How to Organize Your Closet in 5 Simple Steps! (With FREE PDF)

No matter the size of your closet, amount of clothes, or how messy it is, I will help you get it organized so you look at your closet with excitement instead of dread! You’re reading this post because want to know how to organize your closet so make sure to read all the way through! There are many routes you can take but in the end we all want the same thing, a clean and organized closet.

I clean and organize my closet every Spring or Fall. Throughout the year I may add some new purchases to my wardrobe or some of the items I previously loved are not receiving as much love as before. I take all of the closet organizing tips I know and get rid of all the items I no longer like or wear! Closet space is valuable and when it’s not getting worn it’s best to get rid of it!

Everyone’s closet is different and depending on your types of clothes and the size of the closet, you need to adjust as needed.

The following organizing tips mainly deal with clothes. We’ll cover jewelry and shoes in a separate post if not this post would go on forever.

Continue reading to learn how to organize your closet

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How to Organize Your Closet In 5 Easy Steps

The first step in organizing is cleaning out the items that are simply taking up space. So many of us have trouble getting rid of belongings because we feel that we will wear them sometime in the future. Or the clothing holds some sentimental reasons. When is it time to get rid of that dress you wore on New Year’s’, six years ago?

Besides my wedding dress, I try not to hold on to any clothing piece only because I wore it on a special evening.

1. Find an Empty Area & Take Everything Out of Your Closet

You will take everything out of your closet and that clothes need to go somewhere, so find an empty area where you’ll put the clothes.

This could be your bed, your couch or if there is nowhere else the floor! I know it seems scary taking EVERYTHING out but it’s necessary. You’re going through a deep cleaning, no half efforts.

This also means taking out the items that don’t really belong in your closet! Like fitness equipment, sporting equipment, an iron, old boxes, etc. If you really want to know how to organize your closet you’re going to have to get rid of some bad habits, like stuffing everything that we don’t want to see in the closet!

2. Separate all Clothes into Seasons

Separate all of your clothes into different piles based on the season. This includes coats, sweaters, dresses, shorts, skirts, etc. All of your clothing needs to be sorted so it’s easier to get through.

I know this might seem like a simple organizing tip but once you really get into the motion of separating your clothes some items can be difficult to sort. Like cardigans or jeans. When separating your clothes into winter, spring, summer or fall remember when you normally wear the pieces.

I usually place jeans into the fall pile, shorts in summer, skirts into spring, etc. the main point is to sort the clothing so you have quickly categorized each piece and your closet is empty.

3. Create three separate areas for Keep, Toss and Maybe

Once separated into Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter find boxes or trash bags and make an area for each of the following:

• Keep
• Toss
• Maybe

You want to have these areas ready because once you start deciding what stays and what goes you want to have an area to place everything. So make sure you have a designated area for each of the three categories.

So far so good, right! Easy. Step four and five is where most of your time will be spent. This is when contemplation and separation anxiety creeps in… just kidding, kind of.

4. Ask Yourself These 7 Questions About Each Piece

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So this is when the real fun starts!

Sorting through every piece and deciding what makes it back in your closet and what gets the boot. If you’re really wondering how to organize your closet, this is when you need to really pay attention.

In order for a piece to make it back into your closet it has to pass the 7 questions test. These are the qualities the clothing piece must have to pass the test for the keep pile.

Keep or Toss – 7 Important Questions

1. Does it fit?
2. Does it flatter my figure?
3. Is it in good condition?
4. Is it a classic piece or just trendy and dated?
5. Have I worn it recently?
6. Do I feel confident when I wear it?
7. Does it represent me, where I am or want to be in life?

You don’t want to spend more than a couple of minutes on each item if needed try on a piece to verify your feelings about it. Though I am often tempted, I do try not to make whole outfits out of individual pieces. I focus, rather, on just one item at a time. Once I have filled my Keep pile I will be able to mix and match my pieces into outfits. I know you might be tempted too but you must resist the urge and stay focused.

After finishing with the first season move on to the next and repeat. Once all the clothing is sorted, I start again on the maybe pile and go through them once more. I try to whittle the Maybe pile to a decent size.

This step to organizing your closet is the most time-consuming. Don’t get overwhelmed and remember why you are doing it. You want to have a closet full of clothes you love so you look stylish every day and every piece you pull out of your closet you know will look fabulous on you!

