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One of my favorite things to declutter and organize is clothes. It’s just plain fun! Clothes organization is an area where there’s typically a lot of potential. Potential for decluttering, discovering the pieces, colors and styles you love, and feeling the weight lift as you pare down, organize, and make your life easier!
There’s no right answer to how to handle clothes organization, or how many items you “should” own. I have a lot more pieces (even as someone who grativates towards minimalism – gasp!) than some people. And I have fewer pieces than others. It’s all good. Unless…. it’s not all good. Meaning, regardless of what you own, if you feel overwhelmed by lots of options but nothing to wear, or you’re generally stressed out by your clothing situation, it may be time for a refresh.
Here are some ideas, compiled Q&A style. Enjoy!
Q: Jeans – Hang or fold?
A: Either! If you have more hanging space, hang them. More shelf space? Fold them.
I prefer to hang them on pants hangers w/ clips. Here’s why…jeans tend to all look similar, so hanging jeans enables you to see the whole length so you can more easily differentiate between pairs and quickly grab the ones you want.
Q: How Do You Organize Hanging Clothes?
A: You will be the most successful in maintaining an organizational system if it reflects the way that YOU think about your wardrobe. Some people like to group clothes by function (church clothes together, school clothes, work clothes, etc). This is what I prefer:
First “Tier” of Organizing Hanging Clothes:
First, organize clothing by type, with like items grouped together – pants, skirts, dresses, tops, etc.
Second Tier:
Within each clothing type (above), I organize by color, specifically rainbow order. Why? Each item has a home within this system. When you put things back in the same place you found them, you’re more aware of what you have plenty of and what you don’t. And you’ll be less likely to arrive home with a purchase to only realize you already own something similar. Plus it just looks pretty and visually calming.
Third Tier:
Within each color block, organize by sleeve length/weight. Sleeveless first, then short sleeve, then long.
Q: Any packing tips?
A: Yes! A girl likes her choices, so I don’t go overboard trying to pare down too much. Here are some ideas to simplify your packing and travel.
1. Capsule wardrobe: This is is made up of an edited down group of workhorse pieces that fit with your lifestyle and that you’ll get a lot of mileage out of. For travel, pack a mini capsule wardrobe in a color theme so you can mix and match them. Either black or blue works well, as does grey. Or if that’s too blah, bring on the color. But, still, look to pack pieces that are versatile and can work in different combinations.
2. Packing for kids: Choosing a color theme for kid’s clothes works particularly well. I found that, when buying boy’s clothes for my son, so many are in the blue family anyway, so they’ll naturally coordinate.
When my kids were babies/toddler I packed each individual outfit in its own sealable gallon size plastic bag. This made it so easy to keep everything together, including socks and accessories. I kept the bags in my kids’ closets and reused them over and over.
3. Air travel: If you’re flying, wear your bulkiest items (jacket, shoes etc) so you’re not taking up too much valuable suitcase space.
Q: Do you use packing cubes for travel?
A: I do! They help to keep items together and visible. They also make it easier to unpack at your destination, find what you need throughout your trip, and repack to head home.
You can organize within them any way you like – a cube for dressier outfits, workout clothes, or tops in one and bottoms in another. They’re often sold in multi size packs. These are the ones that I own.
Q: Do you file fold your clothes?
A: Yes! This method entails folding clothes into smaller and smaller rectangles until they stand upright. Then they’re put into drawers vertically like a file folder. It has the advantage of making everything visible, and is easy to maintain.
It works very well for tanks, t-shirts, pants, towels, table linens, and more. It’s trickier, though not impossible, for bulkier items like sweatshirts. I posted a how-to video on Instagram for you to check out (scroll to the bottom of any page on the site for my Instagram link).
Q: What’s the best way to store sweaters?
A: I find that, with a padded hanger, most sweater can be hung, without creating shoulder creases. But, in general, folding works best. To avoid sky high piles toppling over on a shelf, a divider works well.
Q: How do you store swimwear?
A: Swimwear and accessories, such as scarves, work well in bins.
Q: How do you stay on top of clothing clutter?
A: This hits the nail on the head. Staying decluttered is the like the foundation of your house. Once you have a strong foundation, you can build from there with organizational systems to organize your clothes.
Having only the number of pieces that fit within your allotted space is the first step. Then, you can build on that base – employing organizing systems, folding methods etc. Those things are the icing on the cake. Any number of methods will be successful, frankly, if you start from a decluttered state.
Now on to the how….
- Employ the 1 in 1 out rule. Whenever you bring a new article of clothing into your home, one goes out.
- Declutter regularly (minimum once/quarter, as seasons change)
- Only keep what you like, wear, fits, and is in good shape.
- Do not be afraid to let items go that you “paid good money for”. I hear you. But the money has already been spent.
Q: What are your favorite hangers?
A: If you’re going to do one thing in your closet, swap out mismatched hangers with consistent quality ones (out with the wire)! It makes a surprisingly big difference in the overall cohesiveness of your space. This doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Here’s an amazing deal on Amazon. I also love and use wooden hangers. They’re sturdy and sophisticated.
