How to Sort a Closet

Sorting is an essential part of getting your closet under control and organized, especially when you’re changing your closet for the season. Often, we have way more clothing than necessary. And if we neglect the sorting process, we’re only cheating ourselves out of valuable space. 

Keep
Before an item earns a place in your keep pile, ask yourself a few key questions:

• Does it fit?  Be honest with yourself, if it hasn’t fit for awhile, let it go.  It only eats up valuable space in your closet and doesn’t give you enough storage for items you actually wear.
• Is it in good condition? If the item is stained, ripped or extremely worn, let it go!
• How many of the item do I have?  If you have 15 white shirts that you have acquired over the years, you need to be realistic and figure out how many you truly need.  If you can reduce the amount, even by five, you’ll increase your storage space and have fewer items to manage when it comes to organizing.

Donate
Your “extras” or “don’t fits” may be hard for you to part with, but when you think about how those items could be used by others, it can make parting with them easier. Not only are you helping others, but donations are often tax-deductible – just one more reason to donate.

Additional Tips

• Set a timer for 10 minutes and go through each article of clothing on a certain shelf before the timer goes off.  This “race against the clock” method can help you make quick decisions about items and move on. Go with your gut and remember, when in doubt throw it out!
• Group like items together, which makes locating things quick and easy. That means sweaters in one section and skirts in another.  
• Make room for out of season clothes in the garage, basement or attic. Use moisture resistant storage containers to keep garments safe until next season.