Figuring out the first steps to take when organizing anything in the home can be daunting. But figuring out how to organize a closet is easier than tackling a whole room and it’s a good step in the right direction toward clearing out the cluttered areas in your home.

What You’ll Need

Before you begin, get out your large plastic trash bags and some small boxes or plastic containers. You will need these as you clean out. You may also want to have a label maker handy for organizing things you put back into the closet. If you don’t have one, no problem. Simply use some index cards, a marker and tape to make labels when the time comes.

Digging In

Get ready to make a mess. Pull everything out of the closet. You may find some interesting things in there and don’t be surprised if you find things you thought you lost. “I wondered where that went,” is a typical exclamation when going through a closet you haven’t seen the back of in years.

Lay any clothing on a nearby sofa or bed. Place shoes, slippers, and boots in another area on the floor. The idea here is simply to categorize the items you pull out as you pull them out. Now go through the clothing and put any items you no longer want or need into one (or more) of the plastic trash bags. As you go through the clothing, categorize the ones you plan to keep into groups: shirts, pants, coats, etc. so they will already be organized when you put them back. Do the same with the footwear. These items can be donated to your local thrift store. Or even consigned if they are still in great condition.

Decisions, Decisions...hmmm

You may have some hesitation when deciding whether to discard certain items. Rule of Thumb: If you haven’t used an item in a year or more, get rid of it. And once you make a decision, stick to it. If you still have a hard time letting go of things, plan to give up one item for every one you keep. This will help you get rid of at least 50 percent of the stuff you are hoarding.

Other things you may find in the closet could include pictures, picture frames, photo albums, vacuum cleaners, umbrellas, hats/scarves/gloves, gifts you never used, small appliances such as electric fans and dust busters.

Whatever it is, decide as soon as you take it out whether you need it or not. If you use it, even seasonally, then by all means, keep it. Or if you’ve been looking for it to use, keep it. If you didn’t even know it was there, then it is a prime candidate for recycling or giving away. Does Aunt Emma need an umbrella?

To Recycle or Not To Recycle?...That is the Question

Understandably, not everything you find may be re-usable. If it can be recycled, place it in the bin for the next recycle day and be sure it makes it to the curb. Some items may not be recyclable and may need to simply be thrown in the trash.

What Else is Lurking in the Deepest Recesses?

Next go through the rest of the items you found lurking in the closet. If there are any other areas in the home where they belong, put them aside for the time being and put them away when you’re done instead of back into the closet.

It's Downhill from Here

The next step is to clean out the closet itself. If you haven’t cleaned it out in a while, you want to do this before you put back the items you intend to keep.

Now you’re ready to put things you are keeping, and that belong in the closet, back into the closet. Larger items like a vacuum cleaner or shoe rack can go on the floor. If you have numerous small items, such as gloves or loose photos, put them into the small containers you have and label the containers. These can be placed on a shelf. If there is no shelf, they can be stacked on the floor. Next, hang any clothing you are keeping back up, grouping them into their categories. Or you may have room for a small shelf unit to keep it orderly.

You may have found a few more things you can add to the donate or recycle piles or trash bags you have. This is why the last thing you should do when organizing the closet is to take out the trash and recycled materials. Lastly, put the donations in your car and plan to drop them off at a local thrift store on your next errand run. Having them already in your car will give you the incentive to get rid of them as soon as possible.

The same procedure for how to organize a closet can be followed for cabinets, drawers, and work areas. Clearing out clutter relieves stress you may not even be aware the clutter was causing. Organizing a closet is a great rainy day activity, gives you a sense of accomplishment, and the incentive to tackle the next area you deem out of control.