Clothing: Closet Organization

Adding just a few steps to your routine can help with household chores…no matter your level of vision. Here are some helpful tips that can make organizing your closet a little easier.

The first thing you need to think about is the shape and size of your closet as well as how many clothes you need to hang up.

The better the lighting in your closet, the easier this task will be. If possible, consider having track lighting installed in your closet. Or, switch to full spectrum bulbs which mimic natural daylight.

Now, create an inventory or list of everything in your closet – sort of like “spring cleaning.” You’ll want to organize your clothes into groups. These “groups” can be by casual versus more formal clothing, sleepwear or accessories, even different colors. Or, you can group them by occasion and/or season. Whichever you feel will be best for you. Once you get them into groups, take it one step further by separating the clothes you wear most often from those you wear occasionally and those you seldom wear.

And here’s a tip. If you haven’t worn something in over a year or so, it’s probably a good idea to donate it. The fewer items in your closet that are rarely worn, the easier it will be to get and stay organized.

Make use of all your available space by using containers or plastic totes and zippered bags that can be stored under the bed or stacked on the floor of the closet. Labeling is also a very useful tool for keeping things organized. So, check out Hadley’s labeling workshops for helpful tips on how to label storage containers.

If you like to avoid bending over, try using dresser drawers and easy to reach closet shelving units to keep clothes grouped and organized.

And, if you can have it done, lowering the closet rod can make things a lot easier to reach. There are professional home organizers that can come out to your home to do this for you. Of course, that all comes as a price. But for some, it may be worth it.

More than anything, try to set up a routine of keeping things in their same places. For instance, keep your watch in a jewelry box on your dresser or a small dish next to your bed. That way, it’s always in the same place when you need it. Just remember that old saying: “Everything has a place and everything in its place.”

Another handy tip is to hang entire outfits – like a blazer, pants and shirt -- on the same hanger. Put the outfit back on the same hanger after wearing and/or washing. Hanging multiple items on the same hanger is a great way to keep matching outfits together.

There could also be a tie, belt and shoes that match them. So put the shoes in a plastic grocery bag and any accessories like jewelry in a zippered storage bag. Poke a hole through the bags to keep them all on the same hanger along with the tie and belt. Wrapping hangers with pipe cleaner will keep clothes from falling off.

Keep matching outfits separated by either putting a piece of cardboard or a closet divider between them. If you have several belts, you can also use those as a way to divide the different outfits.

T-shirts can be grouped by separating those with graphics from plain ones. Color is also a helpful way to group clothes. Keep all the blue clothes in one section, yellow clothes in another and so on. Or, try separating each section into light or dark clothing.

Natural light from a window can help you identify colors. Just hold different items side-by-side with the window at your back so the light shines on your clothes directly. In dimly lit areas, using a flashlight can give you more lighting.

There are also apps and devices designed to identify colors. Check out our technology workshops for more information on that.

Using your sense of touch is another helpful way to identify different styles and types of clothing. This could be texture of the fabric, the cut of the clothes, even the collar can help you identify and organize your groups.

Keep your shoes in pairs. And if possible, keep them in their original boxes. This way you can mark them with large print labels, audio tags or braille labels. Then stack them by shoe color or style. Hanging shoe organizers are also a great way to keep them paired and organized.

Install hooks to hang your purses in the closet or on the door. And if you’ve got multiple purses, store them in a clothes basket on a closet shelf.

When you buy socks, pin them together at the toes where the material is the thickest. Keep them pinned when you wash and store them. And keep different kinds of socks in different drawers or containers. For instance, keep all your dress socks in one drawer, sports socks in another. You could also separate the different types of socks by keeping them in resealable storage bags.

There’s also a device called a sock tucker that keeps pairs of socks together. See the resource list for more information about those.

For accessories, like jewelry, belt buckles, hair clips, scarves and gloves, try using different size jewelry boxes. Use egg cartons and plastic ice cube trays to store buttons, paper clips and things of that type. And baby food or glass jars are another way to keep accessories of various sizes organized.

Storing jewelry by style and color in divided drawers is another great way to keep things organized in your jewelry box. Multi-drawer toolboxes or fishing tackle boxes found in hardware stores are some other great storage options because you can mark them with large print, audio or braille tags for quick access.

Remember, you can always contact a learning expert if you have questions or your own tips to share. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience and practice and you’ll get there.