9 useful tips to organise your wardrobe

There’s no better time than the start of a brand new year to get your wardrobe organised. We have some handy tips that will help you keep the insides of your closet neat and tidy — and have it stay that way.

1. Purge first

Before everything else, purge first. To do so effectively, take everything out of your closet and sort them in terms of what you want to keep and what you don’t. In the pile that you don’t wish to keep, sell what you can, toss what cannot be salvaged, and donate the rest.

Clearing and editing your clothes is a great way to assess what you have. Over the years, some clothes may have long been forgotten and kept at the back of the cupboards for too long. This editing process also helps to make getting ready in the mornings that much easier.

While curating your clothes and accessories, do evaluate the actual wardrobe space you have. Don’t keep more than what you can store. And don’t take this as an excuse to deposit what you don’t want elsewhere. You don’t want to clutter up the rest of the home.

2. Group whatever’s left

At this stage, don’t stow away the clothes that you are planning to keep yet. Sort them out first using a “like with like” method e.g. shirts with shirts, pants with pants and so on. Then further sub-divide based on material (e.g. denims, cottons), colour or length (start with cropped tops and end with long dresses).

3. Hang as much as you can

If you are at the planning stage of your wardrobe design, do accommodate for more hanging rods. It makes it easier to find your clothes when they are all hung up and it also prevents unnecessary crease or damage.

Not a lot of hanging space? Prioritise the following:

• Clothes made from linen as they tend to wrinkle easily.
• Clothes made from delicate materials like silk to prevent damage.
• Formal wear like shirts, blouses, dresses, trousers, slacks, stiff jackets and blazers to prevent crease.

When hanging up your clothes, ensure that there’s a small gap between each hanger. You don’t want to squeeze all of them together as that will cause wrinkled clothes and make it harder to pull out what you want to wear.

4. Some clothes are best folded

While “hang as many as you can” is a good policy to keep when it comes to organising your wardrobe, not everything should be hung. Some types of clothes are best folded.

Chunky knits for instance are best folded and stored in shelves or drawers since they tend to take up a lot of space when hung up and might go out of shape when you do. Thin T-shirts, especially ones made from cotton should be folded to prevent them from stretching out on hangers.

Also, anything too heavy e.g. denim jacket, cargo pants should also be folded as hanging them up might damage your hangers.

5. When folding your clothes, learn from the expert herself, Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo recommends folding your clothes to a small rectangle so that they can stand on their own. Here are some ways to do so with common articles of clothing:

For T-shirts:

• Lay T-shirt flat on surface. Then make fold down half of the T-shirt to the centre line.
• Fold down sleeve partially.
• Do the same for the other half of the T-shirt.
• Fold down the T-shirt so that it reaches almost to the end of the T-shirt.
• Fold them again. Have the top of the T-shirt meet the end.

For shorts:

• Lay out shorts on flat surface.
• Fold shorts in half.
• Tuck ends so that you can create a rectangle shape.
• Fold the rectangle in half.

For pants:

• Lay pants out flat.
• Fold in half.
• Tuck ends so that it becomes a long rectangle.
• Fold in half. Then fold in thirds.

6. Use the same hangers

For a more consistent look in your wardrobe, you should go with the same hangers. If you are using different hangers for different clothing type, get them in a similar palette or opt for all neutrals to mix and match easily.

Special type of hangers for certain articles of clothes can save space in your wardrobe or better protect your clothes. These are the ones to get if you want them:

• Pant hangers : These feature thin rods that allow you to slide your trousers or slacks in easily. Some come with multiple rods that let you hang up more than one pair of pants in one hanger.
• Suit hangers : Your expensive suit will thank you as these hold their shape a lot better. Get a sturdy hanger that preferably features a contoured design to support the padding on the shoulder areas of your suit.
• Padded hangers : These are great for delicate fabrics or knitwear that will need a more even support across the shoulder areas.

7. Don’t keep your travel clothes with the rest of your wardrobe

Unless you have ample wardrobe space, you don’t want your thick, bulky winter clothes to take up a bunch of space in your closet. Store them elsewhere.

To ensure your winter clothes will last till your next holiday, make sure the storage space you choose has enough ventilation and breathing room. Find a spot that’s dry and away from sunlight.

8. Invest in inner wardrobe organisers

When it comes to designing your wardrobe, have a good mixture of drawers and shelves, since they both serve different purposes.

Drawers are better for casual clothes, pyjamas and underwear, while shelves are great for thicker and bulkier clothes, towels as well as accessories.

The problem with shelves though is that some shelves can get too deep, which means things kept at the back are often forgotten. To organise them, purchase baskets or containers that you can pull out easily when you need to access them.

Get the same across the board so that things will appear more visually seamless. Shallow trays are also suited for smaller accessories like your watches, sunglasses and jewellery.

For drawer organisation, consider getting drawer dividers that help you separate your clothes.

9. Use the back of cupboard doors for accessories

Some accessories can be kept outside the closet, whether in a separate wardrobe island, on a wall-mounted rack or a coat stand. But if you prefer everything inside your wardrobe, consider using the back of cupboard doors for accessories.

Get a customised solution, or just stick up hooks with 3M tape and you can them to hang up bags, belts or your favourite jewellery pieces.

This article was first published in Renonation.