The holidays are coming, along with friends, family, too many decorations, and a lot of gifts that you need to hide until you get them wrapped. The last thing you want to worry about is extra stress. Believe it or not, the closets in your home can be the key to lowering your sense of busyness and tension. A tidy standard or walk-in closet for the holidays might seem small, but it helps create a happier, healthier experience.
Declutter, Straighten, and Clean
Any closet preparation needs to start with basic decluttering, straightening, and cleaning. Go through everything in the closet and sort all the items. Go through those boxes in the corner and the hatbox you haven’t opened in months. The goal here is to ensure you see everything you have in there and separate out those items that you no longer need or want. You also want to be sure you find anything that you threw in the closet and then forgot about. It helps to categorize everything into casual items you wear every week, work clothes, gym outfits, and so on.
You’ll likely end up with one of those dreaded “unsure” piles. They’re filled with items you haven’t worn in years but have been indecisive about actually giving away. Think about wearing or using each item. If doing so feels wrong, like it’s not something you’d enjoy or would take effort, get rid of it.
Once the closet is empty, dust each surface and clean the floor, vacuuming or mopping as needed. Clean inside drawers, too. This is a simple reset that will enhance the appearance of your newly organized closet. It will also look a lot nicer when someone else goes to retrieve something from the closet.
Re-Evaluate the Storage Situation
Before putting items back in the closet, check your storage. Make sure it helps keep everything organized. You don’t want the organization that you worked on today to turn back into the crowded mass of clothing that you cleaned out.
For example, do you have enough space for your shoes? Or do you currently have to shove a few pairs way in the back in a cabinet that seems to swallow up anything that isn’t right by the door? Do you have enough shelving or drawers for folded shirts? Do two clothing rods meet at the corner in a way that makes one or both of them unusable?
Take measurements around your closet so that you have a record of how large or small each storage space is. If you decide to redo the shelving and drawers, you’ll need those numbers. And they’re much easier to measure accurately when hung clothing does not obstruct the process.
This is a good time to start looking at new modular units that would provide more space for your clothes and other closet-dwelling items. You might want your summer sports clothes separate from your everyday clothes. Look for new shelves and clothing rods to keep them apart. What would be beneficial are systems that you can change as needed, and several adjustable closet storage systems do exist.
Group Holiday Outfit Pieces Together
Separate out the pieces that will form your various holiday outfits. These don’t have to be fancy or holiday-themed. For example, if there are shirts that you know you’ll want to wear as you grab brunch with visiting family, grab those and set them aside.
When you have all those, find a spot in the closet close to the door and group all of them together there. That makes it very easy to put an outfit together. It would be much harder to do if you had to sort through all of your clothes to find a couple of pieces.
Put the rest of the items back in the closet for now, noting when a section seems crowded or when some items end up completely hidden. You’ll need to find new storage solutions for those chokepoints.
Deal With Dirty Clothes
If you tend to keep your laundry hamper in the closet, move it out. Let the closet be the place for clean, fresh-smelling clothing and not the bin of sweaty workout gear.
Your next step is to contact Premiere Closets in Oldsmar, near Tampa. We offer custom closet designs that give you visible, neat storage space that’s well-organized. Give us a call today to set up a time for a consultation.
