Tackling the seasonal clothes closet
It’s spring and professional organizers are getting a lot of calls from potential clients looking for some help to switch over winter and summer wardrobes and organize closets.
Where do you start? What do you say goodbye to? How do you arrange items to make getting dressed as easy and stress free as possible?
I’m honestly not a fan of the seasonal wardrobe concept. I have one clothing closet and all my clothes are located there. I do not have tote boxes of additional clothes stored anywhere else in my home. I try to convince people to try it. Our weather is so unpredictable and often “unseasonable.” It’s quite likely I will reach for a turtleneck in June to wear on a fourwheeler adventure and I have been known to wear a pair of capris on a sunny October afternoon.
We wear 20 per cent of our clothing 80 per cent of the time. How often do we wait for our favourite pair of jeans to be dry so we can wear them, rather than grab another of our 10 pairs? I would rather people try to pare down their clothing and only keep the items they have worn recently or will likely wear soon, rather than wrestle with unwieldy bins twice a year and unnecessarily handle clothes that likely won’t get used.
Pull everything out and give your closet a good vacuum or wipe down. Get a few empty bags ready for donations. Pile all your clothing on your bed (put like with like) and touch every item as you make your decisions. Does it make you feel good when you wear it? Does it fit well and do you have things you can wear with it? If you have seven pairs of black pants I’m betting one pair is too small, one isn’t flattering and one has needed to go to the drycleaners or tailor for a few years and will likely never make it there. Say goodbye to what isn’t serving you and only keep what is useful and/or beautiful. Donate everything that remains.
If you have some “question
marks” or things you aren’t sure of, mark them by turning their hangers around backwards on the rod. If you haven’t worn them and corrected the direction of the hangers in a few months, you know what you have to do with them. I keep a basket at the bottom of my closet for moments just like this. Yes, professional organizers regularly purge too!
Regarding useful/beautiful tools I use and those I recommend to clients, I personally like the slim profile, black velvet hangers. They are non-slip and they save so much room. They look fantastic hanging on the rod and they allow your clothing to shine. I also love shelf dividers for keeping sweaters orderly. Place freshly laundered sweaters on the top of piles and pull from the bottom when getting dressed to rotate your clothing without having to think about it.
Taking on your clothing closet is a quick and easy project that will make you feel instantly organized and might even inspire you to get cracking on other areas of your home. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the donation bags fill up and how great it feels to finally have some wiggle room on the rod when you’re sliding your hangers around looking for the perfect outfit to wear. Next level organizing if you drop the donation bags off on the same day and you don’t drive around town with them in your trunk for a few weeks.
Lisa Macdonald-Faulkner has been a professional organizer in Halifax Regional Municipality for almost a decade. She is passionate about helping people clear the clutter and get aboard the organized train. Connect with her about pre-move purges, estate organizing and your dusty boxes.