How to organise and declutter your walk-in wardrobe
By Displaysense's Lucy Eagland
The New Year is here which means it is the perfect time to clear out and organise your open or walk-in wardrobe. There is nothing worse than rifling through your bursting wardrobe looking for that one particular item which will finish off your outfit perfectly, so why not create some order with our top tips and storage ideas to organise and declutter your wardrobe.
1. Clean it out
I know it can be daunting but the best way to start is to remove everything from your wardrobe and sort it all into five piles; Keep, Fix, Discard, Donate and Sell. We all have clothing or accessories that we hang onto but no longer wear, so now is the perfect time to give them a new lease of life. You have several options, such as donating them to a local charity shop or charity bins, which are usually located at local supermarkets. If the items are of value, you can sell them online and pocket a little profit from your clear out. Any worn and stained items can be taken to a textiles recycling point so that the materials can be reused. Some clothing stores, such as H&M and TK Maxx, have introduced recycling schemes in store, whilst many local councils provide fabric banks at recycling centres.
2. Categorise your clothes and accessories
You may be looking at the sea of clothes and accessories surrounding you and wondering, “But how do I organise my wardrobe?” To create an organised design and layout, you will need to know exactly what you have. Take your remaining clothes and accessories and place them into categories; you can do this by wardrobe location (i.e. rail or shelves) or by the type of item (i.e. jeans or dresses.) If it is by item type, you may also want to do secondary categories to decide whether they will be folded or hung. This will make it easier later on to see where you need extra storage. You’ll also want to think about whether you have any particularly long items that will need extra room so they can hang fully. With this knowledge you’ll be able to assess where your wardrobe is going wrong and make the space more functional and personal to you.
3. Add additional clothes rails
Sometimes closets will only have a single row of hanging rails which are usually around eye level. This can leave a huge amount of untapped space above them, towards the ceiling. By lowering the current rails, you can add a second tier of wall mounted rails above. This instantly doubles the amount you can hang and let’s be honest, can you ever have too much hanging space? If you are wary of doing this because the top rail may be more difficult to reach, you can negate this by placing your less used items above and your everyday clothing on the lower rail. If you are already lucky enough to have two tiers of rails, make sure you evaluate any other empty wall space. Bear in mind that you don’t need a wide wall to add hanging rails to as they come in a variety of lengths, meaning even a narrow wall space could accommodate two shorter rails.
4. Add additional storage and shelving
Depending on your collection, you may have more items that need to be folded away rather than hung. Adding or incorporating shelving into your wardrobe will give you additional space and be sure to make use of the full height of your wardrobe, as you would with rails. This is easy to do with Twin Slot shelving systems as they allow you to personalise the layout to your needs.
If you often find that your floor space is cluttered with bags and shoes, then a cube system can not only give you vertical space, but separate and tidy your items too. Adding baskets or fabric boxes allows you to store smaller items together. If you have a large shoe collection, tiered shoe racks will help keep them tidy, safe from damage and allow you to easily spot the pair you are looking for. Knowing where items are can save you a lot of precious time when you are in a rush.
5. Make use of small spaces and doors
When making more wardrobe space with rails and shelving, you can sometimes end up with little nooks of vacant space. These are perfect for hanging small hooks on as they make it easy to store awkward items such as hats and scarves. You could even hang tomorrows outfit on them. Doors are often forgotten storage areas but over the door organisers and rails are perfect for providing additional room to hold anything from shoes to jewellery. Doors are also ideal spaces for adding a mirror to, for that quick outfit check before you leave.
6. Keep jewellery and trinkets safe
When spring cleaning your wardrobe don’t forget about the smaller items like jewellery and trinkets. For many, jewellery is incredibly sentimental and it deserves a safe and stylish storage spot. Jewellery stands and jewellery trees keep everything from watches to house keys tidy and in one place so when you are ready to hit the road, you can grab them and go. They also prevent damage such as knots in necklace chains or scratches to watch faces from occurring, so you can keep your prized possessions in tip top condition.
7. Coordinate your hangers
A nice but practical finishing touch is buying matching clothes hangers. Broken or mis-sized hangers can damage your clothing, whilst coordinated hangers are much more appealing to look at. They will also make your wardrobe look tidy and organised in an instant. They come in a variety of materials and colours so you will be able to find a range that fits your style and budget.
With these wardrobe organisation tips you have all the information you need to give your walk-in or open wardrobe a good old spring clean and the opportunity to create more space. Don’t forget to tag us (@displaysense) on Instagram in your wardrobe makeovers!
