Fall is finally here, and if you’re like most people, your closets are jammed-full.  Unless you have a huge closet, the best thing to do is to have current season clothing in the closet and store all other clothing in another closet, or storage containers.  The “Space Bag” compresses and protects clothing from season to season, allowing you to triple your closet space. 

As with any organization job, the first step is to sort.  If you don’t like it or haven’t worn it in over a year, it’s time to get rid of it!  Give those items to someone who will appreciate them, or donate them to a charity.  The easiest way to create more space in your closet is to get rid of those items you never wear!  

Keep like items together –grouping them by what makes sense to you.  Some people hang items together by length – long items together and short items together.  Other people hang clothes by type – pants together, skirts together, sweater together, blouses together.  Some people like to organize by color – arranging clothes by color from light to dark.  Some people organize by purpose – formal on one side and casual on the other.  While some people hang whole outfits together – right down to the accessories.  Choose a method and sort your clothes accordingly. 

If you share a closet with a single rod, install a double rod which hangs from the existing rod and doubles the space.  One person’s wardrobe can be hung on the top, and the other person’s on the bottom rod.  Another space-saving method is to use tiered hangers or swing-out racks.

When you sort the clothes, hang the hangers backwards on the rod.  When you wear the item, turn the hanger around.  This will make it visually easier to purge clothing at the end of the season – any hanger that hasn’t been turned is an obvious sign that it wasn’t worn that season.

If you use wire hangers, consider replacing them with only plastic, wooden or padded hangers.  These hangers will support your clothes properly and be more appealing to the eye.

As with clothes, sort shoes by season or occasion.  For special occasion shoes that aren’t worn much, store them in their original box, noting what they are by writing a short description on masking tape OR by taping a photo of the shoes to the end of the box.   Shoes can be stored on a rack on the floor, in original boxes, in a hanging shoe bag on the clothes rod, or on the back of a door.

Finally, obtain help from a professional organizer, if needed.  Professional organizers are experienced in helping you utilize the space you have and in creating customized solutions that work for you.

Additional suggestions for becoming organized and reducing clutter can be obtained by contacting Dawn McCloskey at 770-844-1049 or dawn@ultraorganized.com. 

Dawn McCloskey is a residential professional organizer and founder of Ultra Organized, LLC in Dawsonville, Georgia.  The mission of Ultra Organized is to create order from chaos by creating customized solutions in people’s homes.  Ultra Organized helps people get control of clutter in their existing homes or before listing a house with a realtor, and provides unpacking and organizing services to new home owners.  McCloskey is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.  For more information, call 770-844-1049, email dawn@ultraorganized.com or visit www.ultraorganized.com.

Business Directory: Closet Organizing, Organizing