By Susan Christian

It’s a beautiful spring day and for some reason that makes we want to clean my windows and organize my closets. I have no idea what the connection is (and some would argue that a good therapist may be in order), but I think maybe it’s because, under normal circumstances, I would be in the midst of getting a home ready for our annual BRAG Spring Remodelers Home Tour. For most of the homes, that involves organizing their closets.

This year there is not going to be a home tour, but I figured I could take that energy and head into my closet to give you some tips on how to get your closet tour-ready.

The Right Clothes Hangers

Order black hangers. Lots of them – or at least more than you think you need. I use a mix of velvet and shiny finishes. They have them on Amazon, so stay at home. These are thin and allow you to hang more items on your clothes rod. Plus they just look nicer.

Two exceptions: suit/sport coats – I use a good wooden curved hanger for those to keep the shape of the collar and shoulders in tact; and skirt hangers. You can find skirt hangers that are similar to the black plastic regular clothes hangers.

Get Rid of Things You Don’t Use

You don’t have to go full-on Marie Kondo, but I would encourage you to get rid of items you haven’t touched in three years or that don’t fit. (Full disclosure: if you love it to pieces then I give you permission to keep it – even if it has been a while since you have worn it – but let’s keep it down to just a few of those!)

Sort Clothes by Type

Long sleeve, short sleeve, pants/slacks, casual vs business, skirts, dresses, etc. Once you start putting things back on the rack then it will make more sense.

ROYGBIV

Finally use ROYGBIV – that’s Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet. If you are someone who has lots of colorful clothes – then I can’t wait for you to see how satisfying it is to have them in this order. For me…sad to say…most of my stuff is black, white and grey so I don’t get the ROYGBIV rush that I get when doing other people’s closets who have more colorful wardrobes.

Additional Organizing Ideas

• If sharing a closet then designate space for each person.
• If you are a person who likes to keep shoes in their boxes – take a photo of the shoes and tape/glue it on the end of the box. It takes the guesswork out of figuring out what’s inside. If you need ideas on storing shoes outside of their boxes – do an image web search of “shoe storage ideas” and you will see hundreds of great options.

Evaluating the End Result: Dead Space = Wasted Potential

When you are done putting things back on the rod take a look at the results. Is there a “dead” space in the closet where you can see the back wall? If so, that is square footage that can be captured for more storage. Instead of just one rod – does it make sense to have two stacked for things like blouses, shirts and slacks? What about shelves? Even small shelves can provide opportunities for more organized storage. Look online for closet systems that are affordable and easy for you to install. This definitely will up your storage capacity. Places like the big box home improvement stores have these. I found this one at Home Depot and they will deliver to your door!

We have done many great customized closets over the years in our custom homes and remodels…but that will have to wait for a future blog post. Stay tuned!

And about the windows…no good tips there. I use a squeegee with dish soap/water and a well-worn rag, but everyone has their preferred method so you are on your own!