How to Organize your Clothing for a New Season
Organize your clothing with these easy ideas to save space and declutter. It will make the best use of your storage space and helps getting ready in the morning so much easier!
Seasonal weather changes provide the perfect opportunity to clean out the closet.
Screech!… Back up the train. Who are we kidding??
“Seasonal weather changes”? Nope! That’s not real motivation in my world.
Real motivation is when I’m about to be late for work and I’m frantically digging through the closet trying to find a shirt that won’t make me sweat all day!:)
A few of those heart pounding moments is almost always what gets me in the mood to organize my closet.
I’ve finally developed some easy clothing organization ideas that don’t take too long, and are so helpful. I did this same method last winter when I refreshed the Master Bedroom.
If you are looking for ways to get your clothing organized as quickly and easily as possible, here are the simple steps I recommend.
How to Organize Clothing Quickly and Easily
1. Pull everything out of the closet & drawers
Trust me. Things will get worse before it gets better. But, it’s worth it!
Stack everything on the bed in categories. For instance, all the sweaters in one area, all the pants in another, etc. Then go through them each pile category by category. The fun part of this exercise is that you’ll find items of clothes you completely forgot you had. (Or am I the only one?)
2. Try every item on
Pretend for a moment that your closet items are selections in a great clothing store and you’re hunting down your favorites. Try on every. single. thing. Then as you look at it in the mirror, ask these key questions:
- Does it fit the body size that I am right now?
- Is it comfortable?
- Is it flattering?
- Do I like it?
3. Work with the 3 bin system
Have 3 boxes or bins ready with the following designations:
- Donate
- Sell
- Throw away
Once you have tried each of the items, quickly determine which “bin” it belongs in.
If you don’t answer a resounding, “Yes!” to all of those questions, throw it into the donation, sell, or throw away bin. (If I’m really on the fence about something, I may keep it for one more season, but if I don’t wear it in a year, it goes…)
If you choose to keep it, place it in a spot for all the “keeper” items.
**Remember, the goal of your wardrobe is to have items that you wear, love, and feel confident in.
4. Start a shopping list
As you try on items and discover things that need to be replaced or purchased, write it down. It will be so much easier to pull out a list when you’re out shopping the next time.
Keep in mind accessories as well. If you notice an outfit looks great, but just needs an accessory ~ write that down, too.
5. Arrange the current season’s clothes front and center in your closet & drawers
I don’t pack away my clothes that aren’t for the current season since I don’t have extra space for that, but I put them in the areas that are harder to reach. It’s a rotation system that works well. The Winter items are hung in the farthest part of the closet, with the Summer items close at hand.
(See our small closet organization ideas here.)
6. Fold clothes in drawers or baskets like “file folders”
Years ago, I read Marie Kondo’s book titled The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I find I still use many of the systems I learned from that book. One of the most practical and helpful pieces of advice was to fold clothes so that they could be viewed like file folders in drawers.
It works so well! Instead of that pair of shorts being totally forgotten at the bottom of a pile, they can all be viewed and seen at the same time.
7. Get some help if you need wardrobe assistance
My Instagram friends have requested that I do a series on “How to Choose a Wardrobe that You Love”. I look forward to working on that. But, in the meantime, let my give you my number one piece of advice: Join Alison’s Oufit Formulas Program.
I took Alison’s Outfit Formulas program years ago, and I kid you not ~ it was an investment in myself that totally changed my life. Alison does all the hard leg work in researching clothing and trends. She breaks down the process of creating a wardrobe into a “formula” that works! Once a person signs up, they receive a:
- list of mix and match clothing items (you may already have many of them in your closet!),
- descriptions of which items are “closet staples” (which can be used season after season, year after year) and which are trendier pieces. (This helped me learn what was valuable to invest in.)
- a calendar of exact outfits to put together with those items
- access to a private facebook group where you can ask questions and see how other women style their outfits (I learned SO MUCH from this!)
- AND really fun bonuses like how to mix patterns and packing lists!
IIf you are interested in learning more and possibly joining, too, you can find all the information by CLICK HERE. (affiliate link.)
As an Outfit Formulas ambassador, I’m happy that I can give you a $10 off coupon if you enter the code RITAJOY10 for the following Outfit Formulas Programs:
For more organization ideas:
- Small bathroom organization ideas
- 10 Clever Small Kitchen Storage Ideas for Awesome Organization
- Get Organized! Home Organization Made EASY
- Easy Home Organization Ideas in 15 Minutes a Day
Thanks so much for all these helpful tips. I also need wedding attire this year so the first place I need to look is in my closet.
♥