The Absolute Best Way To Organize Clothes In A Closet

Are you looking for the best way to organize clothes in a closet? If you’re wasting time trying to find clothes to wear in the morning, this post is for you. It’s time to turn your closet chaos into calm. You can do this!

Yay! You’re still here and that means you’re serious about getting those clothes organized in your closet once and for all! Here’s a funny truth moment – this photo is actually MY side of the closet! I will walk you through this whole process with my husband’s closet… while he is away on a trip! Will he be happy? Most likely NO. Will he secretly be relieved after a day or two? Most likely YES!

You’re going to learn tips and tricks to declutter, create a closet plan to maximize your space, and decide whether to fold or hang your clothes. After learning all the steps, you’re going to be ready to tackle your closet! I promise it won’t be as bad as you think.

This post is all about the best way to organize clothes in a closet.

Steps To Organize Clothes In A Closet

Step One: Empty The ENTIRE Closet

Ok… I know you REALLY don’t want to do this, but you ABSOLUTELY have to. Let me explain why. Organizing your clothes and creating your dream closet has to begin with a blank slate. You need to get everything out to see what you own, reevaluate your space, and create a plan for how you will move forward. Let’s get to it! Put on some music or a podcast and get everything out of there- and I mean everything!

Step Two: Clean The ENTIRE Closet

Now that you have a blank slate, it’s time to clean it from top to bottom. There was so much dust in my husband’s closet – even in his drawers! I vacuumed the entire space first with my DYSON (Click Here To Check Out The Dyson I Own and LOVE) and then I wiped everything down with Lemon Pine-Sol. Honestly, it didn’t take long at all and it was worth the effort.

Step Three: Declutter

This step was a bit different for me because I was doing this for my husband (while he was away)-and he doesn’t like to get rid of anything. (sigh) But, I still faced the same challenges you might have at this point in the process. It can be very overwhelming to look around at the piles and mess you made when you emptied the closet. You might be thinking, “Why did I do this?” “This was a bad idea.” or “I will never get this done.” Do not panic, this is a normal reaction and it will pass as you move forward and start to make decisions.

Here are a few things you need to know about decluttering clothes:

Decluttering is not the same as organizing, but it is a critical step to getting organized. Simply stated, this is the step where you decide what to keep and what you can let go of.
It’s helpful to have a donation bag or box, a trash bag, and a separate bag or box for items you want to sell.
Get rid of clothes that don’t fit. If you are holding on to clothes that you might be able to wear again in the future, remove them from your closet and place them in a bin in another room. You can revisit them when you’re ready, but they shouldn’t live in your closet at this point.
It’s ok to have 3 piles to start with – KEEP, GET RID OF, and MAYBE. Let’s look at this further:
KEEP– Your “keep” pile is what you definitely want to keep and what you actively wear right now.
GET RID OF- Your “get rid of pile” is everything you are ready to part with immediately. This pile can be split later into a donate pile and a sell pile.
MAYBE– That leaves us with the “maybe” pile. This pile should be moved to the side for further evaluation because it will slow down the decluttering process to deal with it right now. Items in this pile are things you might not be able to wear right now. These items may need alterations, fit too tight or too loose, or they could have sentimental value. There are lots of reasons you are not sure if you want to keep certain items. But right now, toss them in the maybe pile and move forward.
Decluttering Tip #1 – Find a go-to place to donate your unwanted items. After some research, I usually go with Goodwill. CLICK HERE to find a Goodwill Donation Center in your area.
Decluttering Tip #2 – Find a go-to place to sell items of value. Ok… I have to admit that this is not my strong suit. But, most people I know that sell use either POSHMARK or THREDUP. Eventually I want to try these platforms so I have a better understanding of them, but I honestly love the feeling of donating or giving my things away to others.
Decluttering Tip #3 – Keep a running list of things you need to add to your wardrobe while you declutter. If you had to purge most of your socks because they have holes, make sure you remind yourself to get new ones!

Step Four: Re-Evaluate Your Closet Space

Now that you have a clean and clear closet and your KEEP pile established, it’s time to re-evaluate the space. It’s a good time to take measurements of your drawers, shelves, and the space at the top of your closet. This is when you can map out how your keep pile will now live neatly organized in your closet. Look at your hanging items and your shelf items. Are you living within the constraints of your space? In my situation, I was able to remove a lot from my husband’s hanging pile. Most of what I moved to the MAYBE pile were items I KNOW he has never worn and won’t in the future. I was also able to move quite a few random items out of his closet completely. For example, he kept his contacts on a shelf under some hanging clothes. I relocated those to the bathroom to free that shelf. Look at your space with fresh eyes and don’t be afraid to move things around or take them completely out of your bedroom.

Step Five: Return Items To The Closet In A Better Way

It’s time to move your keep pile to your new clean space! I started with the hanging clothes. Luckily, I bought him matching hangers so it looks uniform. If you have mismatched hangers – it’s time to get new ones! Were your pajama tops mixed with your regular clothes? Now is the time to gather like items together and store them in the same drawer or on the same shelf. Get creative with this step and use things you have around the house to give you the spacing you need. What does that mean? It means that you may have decided you want drawer boxes, but for now you can use a shoe box or a kitchen tin to mimic the future layout.

Consider these ideas while putting your things away:

There is NO RIGHT WAY to organize your closet. The right way is the way that works for you. If you like to organize by color and it helps you find everything you need, then that is the best way for you.
The tippy top of your closet is a great spot to store seasonal clothing, sentimental items, hats, accessories for special occasions, and even (in my husband’s case) a wetsuit! Don’t disregard that space – it can really be put to use!
If you have a closet with blocked space on one side, try to use that to store things you don’t use often. For example, my husband’s suits are hung on the far left side of his closet because it feels like dead space.
Bulky items can work well on a shelf but try to keep them contained in some way so they don’t spread out and take up valuable space.
Store like items together. One drawer designated for workout clothes makes it much easier to get ready for your exercise day.

Step Six: Make A List And Purchase Items You Need

If you have allotted a budget to your closet project, now is the time to put it to good use. Here is a list of items you might want to consider purchasing to complete your closet:

CLICK FOR MY FAVORITES:

This is also the time to consider purchasing new clothing (only if you need to replace items you had to donate). Here are a few basic wardrobe ideas you might need to update: socks, bras (seriously, how old are yours), underwear (If you would die of embarrassment if someone saw them, it’s time.), pajamas (It’s ok to look cute at night too!), basic tank tops, t-shirts, camisoles, basic black pants, jeans (Do yours fit you like a glove?) a perfect little black dress. Depending on your job and your lifestyle there might be other staples you want to add or replace.

For Men: Besides the basics, they might need a well-fitted suit, a sports jacket, dress pants, and button-down shirts. There are so many factors to consider, but these are basic suggestions to look for.

NOTE: I was unable to make this list for my husband because it’s so personal and I decluttered while he was away. But, I was able to take notes to share with him and we are planning to work on making his wardrobe much more functional.

If you’re wondering how my husband responded to the big closet cleanout… he was appreciative. He actually looked in there when I wasn’t home so I wasn’t able to get his first response. He has told me more than a few times that he would have agreed to declutter with me if I had asked. What he doesn’t seem to remember is that I have asked more than a few times and he just never seemed to have the time. But, somehow he has found lots of time for other random things…Hmmmm….

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The Absolute Best Way To Organize Clothes In A Closet