10 Steps to an Organized Closet

At Chaos To Order we love to turn chaotic closets into organizational masterpieces. There are several steps necessary to creating well organized closets. If you plan to transition your closet with the seasons, it's a perfect time to get it organized! Here are the steps we follow:1. Weed Out. The first and most important step is to weed out. I don't mean take a quick glance over your closet and determine that you want to keep it all, I mean piece by piece making detailed decisions. When we organize a closet, we suggest that every item is carefully considered. It can be done quickly, but you'll be surprised when you really give it a good look, how many items will be eliminated.2. Determine The Zones. You need to decide the basic areas of how you like things. Of course, the layout of your closet will do most of the determining, but there will be some decisions to make to ensure the closet works with the way you use it.3. "Seasonize". Sorting your clothes by season is important whether you have a tremendous walk in closet, or if your cramped under a tiny knee wall. If your cramped, you know the necessity of getting off season clothes out of the way. If you have a large walk in closet, it's also important because you want the clothes that your currently wearing most accessible. Getting off season clothes out of the way can make a big difference on how well your clothes fit into the space.4.  Like Things Together. Next, we need to get things into place. Putting items in the zone they belong in and then organizing within that zone. It may be by type of clothing or by style and then by color if you want to really do it right and have it look like a store.5. Change The Hangers. Changing over the hangers so they all match makes a huge difference in the organization of the closet. Our favorite hangers for coats are wood hangers, and we always use Crystal Cut hangers in closets. Our organizers can bring them along when they come to organize your closet. Just mention it when you set up an appointment. Imagine if you walked into a store and the hangers were all different, it would look like chaos. Here's a video on hanger options:6. Face The Same. All the clothes should be facing the same way within the closet. It will waste your time each day when you go to look for something if the clothes aren't all facing the same way. Before doing this, think about the way you look at the clothes and how you walk into the closet to determine how you want them to face for your specific needs.7. Fit The Shoes. Shoes can be a whole project on their own, don't let them overwhelm you. Deal with one pair at a time. How frequently do you wear them? Can they be placed in labeled plastic shoe boxes at the top of the closet?8. Make Use Of Every Inch. If you see any open space in your closet, re-evaluate and see if you can make better use of it. For example, if you have open wall space, you might want to add a row of hooks for a quick put-away option (this works especially good in kids closets). Can you change long hanging space to double hang? Can you add shelving  on a small wall? Consider all your options. If you think there might be a better way to make use of the space, consider installing a custom laminate system from our friends at Closet Works. They will come out and show you how to best use every inch.9. Maximize Drawer Space. If you have drawer space in your closet, even if your drawers are in a dresser outside of the closet, it's important to make sure they're functioning properly. Dream Drawer Organizers are a great product to divide up the drawers so you can maximize your space inside them.10. Maintain. Once the closet is perfectly placed, the heavy lifting comes in the daily maintenance. Proper put-away (even when you're in a hurry) is critical. Making use of every inch and having good systems in place when you do the major organizing will save you time and energy on a daily basis when it comes to looking for things and properly putting them away.