Organize Your Clothes

Organize Your Clothes

By Melanie Olsen

No matter what size your apartment is, it seems there is never enough storage for your clothes! Here are some simple things you can do to get organized:

• Put your out-of-season clothing in clear totes that will fit under your bed. You’ll need more totes for winter clothing than summer. Include your seasonal shoes and boots. You’ll have to swap out your clothes each season, which can seem daunting, but use it as a time to sort out the clothes you really aren’t wearing, or will never wear again. Donate those to your favorite charity or dispose of anything beyond repair.

• Look at all of the closet shelves in your apartment and see if you have unused space. Purchase small free-standing shelves to add an extra layer to make items more accessible. If you never wear that sweater simply because there are four more stacked on top of it, having it more accessible will expand your wardrobe and maybe even keep you from the urge to buy a new sweater!

• Rolling your clothing to store in your dresser drawers can save space and help you easily see what you have. And it will help keep items from wrinkling, which is a time saver if you are someone who irons your clothing.

• Start the new season out by putting all of your hanging items backwards, with the open hanger to the front. Then as you wear an item, re-hang it the “proper” way. By the end of the season, it will be clear what pieces of clothing you are really wearing. Anything that remains on a backwards hanger needs to donated.

• No matter how small it is, don’t forget to go through your apartment’s coat closet. Use the same process here, too. Donate what you haven’t worn.

• Do the same for your shoes. Put them in your closet with the toes pointed the opposite way of “normal” for you. As you wear a pair, return them to the closet facing the proper direction. At the end of the season, donate any shoes that haven’t been turned around.

It might take a full year to really make it feel like you have ample closet space in your apartment, but following these tips can help you reach that goal. And be benevolent, too!