Get organized by giving your closet a makeover

For fashion lovers with an extensive clothing collection, making over a closet can be a daunting task – but a rewarding one.

Before tackling this organizational challenge, it’s important to visualize the kind of closet or wardrobe space you want. If the current space you’ve allotted for your needs isn’t enough, you’ll have to reconsider whether it serve you better to install a partition in your bedroom to create a larger space, or even designate a small bedroom as a walk-in closet or wardrobe space.

Whether it’s organizing shoes or sweaters, one of the most important things is simply to make a commitment to start somewhere. One small task completed every day towards revamping and reorganizing your closet could make a huge difference. Or start with one larger organizational task and break it down into several smaller components.

The next organizational step that may be helpful is removing all items from your wardrobe to see everything in one place at one time. This will help you better determine what should be kept, what should be donated, and what should be thrown away. And, while your space is emptied of clothes, it’s a great opportunity to take stock of your closet and decide how best to utilize it.

You’ll want to make the most of the space you do have, and think creatively about how best to use it to your advantage. If you have abovedoor space, you might be able to install hanging shelves or hanging rails. Installing flat shelving can be useful for storing various types of shoes, or consider a hanging bar for high heels. Adding a full-length mirror will give the illusion of more space and airiness to your closet space. Sliding pegboards or shower curtain rings are one way to store accessories like belts or scarves. In short: The options are bounded only by your creativity.

While the space is empty, you’ll also want to clean, vacuum and dust to make your space as tidy as possible for when you reorganize it. It’s also a perfect opportunity to repaint the walls a fresh color or put up some accent wallpaper.

Once you’ve sifted through what to keep and what to donate, it’s time to take stock of how best to sort your clothes. One popular method is sorting by color – another is sorting by type (shirts, skirts, dresses, etc.).

Hanging clothes is the generally the best way to store and organize clothing. While extra sets of drawers can be a valid option for clothing storage, hangers make formore streamlined storage and clothing that takes up less space in the end. You’ll want to purchase thin, nonslip hangers, all the same color or color-coordinated, to achieve the best closet-aesthetic vibes.

Another important organizational suggestion? Be sure to keep unrelated items out of the closet so everything remaining stored has a relevant spot. Your clothing space should be sacrosanct and dedicated to clothing, not cluttered with items like toys, games or paperwork. For items with sentimental value, take photos and keep the photo instead of the item if you’re running low on storage space. If you plan to keep items – such as out-of-season sweaters – in storage bins, label everything carefully so you know what’s in it later.

It can also be helpful to store items like shirts vertically so you can see all of your options at a single glance, rather than having to dig through a drawer from the top down to find the shirt you’re looking for. And, if you’re storing some items in drawers, you might consider buying dividing organizers to further compartmentalize your items and keep similar items together, preventing them from becoming mixed up with other items.

There are a wealth of other options out there for the creative fashionista: from tiered hangers to hanging jewelry organizers to shelf dividers, there are a multiplicity of ways to make sure your closet is in tip-top organized shape so you can quickly find outfits on the go.