Let say that there is an emergency and I need my husband to pack a bag for me. Yes, it’s a BIG emergency, clearly. I can honestly say that I could direct him to nearly every article of clothing that I own. For those of you who have husbands you know exactly how big of a deal this is. Most of the time they can’t find the remote under a throw pillow or the ketchup behind the milk.

Suffice it to say I have my closet organized. I’m pretty sure it is only slightly below military standards. I’m going to share some pictures with as long as you promise not to judge me on the lack of grown up clothes I own.

Here is closet #1. (did I forget to mention that I have two closets, more on that later)

Here is closet #2 (The previous owners took out the bathtub and put in a closet, LOVE them for that)

So now that you’ve seen my closets, here is my list of pointers for organizing YOURS.

1. Hang as much as possible.
I know that it takes up more space but it makes staying organized considerably easier. The exception to this rule is sweatshirts and heavy sweaters, pajamas and if you please, jeans. I hang most of my lightweight sweaters but it is important to use the right kind of hanger, padded lingerie hangers work great. *Ahem* Yes those are my bras hanging up in the second picture. Look it works better for me than keeping them in a drawer.

2. Separate clothes by type.
This will make it easier to find exactly what you are looking for without searching. In closet #1 I have my clothes separated into 4 categories; dressy shirts, cardigans, casual shirts and pants/skirts. I hang things so that everything faces towards the center. If you want to be really particular like me I keep the dressy shirts and pants by color, the cardigans by weight and the casual shirts by sleeve length and weight. Closet #2 holds my massive collection of camisoles and tank tops, sweatshirts, t-shirts and pajamas.

3. Use all available space.
This includes floors, back walls and doors. The only thing I really don’t like about my closets is that I can’t utilize the back of the doors. I make up for it by using the back of my bedroom door. I also have hooks hanging on the back wall of one closet. I use these hooks for belts, scarves and yes my good bras.

Other tips:
1. If you have room, I highly suggest a laundry sorter. I tend to do a load of laundry every now and then as opposed to all at once so it really saves time to have it all presorted.
2. Hanging canvas shelves are great for pajamas. The shelves can be sort of small and everyday clothes can get wrinkled, use them for pajamas and presto no worrying about wrinkles.
3. You don’t need an expensive closet organizer that is hard to install. In my last apartment I bought a closet rod, two lengths of chain and some s-hooks and made my own double rod system. All told it cost about $10.
4. My BEST piece of advice. Make your husband keep his junk in the guest room. As you can see I’ve done my best to employ my organizing methods in his area, it is obviously less effective with him in control but I’m pretty proud of him for making an effort.

I realize that everyone’s space is different and everyone has different needs and styles so go ahead and ask me your toughest organizing questions. I would love to see pictures of your spaces and give you my advice. Shoot me an email jenbshaw(at)gmail(dot)com.

March 16th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL