By Mary Lynne Murray
Reprinted from Contra Costa Times, May 11, 2002
"Closet space is like money. You use up as much as you have."
-- Ray Michel
When your closet is disorganized, getting dressed is a daily
frustration. But organizing a closet can take six or more hours.
How to start? Do not empty the whole thing at once! The resulting
chaos can be overwhelming, and chances are you won't finish and
will randomly stuff things back. Instead, work on one section
of the closet at a time.
Start by rearranging your wardrobe by type of garment. Group skirts,
pants, blouses, dresses and jackets together. Now sort by occasion:
items worn to work, items just for home, evening wear, outfits
for casual events, etc. Sort items within categories by color.
Hang suit pieces separately (jackets with jackets, pants with
pants, skirts with skirts) to see the full range of mix-and-match
options. Also, you'll see what you really have (too many pair
of black pants, too few white shirts, etc.)
Now decide what to keep. What takes up the most space? Is it in
good condition? Is it in style? Why haven't you worn it? Most
people wear only 20 percent of the clothes in their closet. Take
a quick look at yourself in the garment. If you don't feel fantastic
in it, bag it up. Unlike wine, clothes rarely improve with age.
Also get rid of items with stains, things that need extensive
repair and shoes that hurt.
For clothes that don't fit or you don't want to give up yet, pack
them up and out of the closet. Revisit them in six months. If
they still don't fit or you haven't wanted to wear them, it's
time to recycle. If it's hard to decide, have an objective friend
help. Take your discards to a consignment clothing shop (find
the stores nearest you in the Yellow Pages). If your clothes sell,
you get cash; if not, they'll be donated to thrift shops or charities.
Since it's spring, move fall/winter clothing to the back of the
closet or under the bed in storage boxes. You can also store out-of-season
clothes in suitcases or a spare-bedroom closet (special occasion
clothes can go there, too).
To triple storage potential, pack clothing in Space Bags. They
are plastic bags you fill, then suction the air from with a vacuum.
The bag is reduced to one-third its original size, and its contents
are well-protected.
Accessories might make the outfit, but they make
a mess of most closets. Sort and purge extra belts, ties, scarves
and such. Install belt and tie racks (my belts are on a 10-hook
plastic hanger; $2 from Target.) Wall hooks work fine for three
or fewer items. Scarves store best folded in a drawer. Purses
go on shelves.
Uniformity in the closet is a good thing. Invest in hangers in
one style (I prefer clear plastic) -- spring for wood hangers,
if you can afford. By using one style of hanger, your clothes
hang at a consistent level and aren't scrunched, so they stay
in better shape and need less ironing. Wire hangers are hard on
clothes; recycle them at the dry-cleaners.
In kids' closets, install double rods and hang as many of their
clothes as possible. The logic is that kids are more likely to
hang clothes than fold them, and that dressing is easier done
from the closet rather than drawers. Next, install shelves to
hold shoes, a laundry basket, toys, etc.
Bring garments that need mending to the place you mend, such as
the family room while watching TV or the car during rides. Get
your supplies in order: thread, scissors, needle and the missing
button.
With an organized closet you see only the clothes you like to
wear, and getting dressed is faster and easier.
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