Entry #898, January 14, 2012

Happy DIY Saturday! Throughout the month of January, organization is on everyone’s minds. From the kitchen and living areas, to the garage and home office. Today, I thought I would focus on the men. Yes, guys, lets face it – sometimes organization articles aren’t focused at you, and you have plenty to get organized!

Organize to easily find what you need

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Today I found a great article from AskMen – on how to organize your closet. These helpful tips are great for men who are constantly on the go, and want a no fuss way of getting and out of the closet.

1.) Don’t keep what you don’t need

One of the biggest problems facing overstuffed closets is that they’re full of clothes the closet owner doesn’t need. Some people are simply lazy and haven’t cleaned out their closets in ages, while others are attached to certain garments or feel wasteful throwing out items that are not full of holes.

The fastest way to organize your closet is to own fewer clothes because visually it will be easier to find what you’re looking for.

2.) Dump out everything and look and what you own

To organize your closet, take everything out and dump it on your bed; go through each piece of clothing one item at a time and assess when you wore it last. Apart from formal wear, if you haven’t worn something in one year and it’s in good repair, donate it to charity. Most charities will come to your door to pick up your castaways, so don’t think giving away your clothes is going to become an arduous chore you don’t have time for. Every year, repeat this process to make sure your closet stays organized.

Determine what you have before you organize

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3.) Store seasonal apparel

Another way to organize your closet clutter is to store seasonal apparel. In the winter, take all your summer clothes and store them in a suitcase, then do the same in the summer with your winter apparel.

4.) When you shop, throw out something old

Lastly, every time you go shopping and buy something new, get rid of another garment from your closet that’s looking a little old or is no longer trendy to ensure you maintain approximately the same volume of clothing.

5.) Hang like garments together

Stop wasting time rummaging around in your closet by using two simple systems that will help you retrieve individual garments. First, hang all garments that belong in the same category together — i.e., sweaters next to sweaters and dress shirts next to dress shirts. At all costs, avoid hanging clothes by color family. This system will simply make a big mess of your closet because people tend to think “I want to wear a sweater,” rather than “I want to wear something brown,” so use the more intuitive grouping system of clustering similar items together; this is the correct approach when figuring out how to organize your closet.

Group like items together

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6.) Use closet organizers

Sweaters:

For heavy sweaters that will stretch out if placed on a hanger or for cashmere and other delicate fabrics, you’ll definitely want a shelf, so get one immediately if your closet doesn’t have one built in.

Pants:

If you have two or more pairs of black pants or multiples of any other color of pants, use multitiered hangers to save space

Shoes:

Use a shoe rack so you can see all your footwear laid out instead of jumbled up. Make sure to buy a floor shoe rack, however, because the ones that hang over closet doors don’t provide proper support for men’s shoes. Squeeze as many shoes as possible onto your shoe rack by placing shoes in opposite facing directions.

Organize shoes to easily select and see at once

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7.) Make small accessories visible

While it may seem like a good idea to place smaller accessories like ties, belts and the like in a drawer, the truth is that you might end up wearing them less often because when you can’t see them, you’ll forget you own them. Get the most out of your wardrobe by purchasing a set of hooks or even a small rack to throw over your door and hang your accessories. These sets can be extremely cheap, so don’t be reluctant to look for one even if you’re on a tight budget, and the ones that go over your door require absolutely no time or effort to install.

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