7 Tips to Help Your Closet Look and Feel More Organized

I am very excited to share a guest post by our SBO Partner Martha Carol Stewart, founder of Chaos Organizing, serving the Baton Rouge, LA and Houston, TX areas!

1 – KEEP THE FLOOR CLEAR.  

If it’s clean enough to hang on the “chair” then you can hang it back on its hanger.  You know we ALL have that place we like to leave the ½ dirty clothes. (I’ve worn them, but they aren’t dirty enough to wash or dry clean.) Hang them back up!

2 – KEEP LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER.  

Group the pants, skirts, and shorts together. Tops can be grouped by sleeve length.  Dresses, coats, vests, and exercise clothes all get their own hanging space. You can use garment tags to help remind you what goes where!

We LOVE these garment dividers.

3 – GROUP LIKE ITEMS BY COLOR.  

ROYGBIV – Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  Neutrals can be grouped at either end.

4 – USE THE SAME HANGERS.  

Whether you like the velvet-lined, plastic, or even (gasp) wire, using the same hangers is visually appealing and helps your closet appear more organized. Velvet hangers are great at keeping the sleeveless shoulders on the hangers.  Plastic and wire are easier to pull clothes off and on. (A must for my husband!) Wood hangers are excellent for keeping a nice shoulder shape to a garment such as a sports coat or jacket.

Here are some of our favorite hangers.

5 – GROUP SHOES BY CATEGORY.  

Tennis shoes, heel style, sandals, flip-flops, short boots, and long boots all get their own space.  To keep tall boots standing up, use boot inserts, pool noodles (cut in ½) or simply a magazine!

Here are those boot inserts we’re talking about.

6 – DON’T FORGET THE ACCESSORIES!  

Jewelry gets its own space, too.  I love using belt and tie hooks hung on the wall for necklaces and slender bracelets.  Jewelry trays or ice cube trays works great for storing earrings or rings. Bangle bracelets can be stored in a bin on a shelf or in a drawer. Scarves get folded in a bin unless you have hanging space. (Less wrinkles if they are hung.)

These jewelry trays are to die for!

7 – THE STUFF HAS TO FIT THE SPACE!!!  

Your closet will never feel organized if it looks like boudin (Louisiana sausage) trying to come out of the casing!  As one friend put it, “I was feeling like I needed new clothes this weekend but if I buy new clothes, I’d need new hangers.  I have 250 hangers! That’s way more clothes than I need! I refuse to have more than 250 pieces of clothing.” Limit the clothes to the space.

Martha Carol Stewart is a professional organizer and started Chaos Organizing. The mission at Chaos Organizing is to help people function in their spaces efficiently and logically so they spend more time enjoying their home and family. Their professional team of organizers will take care of every step and leave your most cluttered spaces clean and easy to navigate. Chaos Organizing serves the Baton Rouge, LA and Houston, TX areas. You can find out more about them on Facebook.