Organizing

a step-by-step guide to organizing your closet for summer

.1) Clear out strictly winter apparel By "winter apparel" I mean the stuff you absolutely won't be wearing this summer. This could include cashmere sweaters, warm scarves, boots, woolen socks, parkas, and thick vests. If you won't wear them, get them out of sight. This will clear up room in your closet so that you may begin to organize properly. Go through each item, and set aside those that belong solely to the "cold-weather" category. Depending on what storage you have available, put them somewhere that they will be safe until next winter. This could be a cedar-lined closet, a spare rack of clothing in your attic, a spare closet in your house, or even tucked away neatly in cardboard boxes.

2) Pitch what you don't want/need/like If you won't wear it, shouldn't wear it, or can't wear it, then you absolutely do not need it taking up space in your closet. Period. End of story.Give it away to the Salvation Army, a friend of similar size, dump it. Do whatever you want with these items, but if you don't need them than do not keep them.They say a rule of thumb is that if you haven't worn it in the last year, than pitch it. I'm not sure if this is totally fair, but if you find yourself unable to discern the valuable from the very awful, than adhere to it.

3) Bring in the summer clothing This seems like a given, but make sure to transfer your summer clothes into your closet. Duh.

4) Re-organize your storage Step back and take a good look at your closet. Can you see everything? Do you know where everything is? Is it arranged logically?

If you have answered no to any of the above questions, you are purely human. It is time to take action. Figure out an order of things that makes sense for you. This could be arranging them by color (very hard to maintain), by item (skirts-slacks-shirts-etc...), or by formality (most casual to dressiest).

Is everything fitting in nicely? If not then you might want to pick up some smaller hangers. I personally love Huggable Hangers, as I believe I have mentioned in a previous post. They'll compress the amount of space taken up by hangers in your closet, leaving significantly more room for your clothes to breathe. Another tip is to buy spare hooks for your closet door. These are a big help! You can save room and hang up anything on these from purses to robes to coats.

Now go attack your closet! Get excited for summer 09.

xoxo