Most of us have a problem with the storage of our
clothes and accessories; it's a very common complaint. But the cause
of it often isn't a lack of storage space (as what most often gets the
blame); but instead it's how much stuff you're trying to keep in it,
the locations of the items, the type of storage used and your habits
that have caused the issues.
Here are five techniques that if you implement, will
lead to a much more organised wardrobe, and a lot fewer hassles getting
dressed in the mornings!
Use what you have, and
have only what you use
This is the single most important message I have for you - I can't
emphasise it enough!
We have difficulties with storing our clothes and accessories because
we quite simply try to store too many of them. On average, we use
just 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. The other 80% is either
never worn, or is worn infrequently. You should get rid of anything
that you never wear - it's just stressing you out if you keep it,
and it's hogging space for new clothes that you will wear!
Find out what suits you and what makes you feel good, and don't keep
anything else in your wardrobe. Be ruthless - don't think that it
might come back in fashion, or that you may fit into it again. Chances
are that when it's back in fashion it won't fit; and alternatively,
if it fits again at some stage in the future it will no longer be
in fashion anyway!
Group like things together
Some of the groupings you might want to use are by function (work,
casual, sport, underwear), by colour, by outfit, or by type (short-sleeve
tops, pants, shorts). You may use more than one grouping - it all
depends on how you think. It's a personal thing and might even take
you a couple of tries to find your ideal sorting groups.
The reason for this is to simply to reduce your retrieval time. You
don't have to thumb through a whole rack looking for your blue skirt
- you'll know it's with the other skirts, or other blue clothes: whatever
suits you.
Store according to frequency
of use
Day-to-day items should be stored between waist- and head-height,
and anything never worn (like memorabilia or novelty clothes) should
be up as high as possible. Infrequent use should be high or low. Daily-
or weekly-use shoes need to be at the front (or the most prominent
position).
Rotate your seasons. You can vacuum-pack the bulky winter items and
have a spot for off-season. As you change seasons, begin to move the
old season into the infrequent use area, and the new season into your
day-to-day area. You can make an afternoon of it and do it all at
once, or do it gradually - it's up to you.
Use appropriate storage
for items
Please don't use wire hangers! They can damage your clothes and look
terrible. Use strong plastic hangers or, even better, good quality
wooden ones. I always carry on like a lunatic about wooden hangers
(I'm sure most people on the other end of it wish I would just get
a life!) because they make a difference in a number of great ways.
Firstly, they are bulky so don't leave creases in the shoulders of
tops or dresses. They also have a shape that forces a certain minimum
amount of space between your clothes so you aren't crushing them (and
yes, that means you need less clothes!) and finally, they look good.
Now that may seem unimportant; however, if you're the type of person
who avoids hanging their clothes and instead ‘hangs' them on
the floor or the end of the bed, you'll find you are more likely to
want to hang them in the wardrobe because it looks so good (honestly!).
You can get great storage for inside wardrobes - but make sure you
think it through before you buy it. Know what's going in it and where
it's going before you buy it. And don't forget to measure it all first!
Reassess frequently
Once you're all organised you need to get in the habit of maintaining
it so you don't get in a muddle again. You can do this in a few ways:
Employ the One-In-One-Out Rule: for every
item of clothing you bring home, another has to go. You'll really
shop carefully that way, and save loads of money, too!
Do a quick scan every time you open your wardrobe.
Is everything in place? A 10-second adjustment then could save
hours later.
Make the time to organise on a regular basis
- if you pick one weekend a month to spend an hour sorting and
culling, you'll never have a big project to tackle again!
Top 5 Ways to Reduce
Housework
Aaah... the holy grail... less housework...
Become The Phantom.
You should leave a room in the same condition you left it. Leave no
evidence that you were there at all (this is a nice way of saying
"Pick up after yourself!!!!"). If the room you're leaving
is already too messy to figure out what you've left behind, see rule
#2.
Tidy-on-the-go. When
you are leaving a room, have a quick look around and see if there's
anything that doesn't live in there (or should I say, doesn't belong
in there!). Take it with you when you leave and put it in it's rightful
home. When you do this enough, it becomes a habit and you won't need
to think about it - you'll just do it.
Clean before it's dirty.
Dust before it's an inch thick, wash the floors before your shoes
stick to them, give the toilet a quick brush every day or so, wipe
the mirrors with a bit of damp (clean!) toilet paper as you're leaving
- you'll spend less time cleaning when you get to it.
Do it in small bursts.
If you schedule 15 minutes a day to do cleaning, you'll be surprised
firstly how much you get done in that time, and secondly, how it will
feel like you're doing no housework at all.
Cut the clutter. Cleaning
experts have said that you can reduce housework time by 40% just by
de-cluttering. So for all those people who have balked at getting
an Organiser in to help them get their stuff in order...how much is
your time worth??!!
Rebecca Mezzino specialises in household
and office decluttering and organising. Her company Clear Space
Organising Services provides hands-on organising and decluttering
for businesses and individuals, as well as Household Management
Coaching and customised Organising Workshops. Further information
on Rebecca and Clear Space can be obtained from www.clearspace.net.au.
The
Organised Wardrobe - it's achievable!