8 Storage Saving Ideas to Keep Your Clothes Organized
By Tabassum Sayeka
Just because you have an online shopping addiction doesn’t mean that you need to greet an avalanche of endless items every time you open your wardrobe, or your closet has to become a horrifying wasteland that’s reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic film. To help you navigate the perils of your closet situation, I want to walk you through some of my favorite tips for organizing all your clothes.
These organizing tips will transform your closet or wardrobe into a fancy boutique that you have the pleasure of shopping at each morning. You won’t have to waste any more time wondering where you placed your favorite sweater or that old handbag because everything will finally have a space to call home.
1. Declutter the junk
Always start with the basics and work your way up. In this case, that would mean cleaning out your wardrobe to assess what you really need to put back. In all likelihood, you’ll have clothes that you may have outgrown. It’s a good idea to donate these to make more space for items you already have or will acquire in the future. Hard as it is, downsizing your wardrobe is a necessary step.
For those of you who find it hard to let go, I recommend a closet trick- Turn all the hangers in your closet around the wrong way (the hooks pointing outwards). When you wear something, put it back with the hook the “normal” way. In six months, any hanger that is still facing the wrong way is holding an item you haven’t worn. This means it’s time to donate it.
2. Pack Away Out-Of-Season Clothing
Most of us only need winter wear for a few months of the year. When you’re not using your sweaters and shawls, it’s a good idea to stow them away. Pack them in vacuum bags and place them in the loft, under the bed or in a storage unit you might have. You may take advantage of your empty luggage by making them work you even when you’re not on vacation. Pack away all un-needed items in them and simply slide them away somewhere neatly.
3. Invest in shelf divider
Grab some shelf dividers online or at your local department or home goods store, and pop a few of them onto your closet shelves. They’ll help you break your shelves up into smaller units for storing things. By dividing your shelves into smaller “compartments,” you can make it easier to see where individual things belong. You might store a stack of folded clothes in each divided space, thus preventing them from toppling sideways into each other. These dividers are also great for getting large purses to stand upright. Use your imagination and try to think of all the different things you could store in these divided spaces.
If you use wardrobe, your drawers can end up becoming chaotic cavities without specified roles. By creating internal partitions, you can use every square inch of every recess. That way, you can always find your black tights or nude undies depending on what your outfit requires.
4. Organize by Category
While every stylist has a different closet organization system, the one thing they all suggest is to organize clothing by category. Skirts, pants, sweaters, blouses, jeans—organize all of the pieces by category. It’s the oldest trick in the closet-cleaning book, but grouping by categories does make it way easier to know exactly what you have, and how much. You may arrange pieces by outfit, then style, length, and color, so that you can see everything clearly.
5. Saree storage
So, sarees are a little complex to store. Here are a few quick tips on saree storage ideas and how to keep sarees in cupboards safely- You can arrange your sarees with their matching blouses and petticoats on a hanger. Storing sarees on a hanger will keep them wrinkle free.
You could also opt for saree bags to keep them safe. The problem of how to store sarees and suits becomes much easier to deal with when you have separate bags for each outfit. This is especially helpful when you’re thinking of how to store silk sarees in cupboards. Re-evaluate your need for old clothes. Muslin wrap can help a lot here. Muslin isn’t just a great summer fabric to wear. It’s also great to store your expensive couture, especially intricate saree blouses. Buy bags or simply wrap your clothes in muslin to avoid wear and tear while they lie in your cupboard. Muslin prevents the sequins and embroidery on these clothes from catching on something and ripping. It also keeps dust and cloth-aging agents away. So now you can save your pretty clothes for the next wedding season!
6. Think Vertically
Once you start folding your t-shirts this way, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. It means you can fit more into each drawer and see your entire collection more clearly so you can spend less time sorting through everything you own
If you have limited storage space, make your closet work harder for you by thinking vertically, all the way from the ceiling to the floor. For example, your closest floor doesn’t just have to be for shoes. You may add stacking shelves to floor space, where everything from folded clothes to small accessories can live. Also, don’t forget to utilize every single surface in your closet, such as the space above your hanging clothes. Fabric bins placed on shelves can corral small, loose items like hats and scarves.
7. Use the door space
Pegs and hooks create useful hidden storage when tacked onto the inside of your wardrobe doors. Decide between individual pegs and multiple-hook pegboards, based on the space at your disposal. Go ahead and hang purses, jewelry and scarves and lend your accessories visibility and easy access. Remember, though, that the space between your door and your shelves dictates how far you can go with door storage. The wider the gap, the more you can hang.
8. Consider Under-the-Bed Storage
Off-season clothes—think: sweaters in the summer and shorts in the winter—can be stored under your bed, either in fabric or plastic bins. Under-the-bed storage is key when you no longer have space in your closet. If your bed sits too low to the ground to allow for bins beneath it, then consider creating a DIY clothing rack and hanging it from your ceiling. Not only will this increase your storage space, but it will display your most beautiful garments—and it won’t take up any floor real estate.
With these storage tips, finding the clothes you want will be less of a struggle – and anything that eases the daily travail of deciding What to Wear Today is worth trying. Make a new normal resolution to give yourself a nice, organized closet – it’s never too late.
