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Closet Envy: Our tips for your cleanest closet ever

It’s a tale as old as time. You wake up, walk to your closet, open the doors and exclaim “I have nothing to wear!” even though there’s a mountain of clothes right in front of you. It’s not that you don’t have anything to wear, it’s just that the perfect outfit may be hard to find when you can’t find it. With a few simple and creative organization tricks, you can turn your closet from a wild jungle to a Pinterest-worthy wardrobe. So pick your favorite tunes, grab your best buds and who knows, your closet cleanout may even turn into an impromptu fashion show. An afternoon surrounded by your favorite clothes? What could be better?

Keep, Sell, Donate

A good first step to creating a clutter-free closet is to take a good look at what you already have. At the start of every season go through your clothes and shoes and if you haven’t worn something in the last three to four months or it doesn’t fit anymore, donate or sell it. Don’t think of it as losing clothes, think of it as creating more space for your favorite pieces to stand out.

Choose Your Organizing Style

After you’ve said your goodbyes to those old jeans, create a way to separate your wardrobe into different categories. Pick a system that works for you: arrange your items by color, occasion or separate them into groups such as shirts, dresses, jeans and skirts. Sorting everything into an assigned place will allow you to put together last-minute outfits in a flash.

Canvas bins, $13-$76, pbteen.com

Stash Seasonal Items

Instantly create more space by storing your winter coats and sweaters in boxes and shelving them high in your closet or under your bed. Since you don’t need these items every day, your closet will be a place that is just for items that you want to have easy access to. Once summer’s over, you’ll have those boxes to stow your sundresses and bikinis until next year. Use cute labels to make it easier to find what you are looking for once the seasons change.

Over the Door Rack, $18, amazon.com

Maximize Your Small Space
Don’t just stick with the single rod that comes in your closet. Get creative and take advantage of the walls, the floor and the backs of doors for more storage space. If you want to add an extra rod for hanging clothes, consider using tension shower rods, which can be installed without making holes in the wall (sweet!). You can use the top rod for shirts and jackets and the bottom rod for pants and skirts. An over-the-door rack makes the most of the unused space behind a closet door by giving you pockets for small foldable items such as tights or belts. When in doubt, a well-placed hook can be used for an infinite amount of items from purses, hats and scarves.

Wooden Shoe Rack, $27, amazon.com

Shoe Solutions

So many shoes, so little floor space. Elevate your shoes with a 3-tiered shoe rack to lift your soles off the ground and separate based on category: top shelf for everyday shoes like flats and sandals, second shelf for booties and sneakers, and the bottom shelf for your formal heels. The leftover floor space can be used for keeping your tall boots. (Bonus tip: Stuff your boots with paper or old plastic bags to help them maintain their shape.)

Don’t Be a Repeat Offender

Feel like you’re wearing the same thing over and over? Try this simple trick: Start by facing all of your hangers the same way so that the hook is facing the back wall. Once you wear something, turn the hanger around so that the hook is facing you. Try this for a couple of weeks and you’ll start to notice a pattern of which items you wear the most. This will give you the chance to rediscover a favorite piece that may have gotten pushed to the back of the rack and will keep your look fresh and your clothes in constant rotation.

Spill: What’s your best clean-closet tip?

POSTED IN Fashion, how to, clean your closet