Organize Your Closet

The following is a guest post from the amazing Julie Seibert of Healing through Organization.

I had a client who worked with another professional organizer. She told me more often than not the organizer would show up with one brown shoe and one black! Forget about fashion sense (okay, maybe not as I am writing this for Mary Michele’s blog!). This mishap made the organizer appear unprofessional and left a negative impression with the client. If you are organized you can avoid mistakes such as this that undermine your credibility or reflect poorly on you. Here are some suggestions:

It’s your closet so organize it how it makes sense to you! What works for your neighbor or co-worker may not work for you. Divide by business or casual? By color? By season? Once you have decided what works for you sort all your items clothes and accessories.

Once you have sorted, put all the items in a designated place; this is their “home.” Make sure you can see and reach all the items you need or they will likely stay there forever. If you need containers there are lots of options out there. I am a fan of repurposing what I have around the home. I took some pretty silver mesh filing trays I had and use them to store purses.

Personalize your closet to make it yours! I have a sign that says, “Believe in yourself” and a pink feather boa to remind me to have fun!

Sharing a closet? Give each person a side.

A few more tips:
• Store seasonal clothing and shoes under bed (feng shui advises against this, so perhaps an extra closet or attic) Repurpose blanket/bedding clear plastic containers to keep the dust away.
• Have lots of black & brown & navy? Use color hangers or reuse twist ties from bread to distinguish categories/colors of clothes.
• Keep your shoes in shoeboxes? Put pictures on the front so you don’t have to look through each box every time.
• Reposition/remove clothing rods to fit your needs.
• Use a bulletin board & pushpins to hold necklaces and make a pretty display.
• Gain space by utilizing hooks on the back of doors to hold scarves, belts, etc.
• Don’t cram everything in! Leave space for future purchases!
Finally, like most things in life your closet needs to be maintained. Set aside a few minutes daily (or 30 minutes at the end of the week) to hang things, put everything back in its place, etc. Go through your closet annually and let go of what you no longer love, doesn’t fit, etc. There are lots of worthy charities where you can donate and truly make a difference for someone who needs it!

Julie Seibert is the owner of Healing through Organization and was the first professional organizer in the State of North Carolina to specialize in being green. She is the 2011 Triangle Business Journal’s Green Entrepreneurial Effort/Innovative Idea of the Year Honorable Mention winner and was awarded the 2011 Green Award from National Association of Professional Organizers Los Angeles for Most Eco-Friendly Organizing Service.

Image courtesy of theredpin.com.