When you open your closet door, do you find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of clutter before you? When you’re trying to get dressed to go out, does it seem like you’re spending more time digging through clothes than it should? If so, you’re not alone.

According to a recent study, 80% of people say that their clutter results from disorganization, not lack of space. That is great news, especially if you’re not working with a massive closet. Knowing how to better organize the clothes in your closet can help you streamline the process of getting ready and reduce the stress you experience because of clutter.

Let’s dive into our top seven closet organizing tips!

How to Organize Your Closet in 7 Steps

Organizing your closet can be a daunting task. If you’re like most people, you probably have more than clothes and shoes in your closet. Over time, most closets become a catchall of sorts, with everything from toys to Christmas decorations making their way into a room that’s already not very large.

Knowing how to get the most out of your limited space is crucial when organizing your closet. Here are some practical steps you can take to ensure you maximize every inch of your available space.

Step 1: Clear Everything Out of Your Closet

Trying to rearrange your closet without removing everything first isn’t a good idea. Begin your closet organization process by taking everything out of the closet. Emptying the space will give you a better feel for how much room you have and what types of upgrades might be necessary.

If you’re overwhelmed by the clutter in your closet, you may assume there isn’t room for additional organizational tools, but that may not be the case. Once you get all your clothes, shoes, and other items out, you may discover that another row of temporary shelves will fit nicely below the current set of shelves. You may even discover an area in your closet where you could put a days-of-the-week clothes organizer, which will help you stay organized throughout the week.

Emptying your closet not only gives you a chance to better evaluate the space, but it also sets you up for the next step of the process.

Step 2: Sort Clothes into Groups

Most of us have a closet filled with clothes for different occasions-dress, casual, workout, lounging, etc.Knowing how to organize them is perhaps the most important part of the closet-organizing process. For instance, you may wear that old college t-shirt to a tailgate, but notto the office. And you wouldn’t wear your formal attire to a cookout.

Before putting any clothes back into your closet, go through each piece and assign it a category. Leisurewear, casual, workout, formal, business, and anyother category you think is appropriate.A top-shelf wardrobehelps you easily sort your clothes as you see fit.

When you separate your clothes into groups, you can see which type of clothing requires the largest space in your closet. If more than half of your wardrobe is business casual, you’ll need to dedicate a good portion of your closet to fit them all, or start weeding out clothes you don’t wear as often. ShelfGenie’s innovative closet solutions can help you manage the mess by keeping your clothes and other accessories organized just the way you want.

You can also organize your wardrobe by color, from dark colored clothes to light, or vice versa.This style of organizing can make coordinating your outfits easier and your mornings less stressful.

Step 3: Decide Which Clothes Are Ready for Donation

Purging those seldom-used items is one of the most challenging parts of the organization process.We often look at a piece of clothing that we haven’t worn in years with a sentimental attachment. Although the item in question hasn’t seen the light of day in a while, we justify keeping it by saying, “I’ll wear it next week.” If you haven’t worn a particular shirt, suit, dress, or other pieces of clothing in the last 8 to 12 months, it’s time to let it go. Donating such items will give someone else a chance to enjoy and use them rather than have them collect dust in your closet.

When it comes to purging clothes, professional organizers recommend considering the climate in which you live. If you live in an area with four seasons and haven’t worn some pieces of clothing in 12 months, it’s time to donate them. You'll feel good about helping someone out and won't miss clothes that you rarely wear.

Finally, don’t just throw everything you’re giving away into the donation pile. Evaluate the condition of the clothing you intend to donate. If they are stained, have holes, or other issues that render them unwearable it’s probably best to throw them away instead. Try to donate clothing you can envision someone else wearing.

Step 4: Clean Your Closet

Once everything is out of your closet, take time to clean the space thoroughly.An important part of closet organizing tips is to start with a clean slate. This means vacuum, dust any drawers and shelves, and clean any mirrors or other closet features (like lighting). Working with a ‘clean’ space will ensure your newly organized clothes don’t pick up dust when they go back into the closet.

Step 5: Put Your Clothes Back In

Once the space is clean, you’re ready to start putting your clothes back in. Depending on the layout of your closet, you may have some sections of shelving that are smaller than others. In order to prevent your clothes from becoming wrinkled, don’t cram them into tight spaces. This is especially true when it comes to pants storage, as they can wrinkle easily. If you’re limited for space, consider adding hanging storage to your closet layout. This option can help you increase storage capacity without cramming everything in tight spaces.

Step 6: Check Your Closet Space Regularly

Aside from periodically checking your closet every few months to ensure things are still in order, an annual closet cleaning is highly recommended. Cleaning your closet out at least once a year will help you maintain a somewhat up-to-date wardrobe. A yearly cleaning doesn’t mean you have to toss that college sweatshirt you love; it’s just an opportunity to reassess and purge the clothing you don’t wear very much.

If deciding what to wear every morning is stressing you out, it’s time to look for ways to streamline your morning routine. A well-organized closet can go a long way to making each morning less of a free-for-all. Closet organization tools like those offered by ShelfGenie can help you stay organized, make getting ready easier, and even give you time to enjoy a morning coffee.

Step 7: Get Personal Advice

While your first instinct may be to hide your cluttered closet from friends or loved ones, seeking advice from people you trust is a great way to improve your closet organization skills. If you have a friend or family member who has an organized closet, ask them how they did it. Sometimes great closet-organizing tips can come from the most unlikely source, so don’t assume you can’t learn something from a non-professional. Experience and trial and error help people develop hacks and tricks that may surprise you, but you have to ask. Don’t be afraid to learn from others. You may even put your organizational twist on an old hack.

Organize with ShelfGenie

So that’s our ‘7 Simple Steps for Organizing Your Closet.’ The good news is you don’t have to let a cluttered closet stress you out. Combining these steps with some easy-to-install closet organization tools and closet storage solutions from ShelfGenie, you can create a functional, well-organized closet you enjoy. To learn more about all the organization options ShelfGenie offers, visit us online or book a free consultation with a designer today!