Fall is officially here ladies! Time to put away the summer duds and prepare for the cooler days ahead. To help ease this sometimes overwhelming transition we asked 
professional organizer Tricia Kandik from New Leaf Organizing to share some of her tips.
As the weather grows crisper and cooler, your thoughts may be turning to new fall clothes, shoes and accessories. But if your closet’s already full to the brim, where will all your PRETTY new finds go?
A closet re-org may be in order!
As an organizing nerd, this sounds like the perfect day to me. (Hence the exclamation point above.) But you may not be quite so excited with the prospect of spending a perfect autumn day tackling your closet. I get that, which is why my first tip is to try and make it fun.
Can you enlist a friend to help? Having someone to give feedback on your wardrobe is a definite advantage, and the project will go faster and be more fun. You can always offer to return the favor. If you’d prefer a more objective assistant, your local Professional Organizer will be happy to lend a hand.
Download some new songs you’ve been wanting to listen to or buy an audio book, whatever it takes to get yourself motivated.
Make sure you’ve had something healthy to eat before you get started and keep a water bottle handy to stay hydrated. Consider this a marathon, minus the months of training.
Now turn up the volume, turn off your cell phone and let’s get going!
Step 1: Staging- Create a “staging” area by making your bed and clearing it of any extraneous clutter. Consider taking a “before” photo of your closet-it’ll be a treat when you’re done to see the transformation.
Step 2: Grouping- Then pull everything out of your closet and stack in piles of “like with like”. For example, all your shoes in one area, outerwear in another, in-season clothing on one pile, out-of-season on another, sports equipment (what is that doing in your closet?)… You get the drift.
Wire hangers should go in a pile, to be taken to the dry cleaners for recycling. They have no place in your closet. Find one type of hanger you like, and stick with it. “Huggable hangers” will keep your clothes from slipping, and will save a ton of space in your closet. Wooden hangers are great for heavy winter coats.
Step 3: Cleaning- A quick vacuuming and dusting of your now-empty closet is usually all that’s required.
Step 4: Sorting- Now comes the sorting process. As you pick up each item of clothing, make a quick decision: definite keeper, maybe, or giveaway.
Step 5: Restoring- OK, time to get things back in order. In-season keepers can go straight back into the closet. Hang all items facing the same direction, with tops, skirts, and pants grouped together.
The “maybe” pile can be returned to the closet with the hangers turned in the opposite direction. Then, after you use an item from the “maybe” section, return it to the closet as you would normally. At the end of three or six months, consider getting rid of those items you haven’t used.
The giveaways? Give ‘em away before they have a chance to start breeding. Most charities will give you a receipt for tax deduction, you’ll have the stuff off your hands, and someone else will have the joy of discovering your cast-off treasures. Win-win-win!
Out-of-season keepers will require a little more attention. If you have room in your closet for your entire four-season wardrobe, out-of-season stuff will simply go towards the back of the closet.
If you need to store out-of season clothes elsewhere, I’ll be sharing tips on how to best store out-of-season clothes tomorrow right here at ineedprettythings.
See ya then!
-Tricia
Questions, Comments? Leave a note below so Tricia can respond.
Filed Under: How To, What's Hot
Tags: a guide to organizing your closet, a professional organizer guide to organizing your closet, cleaning out your closet, Closet organization, For My Home, going through your closet, How to organize your closet, how to sort through your closet, In General, Organizing your closet, professional organizer, storing out of season clothes, tips on organizing your closet, To Wear
Why, this professional organizer surely knows how to steer people in the right direction! Great ideas for transitioning into fall and holiday wear. I think I’ll get started this weekend!
PS-I’ve heard Tricia is super organized in her own home, too!
I can only imagine what her home looks like. : )
Thanks for the tips Tricia, my closet is waaaaay past due and in desperate need of a reorg. LOL!
I’ve tried to do it a couple of times, but I get caught up on what to get rid of and what to keep. Anyone else struggling with this?
My mom got rid of a lot of stuff a year ago that now she wishes she held onto.
That’s the hardest part for me, just deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.
Thanks for asking, Elizabeth!
The first question you should ask is “Do I use it?” If yes, then obviously it’s a keeper.
If no, don’t despair. The second question is “Do I love it?”
If you love it, ask yourself “Do I honor it?” — in other words, is it hung neatly in a garment protector or lying crumpled under a pile of sweaty gym clothes?
If you find yourself regretting a donation, try to remember why you gave the item away. Was it stretched out? Faded? Falling apart? Out of style? Did it make you feel frumpy, accentuate your least favorite feature, or remind you of your ex?
When you clear unused things out of your life, you make way for new things to enter. So while you’re weeding out the old, imagine what treasures the future could hold!
Wow Tricia, well said! What a great way to think about it. I can’t think of a better incentive to “let go” of stuff.
Also wanted to let Elizabeth know that I too share her struggle when it comes to reorganizing my closet and/or any other part of my house. The hardest part by far is deciding what to hold on to and what to let go of.
I think I’m going to write down Tricia’s questions on a post-it and keep it in my closet for future reference as well as the great quote about making room for new stuff.
Thanks again Tricia!
Is it pathetic that I wish that my meticulously organized closet was a mess, just so I could organize it?
Great post!
If you would have asked me a month ago, my answer would have been “Yes.”
But having just undergone my own closet overhaul [it was a little more than just a reorg], I must confess there is a certain “high” one gets after clearing out a space and restoring order.
Mine was so bad it took a couple days, but by the end I was a little addicted to the sense of accomplishment and a little sad it was all over. I kind of wanted to keep going. (Shhhhh… don’t tell anyone!)
Time to go shopping!
Tricia: Thanks for the advice, it was really helpful.
Trendspotter: You took the words right out of my mouth.
Rosie: What are you doing this weekend? Do you want to come over? LOL!
I’m really impressed with how motivated you guys are about organizing your closets.
Rosie, you are more than welcome to come over and help me reorganize my closet, it definitely needs an intervention. LOL. I go in with a good intention, but look at it once and turn right back around. It’s a scary sight!