How to Organize Your Closet (And Keep It That Way)
Spring is (finally) in full swing here in Los Angeles and that means it’s the perfect time to revamp your wardrobe and give your closet a makeover. Here are our foolproof steps for editing your wardrobe, organizing your closet, and maintaining it for good.
At Space Camp we follow a five-step organizing process. The steps are: Sort, Clean, Plan, Reset, and Maintain. Sorting means decluttering and paring your items down so you know exactly what you have, love what you have, and ideally use what you have.
To sort your closet, you’ll want to set aside a few hours to take everything out (invite a friend or two over to help if you can, this is way more fun with other people). Sort your items into categories (all workout gear together, coats together, shoes together, etc.) and then work your way category by category and look at every item. Assess whether you still like something or if you’re ready to part with it. If you’re not sure if it fits, try it on! If you’re on the fence about something, I like to ask the following questions:
Does it fit and flatter my current body?
Would I buy this today, full price?
Do I feel good when I put this on?
If the answer is no to all (or really any) of these things, you’ll want to consider parting with that item. Ultimately it’s taking up useful space in your home and not adding anything positive or joyful to your life.
For more in-depth guidance on how to sort and think through what to keep and what to part with, check out our online course! I guide you through my whole step-by-step process there, and we include tons of donation resources to help you re-home the items you no longer need or want. Here’s a little video I made showing a peek inside the sorting lesson in the course, if you’re interested!
After you’ve finished sorting and you’re left with what you’re keeping, the next step is to clean. Wipe down your shelves, vacuum the floor, and use a magic eraser on any wall scuffs. You’re going to all the work to re-organize your space, you might as well freshen it up before you put everything back in!
Now we’re to step 3, which is plan. This is the time where you’ll assess what you’re left with, and then look at the available space you have and decide where to put things. This is one of my favorite parts of the process because it’s so creative, like a little puzzle. We do a really thorough job of explaining this in the course too, so definitely check that out if this part is confounding to you!
Essentially, you want to do the following things:
Keep categories together
Store items you wear the most in the easiest-to-reach places
Store items you wear the least in the less accessible places
Maximize space and functionality in your closet
For example, you’ll want to store all of your bathing suits together. If you swim often, you’ll want those to be in a spot that’s easy to access. If you don’t swim very much, you won’t want to use up valuable real estate that’s easy to reach by filling it full of bathing suits that rarely see the light of day.
You can even take this a step further and store things seasonally (I do this because I’m short on space). Every spring I pack up my heavier jackets, boots and sweaters and store them in weathertight bins in my garage. Then I pull out my lighter dresses, sandals and shorts and incorporate them into my wardrobe. Things like jeans, tees, and workout gear stay in my closet year round.
Once you have a general idea of where things should go in your closet, start putting categories back! If you know you’ll need products (aka new hangers, baskets, or bins) now is a great time to shop. Take measurements and pics and either go in person to your favorite store that sells containers, or hop onto Amazon or Target to pick some things out.
Check out some of our favorite closet organizing products. ⬇️
Now you’re ready for step four, which is reset. This is where you incorporate any new product you’ve picked out, and play around with layout and arranging things to make the best use of your space. You’ll possibly want to try file folding to maximize space (here’s a video on how to do that!), and if you can swing it, we always recommending using matching hangers. It really helps streamline your closet and make it feel pulled together. If you end up using baskets to store things, don’t forget to pop a label on there so you remember what’s inside. If you have anyone else in your house helping put laundry away, it might be a good idea to label the insides of your drawers too to make it super clear what goes where.
Lastly, once you’re done resetting your space and marveling at your gorgeous new closet, you’ll definitely want to take the time to make sure it stays organized.
How, you may ask?!
Great question! First, you want to do your very best to leave 20% free space in your closet and drawers when you’re organizing. I know this is incredibly hard, but it’s also so important. Leaving a little free space allows you to acquire a few things, to not fold perfectly, and to let life happen without your systems fully crumbling. The second you bring home a new pair of sweats and they don’t fit in your sweats drawer, well, they’re going somewhere else (where they don’t belong!) and it’s a slippppppery slope from there my friends.
That being said, if you live in a tiny place and don’t have room to leave ample free space, you’ll have to be vigilant with what you bring in and what you let go of! New pair of jeans? Maybe consider donating an old pair to make room for the new. Also stay aware of your habits and listen to yourself - if you constantly avoid wearing something you’ve kept in your wardrobe, ask yourself what that means. Maybe you don’t actually like it and you’re keeping it for a reason that’s not serving you.
Take a few minutes every so often to straighten your hangers, to tidy things up if they get a little messy, or to refold your t-shirts. It’s amazing how that little bit of self care that transform how your space feels (and how you feel getting ready in it).
And there you have it! Your complete guide to a brand new closet. There are of course a lot of little intricacies we didn’t get in to (how to handle clothes that don’t currently fit you, what to do when you’re pregnant, etc.) so if you have a specific question or request, please leave that in the comments and I’d be happy to write a follow-up post soon.
Thanks for being here and happy organizing!
