Groomed Home Smarter Living
When you think of closets the most infamous one is probably the bedroom closet. After all, there is less of a chance that anybody would sneak a peek in there. Your bedroom closet may not be viewed by many, but you use it daily. It’s really important for yourself that you get it in working order.
Unclutter | Organize | Maintain | Checklist
Unclutter
To kick off the first steps of organization it’s always best to start with uncluttering. There are plenty of tips and tricks that can really help you sort it all out.
First, you need to figure out what really needs to be in your closet. While you want to keep the normal bedroom closet items in there you probably don’t need a bicycle or garbage can (yes, some folks do this!). Instead, focus on what would be the most functional items to store in there. Remove the weird stuff and move it to more appropriate location like the basement or the attic.
Now it’s time for the fun part. If you are like the average bear your clothes probably dominate the space in your closet. There is a neat trick that actually helps you get rid of clothing simply because you don’t ever wear it. It’s called “The Hanger System”. This system works by hanging your clothes with the hanger pointing out. Every time that you wear a piece of clothing, turn the hanger in the opposite direction. After three months you have a visual of which clothes you actually wear. Another great thing you can do is transition seasonal clothing. You simply box up clothes that are out of season so that the clothes you can’t wear aren’t taking up valuable space.
Shoes should also be uncluttered. If you have a shoe fetish you need to get down a solid organization system that we’ll discuss a little later. However, if you simply just have a lot of busted shoes that you didn’t even know you owned, it’s time to throw them away. Old shoes are stinky and you never wear them anyhow so there’s no reason to keep hanging on to them. You can do it. Just let them go!
Another aspect of the uncluttering process that many people forget is to repair damaged clothing. Now is the time to either take it to tailor, fix it yourself, or donate it. You don’t need clothes hanging in your closet that you don’t wear simply because they are slightly damaged. You’ll have more clothes that you actually wear. Win/Win!
Organize
Okay, now it’s time for the meat of the project: organization. Here, we are going to examine some of the most innovative ways to store you precious goods in order to save the most space and look the very best.
Bins and Baskets
It’s all about the storage, baby! If you have a small closet especially don’t shy away from the countless bins and baskets that not only look great, but can be tailored to the amount of space that you already have. Bins and baskets alike can be decorated to match the color scheme of your room to give your closet a polished look.
Shelving
Shelving is another advantage to any closet size. If you have specialty items you can create the appropriate storage shelf so it fits in nicely. People have different needs when it comes to shelving so custom-made storage is a great way to go if you have a lot or little of any particular item. Shelving can get really interesting because you can create shelving that slides out, expands when opens, or shelving with unique shapes and designs. Appropriate shelving gives you closet space a really modern look and also saves you a ton of space.
Shoe Storage
Storing shoes is definitely a must in bedroom closet organization. There are plenty of ways to store shoes that are easy and accessible. For instance, shoe racks, boxes and bins are some of the most popular ways to store shoes. However, there are some really interesting ways to store shoes as well. For instance, you can convert your vanity stool into extra storage for shoes. This way, you aren’t really using your closet space. You could also consider hanging up your flip-flops on clothes hangers. Everybody knows that flip-flops seem to have the hardest time staying together, but put them on the hanger and you’ll never lose them again!
Keep it together
When organizing your closet it is absolutely critical that you take the time to sort through and pair items that are similar. This will drastically reduce the amount of time you ever have to spend looking for anything. For instance, figure out which items have to be hung up like dresses, button-up shirts, and any fabric that is unforgiving such as cotton, hemp or linen. Other items such as corduroy pants or cashmere sweaters can be folded up and stored away. To ensure that you can keep things together more easily you could also incorporate a color system or simply label boxes and bins for an easy find.
Maintain
So you’ve fought the good fight and you finally have a well-organized bedroom closet. Now how in the world do you keep it that way? The trick is to always remember how much time and effort you put into this project. You have to rewire your brain to get into the habit of putting things back where they belong and trying to not add to the mess. Many people who are not naturally organized people thrive on having a solid system in place. As mentioned before, labeling or color coordinating your closet gives you a visual map of where things you should go. Sure, sometimes it’s easier to be messy, but it’s not easy to go through a major closet re-organization every few weeks.
Also, because you will more than likely acquire more and more things throughout the years, give yourself an “Organization Schedule”. For example, you should have a few times of year that you weed out the old to make room for the new. Many people elect to incorporate this into their Spring Cleaning plan or you could simply take a few moments to look through your things around major holiday or your birthday because you may get more things to include in your closet collection.
Having an organized closet is a way of life. You simply have to become a more disciplined person to make this organization last. After a while, it’ll become second nature.
