Top Closet Organization Tips and Products

 Last week, I shared my favorite tips to help you clean out your closet.  If you missed that post, go ahead and read it here.  

It is important to have the right tools in place so that you can keep your closet organized and see what you own EASILY and QUICKLY to make it simple to get dressed each day.  I don't know about you, but the pantry is one of those areas that can quickly spiral out of control.  How often have you cleaned your Kitchen Pantry out, put it back together in a beautiful and organized fashion feeling such a sense of accomplishment only to have your family completely disregard and ignore the organization and next thing you know, it's a disaster again?!  It's frustrating.  Let's not have this be the fate of your wardrobe closet!

You are the only one who will likely be getting into your clothes, shoes, and accessories, so let's create some systems so that you can allow it to continue to be a happy place!

The Organization

You have already cleaned out your closet!  The REALLY hard part is done.  YES!  Now, it's time to fine-tune things.

First, you want to organize your clothing in a way that makes sense.  The best method is to start by keeping like items with like items as they hang on your closet rail.  Here is how that looks:

Sleeveless Tops; Short Sleeve Tops, Long Sleeve Tops, Cardigans, Vests, Jackets, Skirts, Pants, Jeans (if you hang them), Dresses

Now, within those categories, you want to organize them by COLOR so it's easy to see when you get dressed in the morning and you aren't sifting through everything to find that one darn piece you know is in there!  

The best way to organize by color is to use the "rainbow method":  ROYGBIV.  It's easy to remember.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.  I also like to go from light to dark within each of those colors.  For example, Pink is a tint of Red, so that would be first in my Reds.  With this method, you will put White in front of the Red and Tan/Brown/Gray/Black will go at the end after Violet.  I want to quickly address prints.  What is the base color of the print?  Hang the item with the base color.

This method also allows for you to easily see where you may have enough of one color and not enough of another color. Read my blog all about color here.  Color has serious impacts on your mood, so I want you to know about color, it's crazy important!

So you may be wondering, "Michelle, you didn't mention sweaters or t-shirts.  Where do I put those?" and I would say to you, "Very observant and GREAT QUESTION!"  There are items you will want to fold.  Those will be t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, leggings, workout wear, pajamas, and maybe jeans.  Sort these by type and then by color as well.  A couple of additional informational pieces about folded items:

• I fold my knit/stretchy tanks because knits can have a tendency to lengthen when hanging.
• Some people like to hang denim and others do not, go with what makes you happy!  
• Just as bonus information, the reason that we fold sweaters is because knits can grow longer and stretch out on the hanger if you hang them. 
• You can also make the choice to fold your cardigans, but I find that most of the time cardigans are lighter in weight so don't have the same stretching concerns and can also wrinkle more easily than sweaters when folded.

There are some really great videos on the best way to fold items to maximize space, so you can easily search that.

The Organizational Tools

Okay, it's time to get down to BUSINESS!  This section is chock full of storage solutions with links.

1. Hangers:  Invest in quality hangers.  I highly recommend the slimline flocked hangers for your tops, jackets, and dresses because they take much less space.  The consistency is very important to streamline your closet and help it look uncluttered. Use the same hangers for everything  I recommend these here.  For pants, if you have the length in your closet, these waterfall hangers are great.  Otherwise, I just use the same hangers I purchase for my tops. For skirts, and things that need a clip hanger, again just keep them streamlined and buy in bulk.
2. Shoe Storage:  The key tip with shoes is to make sure you can SEE them.  I have quite a large shoe collection, so I have many, many types of organization for my shoes.  Here are all of my shoe storage recommendations:
• Never store your shoes inside of the boxes they came in.  Out of sight, out of mind. I recommend these clear storage boxes instead.
• If you have shelf space for shoes in your closet, I recommend these shoe stands because they really do save space.  They are adjustable for shoe height, but depending on how high the heels are on your shoes and the space on your shelves, they may not work for your highest of heels.  
• If you would like to utilize the space underneath your bed for shoes, these fabric boxes with a clear window on the top allow you to easily see what is inside.
• If you need to use the space on the front or back of your closet door for shoes, you can use over-the-door storage like this here.
• Finally, for Tall Boots, you want them to keep their shape, so you can use something like this to put inside of the shaft of the boots OR if you have a bit of hanging space in your outerwear closet, the Boot Butler is fantastic!
3. Accessory Storage:  Another true love of mine.  Accessories play such a key role inside of a well-curated closet, so I have lots of storage ideas for this as well!
• I love an overall storage solution, so using something like this that you mount on your wall is great. If you like a bit more storage and also a mirror on it, then this is a great option as well. 
• Storing necklaces properly is so important.  You don't want them to get tangled and you want to be able to easily see them.  I love this wall storage solution on Etsy, this over-the-door storage solution OR if you want them to lay flat and stack inside of a drawer, trays like this work well for your delicate pieces or like this for your statement items (I personally stack mine in a drawer in my closet).
• Earrings are also important to be able to see.  I love using storage like this or this.
• One of my favorite storage options for bracelets will also easily keep a couple of your favorite necklaces easily at-the-ready.  I love this stand here.
• Make sure you can see your rings.  Use a tray like this so you can keep them in good condition and find them easily
• Storing your scarves can seem daunting, but using a stylish hanger like this to put in your closet keeps it really easy.
• This is a great option for keeping your hat collection dust-free.
• Belts are another of my favorite accessories.  I have a built-in belt hanger in my closet, but if you don't have that, here is a great alternative.
4. Handbag storage:  I recommend keeping your fine handbags standing up inside the dust sleeve that they came with. If they didn't come with a dust bag, this is a great storage option to keep them in good condition. You may even want to keep a pillow purse insert inside if they are not structured to help them to keep their shape.  If you have space to keep them on a shelf inside of your closet, these dividers will keep them standing upright and in-view. 
5. Undergarment storage:  This is where your closet can go completely rogue.  These tiny items can so easily become a mess.  Let's avoid this with some solutions that will keep them wrangled:
• To keep your bras in the best of condition for the 6 months (yes, only 6 months) we are supposed to wear them, an organizer like this is fantastic to stick inside of a drawer. This would also be a great solution for any shapewear that you own.
• You can keep your underwear and your socks organized in the same type of container.  I love this fabric option.  Again, this is easy to tuck into a drawer.

Phew!  That is a whole lot of organizational tips for your closet!  I hope that you found this blog post helpful.  If you did, I would love if you would share it with your friends or on social!

Happy Organizing!

Stylishly Yours,

PS - I am launching my Color Analysis services soon!  To get on the list so you know when these services will be available, sign up here.  I will be doing these both Virtually and In-Person!

PPS - At the time of this post, all of these items were available.  Also, I am not receiving commission on any items purchased from my links.