Fall Cleaning: Closet Organization Tips

Now that fall’s in full swing and temperatures have dropped, it’s time for all of us to pull out the dreaded winter jackets and sweaters – and say goodbye to summer.

In the midst of switching your wardrobe choices, it’s a good time to consider doing a little closet cleaning while you’re at it! There’s nothing like a good declutter to make your closet tidy again – and you might even find some “new” clothes tucked away at the back of the closet that you might have forgotten about.

Wondering what’s the best way to start? Here are some tips that can help:

Take out all or most of the items in your closet

First, figure out which pieces you’d like to keep, and which items are ready to leave the closet for good.

Consider using the hanger strategy to help you make this decision – hang up all your clothes and turn the hanger so that the hook part is pointing towards you. Every time you take out a piece of clothing to wear (and put back afterwards), hang it with the hook facing away from you. After a few months, you can tell which items have been worn and which ones are unworn based on the position of the hook – indicating that it may be time for the unworn pieces to go.

Donate or sell the clothes you no longer want/need

If the clothing is of good quality and gently worn, you may be able to consign it at a consignment store to earn some money back or receive store credit for future purchases. Alternatively, you can organize a clothing swap with your friends to exchange all your unwanted items. You can also choose to donate your clothes that are in good condition to a local thrift shop or charity.

Sort out your clothes by season

Now that it’s fall, pack away your summer clothes to the back or top shelves of your closet. If space is limited, invest in some plastic containers that you can use to store clothing in other parts of the room, like under the bed. This will free up space in your closet and you won’t have to worry about spending precious time in the mornings trying to find things.

Utilize your closet space efficiently

Store your most used items at eye level, less used items closer to the bottom, and least used items up high. A few other methods you can try are:

• Invest in a multi-tier shoe rack so that you can stack multiple pairs of shoes together on the floor.
• Install hanging organizers for clothing or shoes on the back of the closet door or on unused wall space for more storage.
• Use shower hooks looped over the closet rod to hang purses and scarves.
• Use clothing boxes or baskets to store socks, underwear and shirts. You can also place them in a chest of drawers to avoid mixing up these items.

If you’re a Trico homeowner, a few of our Red Card providers also offer discounts on the installation of closet systems and shelving! Visit our Red Card website to learn more.

Along with these tips, it’s important to remember that you should organize your closet and clothes in a way that makes sense to you. If you’ve got any helpful methods to suggest, we’d love to hear about them. Share them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter by tagging us in the post. Happy cleaning!