If your closet greets you to a pile of tanks that haven’t seen daylight since The O.C. was on every time you open its doors, then Honey - it’s time for a makeover! Start the new year off clutter-free with these 6 easy steps to organizing your wardrobe:


Consider hiring a professional

If your budget allows it, hiring an organizing consultant will save you the time and labour of doing it yourself. An industry veteran like California Closets will know the secrets to maximizing every inch, and will consider factors like whether you’re right or left handed when creating your space.

Have a fashion show

Carrie’s closet fashion show scene in the SATC movie inspires reenactment, so grab your girlfriends, some wine, and get ready to purge. When deciding what to keep and what to let go, live by Organizing Efficiency Consultant Maxine Henry’s mantra: the clothes in your closet should be something that you want to wear everyday, they must fit you, you must feel good in them and you must want to compliment yourself.  In the words of our favourite Shopaholic: "If you walked by a mirror in that dress, would you be jealous?"

Remove your seasonal items

Stow away items such as down jackets and wool sweaters at the end of the season. Hang them in a cedar closet or chest, or slide them under your bed in vacuum bags. Ensure all clothes are washed and ironed before putting them away.

Byholma Wicker Chest $69.99, Kajsa Stackable Boxes (set of 3) $24.99

Compartmentalize

“The whole concept of closet organizing is creating specific areas for specifics things, just like in your refrigerator,” says Ginny Snook Scott, a Vice-President of California Closets.

Assign separate hanging spaces for each of your clothing categories, and colour code the items in each of them. Maximize your closet’s remaining height by installing additional shelves where you can place boxes and baskets to store scarves and belts. Henry says that you normally only wear 20% of the clothes in your closest. By maximizing its space you will know what you have, where it is and be more likely to wear it.

Put all your hangers in backwards

When putting everything back, Scott suggests putting all your hangers in backwards. Once you’ve worn something, flip the hanger the other way. After a few months, you’ll get an idea of which clothes you’re wearing regularly, and which ones you can afford to lose – the ones that are still backwards.

The big giveaway

There are countless places to donate your used clothes, such as second-hand stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, or local churches. Some charities look for specific types of donated clothes: Dress for Success, for example, outfits less fortunate women entering the workforce with used clothes donated by fellow career women.

by Julie-Anne Cleyn