Purge

To kick things off, gather a few garbage bags—one for donations and another for items to discard. Cleaning out my closet was relatively straightforward because I regularly let go of clothes I no longer wear. If an item is out of fashion or just a passing trend, I’m quick to toss it. Stained or damaged pieces go straight into the rubbish. I keep a few old items for painting or gardening, but it’s surprising how often we convince ourselves that we need clothes we seldom wear.

My husband’s closet, however, posed a bigger challenge. With two adjoining closets, he definitely had the upper hand in terms of volume. It’s clear he’s never engaged in a proper “purge.” Clearing out his closet wasn’t a high priority for him, but we tackled it together by assessing each piece: Is it stained? Does it have holes? Has he worn it recently? I created a definitive pile for him to decide which items to keep.

To my amazement, it took him about 20 minutes to sort through his clothes. Afterward, I bagged the discards and took them to the charity shop.

Easy Ways to Organize the Closet and Make it Prettier

Change Your Hangers

I’ve had my eye on velvet hangers for years, but I hesitated to invest in them. Finally, this year, I made the buy, and it was worth it! They not only enhance the appearance of the closet but also save space and prevent clothes from slipping off the rack.

Before

Before switching to velvet hangers, I often had clothes falling during laundry time, but the swap made a significant difference.

After

Additional Tips to Neaten Your Closet for Free:

• Sort clothes by type (sweaters, long sleeves, short sleeves, tanks).
• Then arrange them by color.
• Ensure all clothes face the same direction.
• Use baskets for small purses or miscellaneous items on your top shelf.
• Stuff grocery bags inside your purses to maintain shape.

Neat Purse Organization Hack

One simple method to enhance the aesthetics of your closet is to stuff your purses. I utilize plastic grocery bags, which help them maintain their shape and not flop over.

After stuffing them, my purses stood upright and looked significantly better. Additionally, I use plastic containers for sorting items like bathing suits and scarves.

For organizing my costume jewelry, I use jewelry trays, keeping them on the top shelf to avoid reaching toddlers!

Though I find hanging jewelry organizers useful, I tend to lose many pieces due to toddler accessibility.

It’s worth noting that I refrain from putting fine jewelry in these organizers, as the plastic could tarnish them over time. Most items I store here are inexpensive costume pieces. This method also works well for organizing hair bows.