Expert Closet Make-Over Tips

Organize your closet like a pro

Tired of looking at your good clothes and wishing you had somewhere to wear them? It seems like the mantra for 2020 and even into the first part of 2021. I know I have been staring at my closet for the past year longing to have a reason to get dressed up again. Actually, I’m loving the “comfort over style” aesthetic, too. Bring on the sweatpants!

Either way, I bet your closet can use some organizing. I haven’t been in there much, but I know mine is overflowing with old, outdated items - or ones that just don’t fit anymore. The quarantine-15 is definitely a real thing!

Let’s face it, we all have loads of clothes in our closets and drawers, or thrown on a shelf, that we haven’t worn in ages - if ever! I’m sure I’m not the only one guilty of buying things, only to find out later that I’ve never even taken the tag off and forgot I bought it all together. A perk to giving your closet a makeover? Finding these hidden gems to add to your daily wardrobe rotation and getting rid of the things you never wear anymore.

Getting started!

First, go through each piece in your wardrobe and ask yourself - will I ever wear this again, post pandemic? My rule of thumb is, if I haven’t worn it in a year then it’s time to let it go, but we all know 2020 was a year of its own, so maybe use 2 years as your standard this time.

Next, I suggest choosing a method to your madness. Simply hanging up your clothes or folding them back into drawers with no specific plan or system sort of defeats the purpose. Yes, you may have gotten rid of unwanted or unused clothing items, but you didn’t change anything about your method of organization. Here are five steps to get you started.

1. Try sorting your things by season, color, or occasion - or even a mixture of all three, i.e., orange special-occasion fall clothes.
2. Items like socks, underwear, other undergarments, and bathing suits should receive their own section as well, so separate these out while you’re at it.
3. You know those little extra buttons in the tiny bags that come attached to any clothing with buttons? If you’re a big ‘what if’ person as I am, you keep these even though never once in my life have I needed to sew on a new button. But hey - these need a spot too, so set these aside and we’ll get to them later.
4. Go through any boxes of miscellaneous objects or items you’ve been saving. Especially those hidden away boxes from your glory days that have no true sentimental value at this point in your life - you’re an adult now, it’s time to get rid of that movie ticket from that one date with that one person… what even was their name again? Moving on...
5. Shoes are a hard item to part with, but trust me, those old chucks that you don’t even remember what color they were to begin with, aren’t going to have hurt feelings if you toss them in the trash. Your feet will thank you.

Now, after a thorough dusting and vacuuming, you’re ready to get organizing! Eek!

Creating a System Right for You

Everyone’s closet is set up differently. The number of shelves and storage racks will vary but following some easy general storage solution tips will go a long way to maximize the space you do have.

Hang your sorted tops, pants, skirts, dresses, etc. on the closet rods. Matching hangers are always a cute way to spruce up the area! Try hanging pants on shirt hangers, folded in half and in half again. This will prevent them from either hanging on the floor or hanging down below your other shelves if your closet is set up this way.

When it comes to more delicate items and bathing suits, try putting them into some mDesign storage bins with windows. The window makes it easy to see what’s inside when you’re sleepily trying to find your essentials in the morning, but the rest of the box is concealed enough to keep those private items, well, private. The bin has a small tab for you to pull open the front, providing access to the contents inside.

For higher shelves, try these lidded storage boxes, also with windows. Knowing which box to grab is easy and the handle makes moving from the shelf to a dresser, table or bed a breeze. These fabric organizers come in all different shapes and sizes to fit your needs and your space as well.

Shoes can be a tricky item to store. They’re all different and you don’t want them touching other items, as they aren’t exactly the cleanest items in your wardrobe. Hanging shoe organizers from mDesign are space-efficient and clean. Two hooks at the top are for hanging on your closet rod and 20 compartments should be more than enough for your shoes! (Unless you’re me and have about 30 pairs for each season… guilty…) If you need more space, hang them side-by-side to create one large unit.

If your closet rod is already packed with clothes, don’t worry, you can still organize your shoes with a floor stand! Each of the 12 cubbies in the tall grid shoe cubby can hold one or two shoes. This design also comes in a wide style with 16 compartments, it just depends on what level of shoe addict you are!

Shelving in closets is great because it gives you some extra space for the things that don’t need to hang but you still want to store in your closet. I find myself putting items such as sweatshirts, gym shorts, or pajama sets on these shelves between my hanging clothes.

On the highest shelf, or the dust collector as I like to call it, there is plenty of unused and wasted space. What a shame! Let’s make the most of that space with some shelf dividers with an added shelf! The shelf snaps into place on the existing rungs. The bottom section is perfect for those old yearbooks you’re holding onto, out of season clothes or your favorite hoodies. The top section can hold bins, boxes, additional clothing, and accessories.

Whatever you use it for, you now have double the space to do it. Place as many of these as you want side-by-side to really make the most of your closet space.

Aside from shelves, racks, or rods, you may have drawers or a dresser inside your closet as well. Drawers can get messy - and I mean MESSY - quickly. Digging through my drawers looking for a pair of socks when I’m running late is the last thing I need! I swear, unless these items are properly organized, I’d think I didn’t own half the articles I bought as they got swallowed up into oblivion.

This makes mDesign’s drawer organizer bins a great solution. The four-compartment organizers hold bras, socks, and/or underwear neatly and clearly separated from one another. Nine- and 12-compartment organizers have evenly sized slots for ties, scarves, and other delicates/small accessories like those extra buttons you’ve been saving in case of a button crisis.

The best part? They have LIDS! Not only do they keep your items sealed off, but they also prevent drawers from being difficult to open or close if you have stuffed as much as possible into them. The lids are clear on top, so you can see what’s inside before opening them, saving you a lot of digging around time.

You’ve got clothing hung, shoes organized, and random keepsakes/miscellaneous objects neatly sorted and stacked. Ahhh, now how good does that feel?! Getting dressed in the morning or putting away laundry will become daily activities that you will look forward to with a clean, good looking closet like yours.

Laura Sirk is a Marketing Manager at mDesign.

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