the ceiling appear taller. At the same time, try not to paint the walls of a small room in a dark colour. Dark colours give the illusion of small, and light colours give the illusion of big.

6. Go for fewer, larger room accessories

Very often, when people have a small room to begin with, they choose many small, decorative items. However, doing this ends up making a room look even more crowded. Choose just a few select home décor items that are larger than a watermelon, but pack a punch in colour and style. Less is more.

7. Don’t cover your windows

A friend of mine doesn’t have any window treatments on her windows at all. Whenever I walk into her home, which in reality isn’t that large, I feel like I’m in a mansion. The light pours in and every room seems huge. Just because curtains and drapery is the way many people go, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. Worried about privacy? Just get shades that can be pulled down in the evening, and kept up for the remainder of the day. Check out this article for help on how to choose the perfect curtains for your windows.

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