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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Closet Organization 101

Bonjour,

The long awaited guide to closet organization is finally here. I've taken all the tips I've learned throughout the years and a lot of different sites and put together a guide that I feel works! So let's dive right in:



1) Accept it: No matter how big or small your closet is, you need to realize that this is the closet you're stuck with so try and make the best of it! I would love to have a dressing room as opposed to a tiny closet (and one day I hopefully will) but I don't ..... so I tried to make my closet work for me.

2) Have a plan: When you do decide that you want to re-organize your closet, you must have a plan! Set a specific date (preferably a weekend) to do your mini-reno. If you are putting up a new organization system like I did, you need to measure your closet. Bring these measurements with you when you are going shopping as this will take out the guesswork.

OR you can do all this at home! How you ask? I found a Virtual Closet Organizer on the Rubbermaid website that is amazing! This tool allows you to re-create your closet virtually and lets you decide what to put where. Here you can decide where your hanging rod will go, whether or not you want shelves, baskets, shoe racks  etc. This of course will be based on your needs. I knew I definately needed two levels of rods as my closet is quite small and I also knew I wanted shelves... these are the types of things you need to keep in mind!


3) Take everything out: Now that you've decided how your closet will look, it's time to get to work! I'll admit, when I read other closet tips, I thought to myself, do I really need to take EVERYTHING out? And the answer is: YES! You really need to take everything out and see what you have and what you are going to put back in. Divide everything into 4 piles:    
          1. Keep: all the clothes that you've worn in the past year
          2. Donate: things that still have life in them but maybe you don't like or they don't fit anymore
          3. Store: out of season clothing and clothing for future use
          4. Toss: get rid of items that are worn, have stains or holes



4) Put it back together: Now that you have a blank canvas, the fun really begins. If you can, it's nice to give your closet a fresh coat of paint, if not give it a good cleaning. When it comes to putting it the rods and the shelves, get some help. I got my dad to help measure and install the whole thing so it made things a little easier for me. You don't want the whole thing to come crashing down so it's best to get someone who knows about structural support, levels and drills.

And now you can put all your clothes back in. Organize your clothes in whatever way best works for you according to color, style season, tops, bottoms etc.

It is also important to invest in some quality hangers. Wood works best as they are very sturdy. Ikea, Winners and Wal-Mart have very affordable options. Pick different hangers for different clothes: regular for tops, notched for straps, bottoms and all-purpose.



5) All the nicknacks: My delicates, loungewear and sleepwear all go in a dresser while my sweaters and folded in my closet shelves to avoid sagging. I put all my off-season clothing into white Ikea boxes at the top of my closet. I would highly recommend these boxes as they are inexpensive, very sturdy and help your closet look cohesive. I also put my accessories into white wicker baskets so they are visible. Garment bags are also helpful for storying jackets and dresses however make sure that they are not plastic!

It's also a good idea to set aside a spot for the next day's outfit as this will save you a ton of time in the morning. I don't always pick out my outfit the night before but when I do my special spot is a hook behind my door.

I found these amazing drawer organizers that I use to keep my socks and undies organized (I found these at a place called Space Age Solutions and Dundas and Royal York, they were about $10 each). I keep my hosiery in clear plastic ziploc bags to avoid an snags.



6) Shoes, shoes, shoes: Because I don't have too much room in my closet for a shoe rack, I keep my tall boots in my closet with these awesome boot shapers I found. I keep the rest of my shoes in a shoe rack that you can keep behind a door for everyday shoes and the shoes that I wear less often are kept in boxes.
                                



One last thing, you might be wondering why I have no doors on my closet? This is because I hate sliding doors. I don't like not looking at my whole closet so I'm putting up a rod with some thick white curtains so that I can open the curtains and see my whole closet. I'll be doing this in the next couple of days and show you the results.

Wheww! It feels so good to finally have my closet done :) Up next, my dressing table which is almost complete and then I will reveal my whole room as well as my redecorating budget!

Enjoy the rest of your week,

xoxo Ada



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