8 Common Mistakes People Make When Organizing Their Closet
Most people can agree that closets tend to get messy, no matter the size. Somewhere in the middle of the week, you are bound to stash clothes inside the closet without taking time to arrange them properly. Sometimes, even the best-laid arrangement plans seem futile, and you just cannot seem to get the closet arrangement right. If you find it hard to maintain a properly arranged closet, it is probably because you are doing a few things wrong.
There are many benefits of having a well-organized closet. It can speed up your morning routine since you already know where everything is laying, and it helps your clothes to remain in mint condition. Before you turn to a professional home organizer for help, here are timely tips you can use to organize your closet, including closet organizing mistakes you are probably making and need to avoid.
8 closet organizing mistakes and how to fix them through better closet arrangement:
1. Not Having a Clear Goal in Mind
The first mistake most people make is planning to arrange their closet without a clear goal in mind. This makes it hard to determine where to keep different items, leading to frustration and an untidy closet. You need to set out clear goals of what you want to achieve to make the process easier. Some of the goals to consider are creating more space, creating visibility in your closet, having clear zones for different clothes, creating space for your shoes and bags, and decluttering.
2. Failing to Declutter
One of the most common closet organizing mistakes is keeping things you no longer wear. Failing to declutter often leads to heaps of clothes you do not need taking up space in your closet. Letting go of that pair of jeans that no longer fits may be hard, but it is not doing you any favors by taking up valuable closet space.
The first thing you need to do when creating a working organizing system is to stop and get rid of clutter. You can get rid of anything you have not worn in the last year as a rule of thumb. By clearing clutter, you create more room for clothes you need.
3. Storing Clothes Out of Season
Another common closet organizing mistake you are probably making is storing out-of-season clothes in your closet. While it may seem ok to keep all your clothes in the closet all year round, you do not need winter clothes in your closet right at the beginning of spring. Once a season passes, you can fold up season clothes and put them in storage until the next season.
Storing away seasonal clothes ensures you have more than enough room for the clothes you need for the current season. This makes your closet look bigger and more organized. You will find it much easier to find clothes in a spacious closet.
4. Not Creating Zones
No matter how much organizing you do, piling things randomly together will always leave your closet looking disorganized. Placing your shirts, trousers, and skirts in one place makes it harder to find individual items and causes a mess every time you want to get something from the pile.
The key to proper closet organizing is creating zones for lie items. Create designated spots for your shirts, shirts, trousers, denim, shorts, sweaters, shoes and jewelry, or any other type of attire you have. Having designated spots for everything makes the closet look spacious and neat. This also makes it easier for you to find clothes. Also, to put away clothes after laundry or when you need to hang them back in the closet.
5. Using Your Closet as a Storage Unit
A common mistake most people make when it comes to using their closet space is turning it into a storage unit. Most people have boxes or items they assume they have stored away in their closet, taking up valuable space. You need to find another space for your seasonal decorations and costumes, away from your closet.
There are probably many storage spaces in your home, including your garage, that you can use for your boxes and unused stuff. This will help declutter your closet and create more room for clothes and other things that need to be in the closet.
6. Wasted Corner Space
Corner spaces are the most undervalued and underutilized spaces in the home and closet. Most people install hanging rods into an existing hanging rod in a closet corner, creating a mess whenever you need to access clothes tucked in the corner. To avoid this mistake, you should have only one rod running into the corner and use something that does not need hanging on the adjacent wall.
As an alternative, you can use the space for shallow shelves for purses, shoes, drawers, or folded clothing. It should be 24-inches off the corner for easy access to the hanging clothes.
7. The Depth of Shelves
Most homes are made with shelves that are 11-1/4-inches deep, which is okay for small purses and shoes. However, these shelves are too shallow for folded clothes, large handbags, linen, and tote bags.
The best way to make the space effective is to change the depth of the shelves to 14-inches or 16-inches to fit folded items and larger bags. Anything deeper than this will be too deep and cause an organizing mess.
8. Lack of Shoe Storage
Having a shoe storage space is very important for a well-organized closet. This is especially important for people with numerous pairs that are impossible to keep organized without proper storage space. It is impossible to have a neat and well-organized closet without creating space specifically for your shoes. The best shoe shelf should be one where you can display all your pairs in clear view, making it easy to pick out the pair to wear without creating a mess every time.
With these tips, you are sure to succeed in arranging your closet. Use them to avoid problematic closet organizing mistakes.