Arranging your closet is one of those chores that people tend to put off, but having your clothes arranged in a logical system can make choosing what to wear each day much easier.

Knowing where to start with it all is less easy and this tends to be why people procrastinate arranging their closet in the first place. That’s where this article comes in. We’ve put together a basic guide to properly arranging your closet from how to start to how to finish strong.

The best way to fill your closet with clothes is to do so when they’re in their best condition. To avoid putting away shrunken jumpers and color-changed clothing, you will also need to learn how to take care of your clothes.

Get Started by Clearing Everything Out

The first thing you should do if you want to organize your closet is take everything that’s currently being stored in there, out of it.

This will a) allow you to clearly see what it is you have to work with and b) means you’ll be less likely to keep putting this job off! If you have to put everything back into your closet either way, then you might as well organize all of your clothes properly while you do.

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Be ruthless and get rid of anything that you don’t wear anymore. There’s nothing more detrimental to your closet’s organization than keeping the items you rarely reach for.

If there’s something new going into your closet, Virginia Feacey advises that you should try to take something else out to make room for it. There are plenty of second-hand shops online which will allow you to responsibly and sustainably rid yourself of unwanted clothes.

Alternatively, you could donate your old pieces of clothing to a charity organization or homeless shelter who in most cases will be highly appreciative of your donation.

Upcycle Old Pieces

If you don’t want to get rid of clothes or if you’re looking for something new to wear without wanting to actually purchase new clothes, then why not try and upcycle some old pieces?

Certain items of clothing are easy to alter and can be totally transformed into something entirely new even if you’re not a total whiz with a needle. This can help you find the perfect piece of clothing to suit a specific outfit you have in mind without needing to spend a lot!

This means there’ll be just as much space in your closet as there was before even though you have a completely new piece of clothing, and you didn’t even need to throw one piece out, first!

Organize by Category, Then Color

The biggest question most people have when it comes to the actual organizational system in their closet is which one to use. We’d recommend starting with the category of clothing, i.e. grouping different types of clothing such as shirts, t-shirts, dresses, trousers, jumpers, etc.

Once you’ve combined your belongings into collections based on their type, you can start to look at them in terms of color. Decide whether you would like to arrange your clothes in an order of light to dark or by a ROYGBIV system.

Don’t let yourself spend too much time obsessing over whether or not a blue and red jumper belongs with the other blues or the other reds – just choose to group it with its most dominant color. Alternatively, you could get creative and add a section that separates solids and prints.

Invest in Closet Organizing Equipment

Unfortunately, we’re not talking about a robot who can come along and organize your wardrobe for you, although wouldn’t that be something?

There are, however, some surprisingly simple bits and bobs that you can use to help keep your clothes organized and your closet less cluttered. For example, you can find hanging baskets that tuck neatly away inside your closet to provide extra storage space.

You could also invest in some space-saving hangers to maximize the closet space you already have. One of our favorite tips is to invest in a machine that can vacuum pack your clothes if you’re planning on storing them for longer, like your winter clothes during summer.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to organize your closet properly so that it’s easier for you to reach for your favorite clothes as and when you want to wear them. The hardest part is working up enough motivation to get started!