4 principles of closet organization
Closet organization can seem complicated; Clothes have a way of piling up on the floor and on the coat rack, shoes find their way everywhere, and in the end, it’s just a struggle to keep up with it all. It doesn’t have to be that way though! Learning some solid principles on which to organize your closet is critical. Once learned, the only thing that stands apart from having a tidy closet is simply applying these principles related to sorting, storing, and grouping items. Let’s take a look at four principles for closet organization.
1. Group similar items in one place. This means having all your sweaters together, all your black pants together, all your summer t-shirts together, all your dress shirts in one place, etc. When items are arranged according to this principle, finding them is a piece of cake. If you don’t currently bundle items like this, it will surely take a lot longer to put together an outfit.
2. Place your most frequently accessed items within easy reach. This principle relates to storage organization in general. What “within arm’s reach” means is that the best and easiest place to store easily accessible items is within the space in front of you that corresponds to the points between your shoulders and knees. When items are outside of this space, it is necessary to bend or reach to reach them. This principle relates to storing out-of-the-way items that are infrequently accessed, and keeping items you take out every day within easy reach. Specifically, this might mean keeping shorts and t-shirts at shoulder height while you put sweaters in the storage bin on the floor because it’s summer and you won’t be wearing them for a while.
3. Store items in order of first use or last used. This principle relates to placing items near where they will be used for the first time or where they will be used for the last time. For example, put dirty clothes near the laundry room instead of on the floor of the closet, because that’s the last place they’ll be before washing. Another example is placing socks and underwear so that they are accessible first when you open the closet because that is the first thing you will put on when changing clothes.
4. Liberal use of storage bins and organizers. This is the key to storing items that are not actively used. For example, what is the point of keeping winter clothes in the closet during the summer? They do not benefit anyone and only take up space. It is recommended to place out-of-season clothing on breathable storage racks. This can be placed on the floor of the closet, or ideally, outside of the closet but close, such as under the bed. Don’t forget to clearly label each and every container!
Closets will get absolutely cluttered if you don’t think about their design and organization. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get things organized once you apply the above principles.