In the previous posts, we reviewed how to find your personal uniform, how to assess your space, determine how much clothing you should have, and decluttering your clothing by removing pieces that are unwearable, don’t fit your personal uniform, kept ‘just in case’, or are sentimental and you’ve deep cleaned your wardrobe. Now, it’s time to put everything back in your closet for maximum wear.
It may be tempting to grab handfuls of clothing you’ve decided to keep and toss them back into your closet. However, storing wardrobe pieces thoughtfully will help you to get dressed faster and get the most out of your clothing.
Step 1: Start by identifying the types of personal uniforms you have. Be sure to read how to find your personal uniform first if you haven’t already.
For example, I have the following personal uniforms:
Work
Everyday
Lounge
Active
Formal
Step 2: Assign your personal uniforms to storage spaces you previously identified in the how to assess your space post.
Where possible, store your personal uniforms in their own closet or drawer. Pieces that overlap many uniforms should be stored in your main storage space.
Since most of my days are spent at the office, I hang my work (and everyday) personal uniforms in my main wardrobe for easy access.
My lounge uniform is also worn every day, after work, around the house, or to bed. It’s stored in the main wardrobe in a dedicated drawer.
My active uniform is worn several times a week, but doesn’t have as many pieces. It’s stored in the main wardrobe in another dedicated drawer.
My formal uniform is worn a few times a year, so is stored in my bedroom closet so it doesn’t take up space in my main wardrobe that I open everyday.
Finally, for accessories like hats, scarves, gloves, purses, shoes and coats, store them based on frequency of use. For example, I store the most frequently worn coats, hats and shoes in the hall closet as they’re added or removed near the front door. Formal accessories are stored with the formal uniform.
Step 3: Group clothing by color going from dark to light.
When hanging clothing, keep the dark and heavy pieces on the left and the lighter weight and color pieces on the right.
This makes it easier to put away and find pieces since they’re grouped together and makes the wardrobe appear more organized.
Step 4: If you’re low on space, based on your assessment of current storage space, store out-of-season pieces in a cool, dry place.
The goal is not to store every piece you own in sight.
Even if you think you have enough space, store infrequently worn pieces such as those that are out-of-season or specialty items so your in-use personal uniforms are easily accessible. It will make it easier to get dressed in the morning, put clothing away and ultimately help your clothing to last longer. Improperly stored clothing is more likely to become damaged and worn less frequently.
I store my out-of-season clothing at the top of my wardrobe in three boxes and heavy winter coats in my bedroom closet. This saves room in my main wardrobe to hang in-use personal uniforms and my hall closet for seasonal accessories.
Coming up next
Your wardrobe decluttering cheat sheet
Unlock a clutter-free closet!
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