Easy steps to an organised closet

A closet is an enclosed space used for storage, particularly of clothes. Usually, you may find one fitted in the house or you can buy one and place it at a particular spot of choice.

Isabel Odida, an interior designer at Odida Interiors, says closets come in different types depending on what an individual wants and is able to afford. She says a closet has many functions depending on what it is meant for and the type that you have in the house.

Fitted closets
These are built into the walls of the house. This type of closet take less space in the room, are cheaper and durable.

Walk in closet
Odida says a walk-in closet can double as a dressing room and this comes in handy especially when you have a shortage of space to accommodate a separate dressing room. “By putting in a mirror and some shelves inside or on the door of the closet, you will have an instant dressing room. Walk-in closets offer an amazing amount of privacy because they are not visible from the outside and no one knows what is inside,” she says, adding: “A reach-in closet is one which you cannot walk into but your hands can perfectly fit to pick whatever you need. These are common in most modern houses.”
She further says it has a rod that you can use for hanging clothes and above it is a cabinet used for storing other things. This is not very big but when well organsied, you can have an excellent display of your clothes.

Wardrobe closet
This is made and placed in a specific area of the house. They are made of wood, plastic and metal and can be arranged to make a closet. Odida says these are common in hostels since the students need something that they can easily pack when going on holiday or when they are shifting to another residence.

How to organise

Clean it up
Jacklyne Biira, an interior designer at Spaces by Jacklyn, says the best way to organise a closet is by removing everything from the closet, clean and then organise everything back. “You cannot organise a closet when you are tired because it requires time. You should therefore plan to do it when you are free and have ample time to do all the work at once,” she advises.

Categorise clothes
Isabel Odida, an interior designer at Odida Interiors, says this only applies to those that have compartments because they will have enough provision to accommodate all the clothes. She says mixing up clothes will make the closet appear cluttered since not all clothes have the same shape.
“All clothes must be cleaned, dried and neatly folded being placed into the closet.

Some people have a habit of carelessly throwing already washed clothes in the closet with an excuse of organising them the next day. However, this will only consume space in your closet and also leave it cluttered,” she says.

Odida advises you to hang your clothes according to the colours and the length. This way, they will look more organised and beautiful.

Before you start cleaning your closet, decide where all that you do not need anymore will go. Knowing that your clothes are going to a favourite charity, a homeless shelter is a goal that you can feel good about.

Use wasted wall space
According to goodhousekeeping.com, an online portal, instead of hanging your scarf collection on hangers and taking up valuable rod space, try attaching a bar to unused wall space to create a personalised display for your collection.
Shoes
Jacklyne Biira, an interior designer at Spaces by Jacklyn says these always fit in the lower part of the closet and should be cleaned before they are placed there.

“Dirty shoes will not only make your closet stuffy but your clothes too,” says Biira, adding that bags and suitcases should be kept on the upper cabinet of the closet or in one corner of the closet only if the closet is big enough.

Do not hoard
When you hold on to rarely used items, you are sacrificing much needed space. These red flags can help you decide what to let go:
• It does not fit. If you cannot bear to part with the garment, consider taking it to a tailor for alterations.
• It does not go with the rest of your wardrobe. If you need to buy something to make it work, weigh the cost against the benefits.
• You have not worn it in a year. Mark questionable pieces. If they still have not left the closet by the end of the season, get rid of them.
• It is stained, torn or otherwise damaged. If it is beyond repair, it should go.
• You no longer love it, or it is out of style.