Now let’s move on to how to organize your closet in the best way!

5. Put Everything Back in Your Closet in an Organized Way

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Once you got rid of the items you no longer want there are many ways you can organize your clothes.

The way you organize your closet really depends on your situation and preferences.  I tend to need more room for blazers, shirts, and dresses. I arrange my closet by category, for example; blazers, blouses, shirts, dresses, denim, trousers, and so on.

After arranging based on category, I organize my closet by color starting with light and going to dark.  

Here are 4 different ways to organize your closet. Select the one that suits you best.

• Organize Your Closet by Season: If you put away your Winter clothes in the Spring and your Summer clothes in the Fall than you’re a seasonal gal. This is a good choice for those of you with smaller closets when all of your clothes don’t fit at the same time. As each season passes but away the clothes you know you won’t wear. This method of organizing takes a lot of reorganizing and cleaning but if you don’t wear your summer pieces in the winter there is no need to have them in your closet, especially if they don’t fit.
• Organize Your Closet by Clothing Type (This is what I do): I like to have similar items together. I like seeing all the options I have at a glance not having to go back in forth incase I want to wear a summery dress in the Fall with boots and a jacket. This, in my opinion, is the easiest and best ways to organize your closet. So organize all of your shirts together, all your pants together, all blazers together and so on from darkest to lightest.
• Separate Work and Casual: If you own more work clothes than you do casual or vis versa it might behoove you to separate your work/office attire from your casual attire. This is optimal for some because it separates the style of clothes say jeans from trousers.
• Organize your closet by how often you wear them: If you wear some items more than others than you could place those front and center. It’s no use having clothes you never wear easily available, give priority to the clothes that you wear every week or month.

Simply arrange your closet based on your lifestyle and make sure the space you have can accommodate it all, that is the best way on how to organize your closet. If your closet doesn’t fit everything look for storage alternatives for items such as scarves, leggings, belts, etc. Most of the time it’s the little things that are hard to organize and that make your closet look messy.

I use lots of storage containers for those miscellaneous items.

I also feel that I should mention that if it’s not clothes, shoes or accessories it doesn’t belong in your closet. Remove anything that is taking up space, and makes you closet look cluttered. This includes chairs, sporting equipment, frames, etc. etc. All of the organizing tips won’t help if you have a cluttered closet.

I hope these five steps have helped you answer how to organize your closet!

Closet Organization Tips to Keep in Mind

Invest in good quality matching hangers

It’s always a good idea to invest in quality hangers. Not only do the hangers themselves last longer, but the clothes you hang on them will too.  There’s no need to run out and buy them all at once.  I simply buy a pack or two of the wooden ones every month or so when I am out on errands for other home supplies.  I sometimes buy the tough plastic ones as well.

You also want all of your hangers to match. It makes for a more appealing closet. Just like in stores.

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Get personal advice from a friend of loved one

Sometimes when needing help on how to organize your closet, look to a friend or family member can really help. Organizing can be quite a daunting task, so asking for assistance can ease the stress of doing it alone. Obviously, you want to make it someone you can trust to tell you the truth about a certain piece or the way it looks on you, etc.

Don’t freak out

The last point I will make is to not freak out! When I am in the last step of organizing my closet, I try to keep in mind that the clothes I am not keeping are not being kept for a reason. Either the piece didn’t quite fit, it didn’t flatter my figure or my personality, or simply didn’t make me feel confident.

Removing the Unwanted Items

The very last step in clearing away the leftover, unwanted items is deciding where to send them.  I usually donate my undesired pieces. Other pieces, that may still have some dollar value left in them, I end up selling. Another thing to consider is giving them to friends or family.

If you had your best friend helping you organize and they thought some of the items were exceptionally cute, why not give it to them? It’s a great personal way to say thank you.

Cleaning Out Your Closet Printable Checklist

I know this can be a bit overwhelming so to make this a job easier I created a “How to Organize Your Closet” checklist for you to have available. Print this out and have it within arms reach when going through this process.

Cleaning and organizing your closet is not an easy thing to do and at times you get lost on what to do next.

I hope this guide has been helpful and you now have a resource to come back to on how to organize your closet. Now you can relax with peace of mind and perhaps even have some space left for that new dress you wanted!

Happy Stylish Organizing!
Vanessa