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How to Organize Your Closet Fast When You Move into a New Home

There’s no better time to organize a closet than when you move into a new home, if only because you’ll get a fresh start. While it may be tempting to simply throw things on hangers and put them into your new closet, taking a little time to consider what you own and how it should be arranged will make your life a lot easier. Below are a few tips to quickly and efficiently organize your new closet.

Start organizing before you move

The most cluttered places in a home are the last ones a homeowner will pack. Due to leaving these spaces until the last minute, people will simply throw things into a box and they take everything to their new home.

Rather than wait until the moving truck arrives, plan ahead and pack up your closets and cluttered spaces at least a week before your move. Be strategic. If a pair of shoes is sitting in a dusty heap in the back of your closet, chances are you won’t wear them again. Same goes for your kids’ soccer equipment from 10 years ago, that extra yoga mat you no longer use or the clothes that haven’t seen the light of day in over a year. Set aside two boxes. In one box, put items you no longer use. In the other, put things you know you’ll use in your new home. Challenge yourself by seeing if the objects in each box can take up the same amount of space.

 

Figure out what you want to keep in your closet

Figuring out what you want to keep in your closet might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually easier said than done. Some closets are used just to store clothing, while others are for coats and sports equipment. Others may need to be more multipurpose. Install shelves in your closet to store various items, making sure to keep seasonal or rarely used belongings to the higher shelves. Once you’ve figured out what should be in your closet, stick with your plan. For example, if your closet is only for clothes, you’ll need to find another home for your linens and extra bedding. All too often, we put things in closets that don’t really belong in them, leading to the space becoming cluttered.

 

Use the doors

Using the back of a closet door to store small items such as jewelry, belts and shoes is smart. Consider an over-the-door soft shoe holder not only for shoes, but to keep all your other small things. Just make sure to reorganize these nooks often to avoid them feeling cluttered.

 

 

See or label everything

So you’ve moved into your new house and everything is put away except for a couple of boxes. The last box contains all sorts of items that feel too precious to get rid of, but too odd to have out in the open. Whatever you do, don’t put these boxes into the back of your closet! Bring them into your kitchen or living room and set all of the objects on a table. Find a home for each item. If you don’t, you’ll risk the entire box gathering dust for the next year or ten.

In your closet, you should be able to see every object, with the exception of containers that house certain smaller objects. Don’t just throw these containers in your closet! Label each one. It might seem obvious to you that a box containing only scarves is for scarves, but over time, you might be tempted to add belts, tank tops and other things that don’t belong. Labeling boxes will remind you to keep things in order, and the labels will also ensure that your family doesn’t have an excuse to be sloppy. Labeling containers is something that should happen in each closet in your home.

 

Revisit your closet each season

Once your closet is in order, you’re not done. Just like kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms need to be tidied and cleaned, so do your closets. Each season take a deep breath, open your closet and make sure everything is in order. Get rid of things you no longer use and make sure each shelf and container includes only the objects you’ve determined should be there. Learning how to organize your closet isn’t hard, but it does require a little diligence on your part to ensure the space is tidy.