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Are you having trouble

finding clothes in your

closet?

by Maria Gracia Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Statistics, Facts, and Figures are available. According to a recent survey of 1,000 women conducted by ClosetMaid, 44% of the women surveyed said that they are unable to locate items in their closet at least once a month…sometimes more. My educated guess tells me there are two main reasons for this: 1. The closet has way too much clothes in it. 2. The clothes in the closet aren’t sorted/divided properly. Way too much clothes in it For the most part, people wear 20% of the clothes in their closets on a daily basis. The rest just hang there, or maybe sit on the closet floor gathering dust. I have criteria I use for determining if something is worth keeping or parting with: • First and foremost, it has to make me feel good about myself when I’m wearing it…which means it’s not too big, not too small, in good repair, doesn’t have stains or missing buttons, flatters my figure, and is in a style, color and pattern that I like. • Second, I have to wear it often enough to keep it. Closet space, in my mind, is high-rent space. • It has to have a very specific purpose if it doesn’t meet the above criteria. For instance, I keep a comfortable pair of jeans in my closet that I would never wear out…not even to the supermarket…but that I do wear when I’m gardening, or painting something in my house. I also have a few special- occasion outfits should we be invited to a wedding or other fancy event. You may have a few uniforms in there that you’re required to wear to your job. You get the idea. Everything else is a candidate to be weeded out for your local donation center. A good end goal is to only have clothing in there that makes you feel fabulous, is worn often enough…or if it doesn’t meet either of these, must have a very specific, logical purpose. The clothes in the closet aren’t sorted/divided properly Once you’ve weeded out clothes you’re not planning to keep, having clothing sorted so you can find it easily will save you both time and aggravation. My husband, Joe, and I share a closet. All of my clothes are in one section…and Joe’s clothes are in another. This is typical for many couples. But in my area of the closet, I have my own sorting system that works for me. Special-occasion clothes are way in the back because I don’t need them so often. Then my clothes are hung in this order: • All shirts (sleeveless, then cap sleeve, then short sleeve, then long sleeve) • All skirts (mini, then knee-length, then floor-length) • All pants (dress pants together, jeans together) • All dresses (sleeveless, then cap sleeve, then short sleeve, then long sleeve) • All blazers and fashion jackets (not outerwear…those are in my coat closet) Sweaters are folded and in drawers or on shelves, depending on how bulky they are. T-shirts are in drawers. Sweatpants are in drawers. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to sort in exactly the same manner as I do. Some people sort by color, other people sort by season, etc. But it’s much better to have your clothing items sorted than placed in the closet willy-nilly. I will tell you that having anything thrown on the floor should be a big no-no in all cases. It’s not easy to find clothes in floor piles, isn’t good for the life of your clothing, and gives your closet a very unkempt look and feel. Oh, and all clothing hung on a hanger…not thrown over the rod. The bottom line… A well-organized closet contains clothes you enjoy wearing and that you wear often. It also has your wardrobe sorted in an easy-to-locate-clothes-when-you-need- them manner. If you feel depressed or frustrated when you open your clothes closet, it’s then high-time for a good look inside (your closet, your head, and your heart), a “weeding out” day (whic can actually be quite freeing), and a “sorting day.” When you look in your closet and say, “It’s so easy to find what I want to wear now” and “I like everything in my closet,” then (congrats!) your closet organizing job is a success! Back to Organizing Statistics, Facts, and Figures Index