Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Ridding our home of unused items and purging drawers and cabinets is an on-going task. Just when I think it is done, my children outgrow something else.

Many times our master bedroom becomes the dumping area until projects get finished. Getting to my things comes when everything else is done. Though I do not consider the master bedroom the last priority, it seems like it is just last on the list because I have no deadline.

On a week when laundry had not been done, I decided enough is enough. I began organizing the master closet, and I started by purging. Last week, I shared the two piles of clothing I sent to the donation center. This week, I share how I straightened the master closet. (Well, my items in the master closet. Someone else gets to organize his stuff. ;-))

Shirts and Blouses

Located on a lower bar of our closet, my shirts and blouses hang on plastic hangers. I have chosen white and burgundy hangers for my clothing. Alternating between the two colors, I hang my short-sleeved and my long-sleeved tops.

The front section is my regular clothing and the back section is maternity wear. Yes, I still wear some of my maternity clothes because they fit, feel comfortable, and hang longer than my regular tops.

Another way I organize all my clothing (and most of my items) is by the colors of the rainbow (e.g., pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, and white). I warned you that I am very particular, but I’ve organized this way since grade school because I can easily find the item I want.

Also, when I remove an article of clothing, I place the hanger back in its place. After washing my clothes, I retrieve the hanger, place the item back on it, and hang it back up. As I look for a favorite shirt and find an empty hanger, then I know that I have already worn that item. I then choose another outfit to wear.

Sweaters and Sweatshirts

Folded and stacked within the shelves of our closet, I keep my sweaters and sweatshirts neatly folded. Arranged by popularity, I put my well-loved items on top of the stack with holiday items near the bottom.

Shoes

Keeping my shoes within their boxes, I keep my sandals and summer shoes to the right with my winter shoes to the left.

With like items like sandals in multiple colors, I stack the boxes by the color of the rainbow (e.g., the boxes in order from top to bottom are red, blue, black, khaki, and black). When I need a pair, I just go to the appropriate box as I keep the labels showing the style and color facing out.

I also keep my special shoes, like snow boots and bowling shoes, in the back corner of my closet by my preserved wedding dress.

Dresses and Bottoms

Since college, I have used tiered hangers to maximize my closet space. Hanging up to 6 skirts or slacks per hanger frees up my dresser space.

Starting from the left, I hang all my dresses, then on the tiered hangers I keep my skirts, slacks/pants, and then capris with space to spare. All these items are hung in color order as well making retrieving the desired item efficient.

In organizing the master closet, I took about 1 hour to purge and straighten my clothing. This investment of my time allowed me to see what items I would like to add to my wardrobe and to remind me of options that had slipped my mind.

While using time wisely organizing the master closet, I have clothing that fits, is comfortable to wear, and weather appropriate. With places to visit and people to see this summer, I need not wonder what to wear, but I might get stumped on choosing the color of flip flops for the day. 😉 Happy organizing!

Question: What tips do you have for organizing a closet?