What does your closet look like? If it’s like many closets, a quick glance around will show laundry baskets overflowing with clothes, shoes strewn on the floor, clothes stuffed around racks, and ties and belts squeezed in wherever they can fit.

Creating a well-organized closet will make it easier to find clothes, and in turn, will make getting dressed in the morning easier, buying you an extra five minutes to relax with a cup of coffee before work.

Whether you live in a house or a downtown Ann Arbor condominium, you can tap your closet’s potential and bring order to the chaos. Take a look around your closet and note what you are storing there- clothes, shoes, books, purses, wrapping paper, the paperweight Aunt Millie gave you for your wedding. Label three laundry baskets with “donate,” off-season” and “special-occasion.”

Sort through your clothes and other items and get rid of anything you haven’t used in the last year, unless it is a special item that is meant to only be used on rare occasions, such as a formal evening gown. Put the special occasion items aside, as these will be the items that go into the least-accessible part of the closet, as they are used the least. Donate any items that don’t fit, are out of style, or you just aren’t fond of anymore. Someone will enjoy having it, and you’ll get a tax write off in exchange.

If you live in a climate with multiple seasons, place your off-season clothes aside, as these will be moved to the back of the closet for storage until they come into season. Pack up sweaters, wool pants, heavy bedding, and other bulky items into airtight bags that seal shut. Not only do these save space, they also keep items safe from moths and dust. Make sure clothes are clean before being put away.

Once you have sorted through your closet’s contents, take a look at what type of storage you need. If you have lots of shirts, dresses, skirts and pants, hanging racks are a must. Shelves are good for storing sweaters, t-shirts, jeans and pajamas. Kits for do-it-yourself closets can be found at home warehouses near your Ann Arbor home, such as Ikea and Home Depot. You can also hire a contractor specializing in closets, such as California Closets, to build your closet for you. Whether you design your closet yourself or hire someone to do it for you, ensure that the type of storage you install fits your needs. Check out closet designs online to brainstorm about storage ideas.

Once your closet is ready to be filled, purchase a set of matching hangers made of plastic or wood. The hangers that come with dry cleaning are flimsy and can cause pulls in the clothing’s shoulder area. Arrange your hanging shirts by sleeve length, and then by color. Fold cotton shirts instead of hanging them, and the weight of the shirt will cause shoulder “dimples” from hangers. Hang pants, arranging them by weight. Hang suit separates together, either on the hanger, or next to each other, so it’s easy to grab the set without hunting for the matching jacket or pair of pants.

Purchase clear plastic storage bins to store shoes in. Each pair of shoes should have its own box. Tape a digital picture of the shoe and tape it to the end of the box, so you can tell at a glance which pair is in the box. Larger plastic boxes are great for storing small purses, belts and scarves.

Mount a small hook on the closet wall to hang dry cleaning or a freshly-ironed shirt on to keep it handy. Hang a large full-length mirror on the closet door to make it easy to check out your outfit. Your newly-organized closet will make getting dressed each day a breeze!

Image courtesy of Flickr: Ruth L