Closet Solutions That Will Never Again Have You Claiming, “I Have Nothing to Wear!”

To many people, especially women, a closet is an extension of our identity.  We take enormous pride in what we wear and how we present ourselves.  An empty closet is similar to a blank canvas, just waiting to be painted, and how we fill it, and arrange the numerous clothes, shoes and accessories, can paint a picture, one both beautiful and functional.  For some of us, sadly, that “painting” ends up resembling   the drawing of a 5 year old – messy and with no flow or character, which screams confusion and stress.  Knowing how to create a functional, well-flowing and easy-to-use closet will not only be beautiful to look at, but ease the daily stress of answering the age old complaint – “I have nothing to wear!”

Creating your perfect closet requires a little prep work.  First, it is essential that you remove every single item in your closet, and begin the downsizing process.  For many of us, we hang on to many items we haven’t worn in years, or no longer fit us.  This hinders our ability to have a functional closet space.  You must be willing to rid yourself of all items of clothing, shoes and accessories you have not worn in a year or more.  For items in poor shape – discard them.  For all other items you don’t use, either donate them to thrift stores or charity, or sell them at a yard sale or at a consignment shop. 

Start Creating a Streamlined, Functional Closet Space

Once you are left with all the items you still wear and realistically plan on wearing, start organizing these items in piles.

·         Pants and jeans

·         Skirts

·         Dresses

·         Shirts and blouses

·         Suits

·         Jackets

·         Sweaters

·         Frequently worn shoes

·         Shoes you don’t wear often

·         Belts

·         Scarves

·         Tights, pantyhose and socks

·         Hats

·         Handbags

Many closets are small.  But there are numerous, inexpensive ways you can actually create more space.  One of these solutions is to add another rod or two.  You can do this by adjusting the height of the existing rod, either a little higher or lower, then installing an additional rod above or below that.  This allows you to double your hanging space, and is best used for shirts, jackets, skirts and other shorter garments.  You can also add a smaller width bar at the top of one side of your closet to accommodate longer items such as dresses and hanging slacks.

Cubbies and Shelves Are a Big Part of the Solution

If you have the room, install as many shelves as you can, remembering to leave enough space to stack standard sized bins, baskets and boxes.  Also stack cubbies on the floor, to store your shoes and purses.  For those shoes you wear only on special occasions, or are seasonal, such as boots, store these in clear plastic bins and keep hidden under your bed.  Plastic, clear bins are perfect for storing folded sweaters, and other clothes not worn every day.  Stack these at the top of your closet shelves, and always keep your most used items closer to the bottom of your closet for easy access.

You can purchase hangers that hold more than one garment.  Many of these special hangers hold up to six items, and hang at a downward angle, allowing you to hang more items in your closet than you could only hanging one garment per single hanger.    Hooks are ideal for hanging purses, belts and scarves.  If your closet has the space, it is a very useful idea to put either a small dresser against the back wall, or purchase a rolling cart, similar to those that hold office supplies.  These wonderful storage spaces on wheels have at least three drawers which are perfect for holding undergarments, hats, folded jeans, or even jewelry and belts, and all you have to do is simply roll it out and access what you need.

No matter how small your closet is, there are so many ways you can create functional space to store much more than you thought possible.  With every item in its place, it will be easy every single morning to pick beautiful outfits, and never again will you have to declare that you don’t have a thing to wear.  You always have had something to wear – but with a messy, disorganized closet, you just couldn’t see it.  With some simple closet solutions, your closet can become that gorgeous painting – one to be admired every day of your life.