If your closet is anything like mine- 50% doesn’t fit and 40% I don’t wear but I love it ALL so, obviously, much work is needed! I have a really hard time letting go of clothes. If your closet is completely overwhelming to you, consider enlisting a friend or a professional organizer to help you. Elevation Avenue’s in-house Organizer, Carrie Dominick-Schryver, loves nothing more than an turning an overwhelming closet into a functional place of beauty!
When tackling your closet, there are a few definite steps that almost every Organizer agrees that you need to take.
- Pull it all out and take inventory! Remove everything in your closet from bins to hangers and arrange it so that you can see it. Marie Kondo likes one big pile but feel free to utilize whatever space makes sense to you. If you want to categorize your items so that you can go through them methodically, do it.
- Have your trash bags ready! You’ll need one for donations, one for trash, and if you have designer items, one for consignment. If you haven’t worn an item in over a year but it’s still in good condition, consider donating it. If you’ve been intending to fix a hole or missing button but just haven’t done it, this is the time to get real with yourself. Are you going to do it in the next week? If not? It’s trash.
- Put it away and make it pretty! It’s time to put your “keep” pile back in your closet. If you don’t already have matching hangers, now is the time to invest. Wooden hangers are gorgeous and durable. Cedar even repels insects so there’s less of a chance of getting those tragic moth holes in sweaters. Velvet non-slip hangers are gentle on your closets and help to keep them in place. Plastic hangers are the most cost-effective option, but they can bend, and the thicker varieties aren’t as aesthetically pleasing. If you need to place items in bins, consider clear ones. We don’t want clothes getting lost in your closet ever again and clear bins are functional and pleasing to the eye.
- Take action with your bags! After all your hard work, it would be easy to take a break. Do not let your trash, donation, and consignment bags sit around! Toss that trash bag and make an appointment at your local consignment store and drop off your donations on the same day. You will be so happy that you did!
Now that your closet is a thing of beauty, you’ve got to keep it that way! Try to remember that the space in your home is a commodity and you must treat it as such. Even more importantly, your clarity and your peace of mind is a priority and when your home isn’t in order, it makes everything else more difficult. If the next step in your closet journey is into a custom closet, please give Elevation Avenue a call! Custom woodwork and design are our specialty, and we’d love to help you realize your full organizational potential!
