Whether your wardrobe is small or a massive walk-in, it’s important to make the most out of what you have. Having an organised wardrobe is possible; you don’t need to spend a fortune on custom built wardrobes to get the job done.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Emma from Home Organise by Emma and asked her all the questions you want to know about how best to organise your wardrobe and here is what she said...
What are you top tips for decluttering clothes?
Tackling a whole wardrobe can be quite overwhelming so break it down by going though one category at a time, for example start with your t shirts, then go on to jeans, etc, you will make good progress with each session & still feel motivated to carry on over time. When you are looking through your clothes, take out anything that doesn’t fit or make you feel good! Ask yourself when the last time you wore an item was & if you would buy it again now?
What do you think is the quickest way to get rid of clothes without being wasteful?
There are so many ways to avoid being wasteful, a fave app of mine is Olio, its a place where you can share your preloved items with other people within your community, there is of course charity shops & charity collection services. There are also companies such as Thrift plus where you can request a bag in the post to be sent to you, you fill it and send it back! You also have the option of selling your clothes on places like Vinted & Depop. It always pays to do a little research before decluttering so that you get an idea of where & what you can do with the items leaving your home.
How do you organise a small wardrobe?
You have to be realistic about the space you have, which means you cannot over fill it! I’ll always start by using velvet slimline hangers, they honestly are the best thing for space saving when hanging clothes! I also love to use baskets on shelves to contain smaller items & add dividers into drawers to maximise the space & make use of the bottom of the wardrobe too by adding open baskets. The key to any space is to reduce the visual clutter and that definitely applies in a small wardrobe too.
Tips for a shared wardrobe?
I would be looking at zoning the space here to ensure that things do not get messed up or start creeping into the other persons space! You might want to separate by using different coloured hangers and have a divider in between sections. Labelling shelves or baskets is a must & trying to keep areas categorised so that both people know where their space is!
How to make the most of the space when you have an adult sized wardrobe for baby clothes?
Depending on the layout you could add an extra hanging rail in to double the amount of hanging space, again use baskets on shelves or at the bottom of the wardrobe to categorise and contain different items, but think about perhaps storing more here than just clothes, perhaps you could have a “nursery” in the wardrobe where blankets, nappies, wipes & accessories live too, this could free up space in the rest of the room!
How do you suggest storing seasonal clothing / Items?
If you want to do a seasonal swap over & have that as a system you have to make sure you have the space to do so, I like to use Ikea transparent storage bags, I store items in categories for example: holiday clothes, summer clothes, bikinis & beachwear, summer shoes etc - Its also good to add a “travel” category so that anytime you are going away you can just grab your bag and take what you need! Bare in mind that winter clothes are a lot heavier & bulkier than summer clothes so you may need extra space for them!
What should you do with items you want to keep for now, but don’t wear / use them regularly?
This is definitely a common question & for many reasons we may want to hold on to items, however, I would take them out of the wardrobe & put them somewhere else, after a while you revisit them and see if you actually want to keep them. By putting them somewhere else out of sight it will also help you to see if you do go to wear them or even think about wearing them!
How should you store small accessories in your wardrobe?
Use baskets! They’re great for keeping smaller items together, whether thats little jewellery boxes, bags and belts or anything else - it will help to keep them all contained.
Should you use storage boxes / baskets in your wardrobe and if so, when?
Yes absolutely, I use them all the time in clients wardrobes and in my own. If you find a shelf gets out of control and you can’t keep it tidy, thats a good indicator to add a basket in, the reason I like to do so is because they act like drawers on shelves, use one that has a handle on the front so it’s easy to pull out. They work to keep things contained, tidy & they help to give the wardrobe a calm, organised look!
Emma is a wonderful and experienced professional organiser. She can help you to declutter your clothes and show you how to maximise the use of space in your wardrobe. If you have any questions, please contact Emma via her website www.homeorganisebyemma.com or email emma@homeorganisebyemma.com. You can also find her on instagram @homeorganisebyemma for organisation inspo and tips.
1 comment
hi there do you have any products / recommendations for storing small ish handbags preferably clear so I can see which bags they are! Many Thanks Helen