Closet organization tips and tricks that work

Because no one knows what she really has until she has to move out.

2018 update: this post has affiliate links to Amazon for the products I trust and recommend based on my experience.

If you are following me on Instagram (are you? Find me as Guapologa), you have found great styling tips and tricks that help you maximize the use of your clothes and accessories. Also, you have seen my dog, my kid and my funny takes on filters. And, most probably, you already know that I and my family are looking for a new place to live. Although we love our neighborhood, we feel our needs have changed and it seems that we have found a nice house that we hope we can call us in a matter of time.

So I am very into having a good logistic process to make the packing and moving as easy as possible. I already got a moving kit and packing supplies [UBOXES, LLC Smart Moving Boxes Kit & Packing Supplies with Tape]  that sounds very promising because it comes with boxes, marker, paper tissue, tape… But I’m not only into packing everything and change places; I am truly interested in doing a good job cleaning closets and organizing the new ones in a way that I can conserve them looking pulled up and in control. I have an attack plan to make this happen.

The strategy.

• Sort into piles, starting by the hangers and moving to the drawers.

• Pack and store cold and hot weather clothes when you know you will not be wearing those clothes anymore for the season.

• Purge! (Marie Kondo joy philosophy, here’s the link to find the book Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up on my Amazon Store), anything damaged, stained or not worn in the last 12 months. Make an «archive» pile of clothing you have stopped wearing but want to keep for sentimental reasons, or because it has value. “Archival pieces, like an Hermès scarf, even if it’s a print or color scheme you haven’t been into, hold on to it—over time, it will become valuable.» Minimize duplicates.

• Less is more. Having basic pieces you can wear in multiple ways, over and over again, is better. Some people are big into colors and prints, but a bright standout piece is something that you can only wear a couple of times. That’s why it’s important to have that great little black dress, the perfect denim jacket, and the killer over-the-knee boots. You can mix and match and accessorize these pieces more so than a statement item.

• Organize all the pieces by category. grouping by categories does make it way easier to know exactly what you have, and how much.

• Separate your categories strategically: Place categories that you wear less, like party dresses, in an area of the closet that is harder to get to. Clothing that you wear the most, like everyday tops and dresses, should be the most accessible.

• Color- code your closet. Remember that grade-school acronym, Roy G. Biv? Now is the time to use it! Organize by color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Keep white and black on opposite ends. Use visible separations between colors (rounded white separations that can be written on).

• Stack foldable clothes, get drawer separations (like the Ikea ones) to keep your undergarment distributed.

• Decide what foldable clothes should go hang vice-versa. Heavy sweaters should be folded, so they don’t lose their shape when hanged.

• ** Unexpected tip ahead**: Bras should be hanging in your closet; that prevents them to get crushed and are much more easy to find.

• Try things on. Specially if you haven’t wore them for a while.

• Take notes. Make a list of items that you need. If your favorite little black dress is too small and you’re getting rid of it, add LBD to the list. If you have six blue dresses that you love and wear, make a note reminding yourself that you don’t need another blue dress.

• Take care of your dry- cleaned clothes. When you get home from the dry cleaner, take the clean clothes out of the bags.

“Never leave your dresses, or any other clothes, in the dry cleaning or plastic garment bags. The chemicals from dry cleaning attack the fibers of your clothing and cause damage.”

• Store your shoes in a way you can see one facing you from the front and another showing the back of the shoe.

Closet organization supplies.

This is the material you need  to have in order to accomplish this mission.

• • Garment dividers

• • Drawer dividers

• • Skinny hangers

• • Cedar blocks and hangers to avoid moths

• • Paper pad and a pen (or a notes app on the phone/ tablet)
  • Scented drawer liners

• • Shoe mat

• Donation bags or boxes.

Find everything at my Amazon Store under  Organize Your Space  and Wardrobe Fixes

What else would you do or use to make the closet cleanse easier to successfully accomplish?