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Organizing Closets for Back-To-School
Do school mornings at your house resemble a scavenger hunt for one tennis shoe, a soccer uniform, and a shirt that matches a favorite pair of pants? Organizing closets for Back-to-School involves making some simple and inexpensive changes that will ease the school morning rush.
The First Step
August is the perfect time to go through closets and drawers. Evaluate each item. If it doesn't fit, you didn't wear it in the last year, or you no longer love it, bid it adieu to make room for something new and more stylish. At this time of year, consignment shops want your gently worn fall and winter clothes from the last 2-3 years. Call now to set up an appointment since their schedules are booked quickly. Making the appointment will also give you a deadline for having the job done. Don't take it personally if a shop doesn't accept all your clothes; take whatever isn't selected to your favorite charity. Don't take anything back home!
Your kids will definitely have some too-small togs to cast off. Make closet cleaning a family activity and use the experience to teach your children about helping others by donating outgrown clothing to charity. If you receive cash for any of their clothing, you may want to consider splitting the money with the child.
The Cure for Morning Madness
- Throw out your mismatched hangers and purchase heavy-duty plastic or wooden hangers. Using these will significantly decrease hanger tangling and give closets an immediate feeling of order. Thicker hangers help clothes retain their shape and give each garment more horizontal space, keeping wrinkles to a minimum. Move empty hangers to a separate section as clothing is removed.
- Turn all hanging garments in the same direction for easy identification.
- Arrange garments into a few categories; for example, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, casual shirts, dress shirts, pants, long and short skirts. You can even arrange each subsection by color if you wish. If you have young children learning to handle getting dressed on their own, try grouping outfits together. For folded items, group categories in specific drawers, baskets, or some other organizational bin.
- To maintain this new order install a valet bar or other "staging area" in the closet. Move new or freshly laundered garments piece-by-piece from the valet bar to its designated hanging section.
Once You're Organized
Choosing outfits several days in advance makes school mornings go more smoothly for everyone. Designate hanging space or shelves where each day's outfit goes. Encourage teens to take on the responsibility of making sure their favorite outfits or sports uniforms are laundered in a timely fashion. And it certainly doesn't hurt that kids will learn some planning and organizational skills in the process.
The transition from summer to fall and into the new school year can be stressful for everyone. If you need help preparing for the Back-to-School blitz, a professional organizer can help you take the chaos out of your mornings.
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