Posted By: elizabeth_mayhew on

Thursday, May 17th, 2007, 7:46 pm

Day 5: The Sole (and accessory) patrol

We all have our favorite accessories...some of us are shoe and bag people, others scarf and hat people (maybe you love them all!), but organizing the bits and pieces can be overwhelming. Begin by assessing what you have the most of and make sure you choose a storage solution that maximizes space.

Your assignment:

-Move any snow boots, rain boots, or other "outdoor" type of shoes to your front hall closet (or mud room if you are lucky enough to have one); restrict what goes in your clothes closet to dress shoes only.

-Group together shoes of like colors and styles.

-If you are keeping your shoeboxes, attach a digital picture or Polaroid of what's inside and tape it to the front of the box. Alternatively, invest in clear shoeboxes with drawer-front pulls; they allow you to see what's inside and easily access your shoes.

-Hang a canvas shoe bag on the back of your closet door (if you haven't already done so). You can stuff the pockets with shoes, tights, socks, and underwear.

-Use clear boxes or labeled canvas boxes to store scarves, hats, and other accessories.

-Attach sweater dividers to shelves to keep handbags organized and upright. Also group handbags by color and type.

-If you are short on shelf space, store underwear, tights, or socks in a hanging lingerie bag.

-Classic belt hangers with multiple hooks are a good solution for hanging camisoles, bras, or scarves.

Things you might need:

Clear stacking shoeboxes
http://containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=154&PRODID=59729

Canvas shoe bag
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_5/601-6001445-6343326?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0006ZP6OE

Sweater dividers
http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog/product_display.jsp?searchParam=LV&pdId=2099&addOn=783&categoryId=&catTree=&clearance=&sid=eas

Hanging lingerie bag
http://containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=160&PRODID=10011713

Belt hanger

Time you will save:

How many times have you stood in front of the mirror wishing you could find a particular pair of shoes, handbag, or scarf? You could waste up to 10 minutes trying to properly accessorize an outfit. Imagine if you did this once a week, that is 40 minutes a month, and almost 500 minutes a year! Think of all the scarves you could knit in that time!

Posted By: elizabeth_mayhew on

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007, 7:09 pm

If you don't have a dresser, then you have to find a way to squeeze everything -- gym clothes, pajamas, sweaters, t-shirts, etc. into your closet.

Your assignment:

-Group like items and colors together (you will all of a sudden realize how many black sweaters you actually have).

-Any sweaters, including the heavy winter ones should be removed from hangers and folded (hangers will ruin the shape of sweaters over time).

-Store sweaters on shelves in manageable sized stacks using sweater dividers to keep them from turning into leaning towers of Pisa.

-If you have room on your closet pole, install a hanging canvas sweater bag to give you extra space to store folded items. Alternatively you can invest in clear front stacking drawers or chest.

-Keep items you use frequently at eye level or below and those items you rarely use high or out of reach.

-Labeled boxes are good for storing things like bathing suits or turtlenecks because you can rotate them higher or lower in your closet depending on the season.

Things you might need:

Sweater dividers
http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog/product_display.jsp?searchParam=LV&pdId=2099&addOn=783&categoryId=&catTree=&clearance=&sid=eas

Canvas sweater bag
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/20259_hanging-canvas-sweater-bag.htm

Clear storage drawers or chest
http://containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=271&PRODID=69701

http://containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=10015491&CATID=62561

Canvas storage boxes
http://containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71230&PRODID=60432

Time you will save:

Think of all the times you have gone to grab a cableknit from the middle of a stack of sweaters only to have the whole stack come tumbling down. You then have to waste 10 minutes refolding the lot. Also think of all the times you have searched for your favorite t-shirt -- it can be as time consuming as finding a needle in a haystack. By properly dividing and folding your clothes in your closet you can save about 10 minutes a week getting dressed, or 40 minutes a month.

Posted By: elizabeth_mayhew on

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007, 8:25 pm

It's time to deal with the hanging portion of your closet.

Your assignment:

-Begin by removing all wire hangers and plastic drycleaner bags (they aren't good for your clothing because they don't allow fabrics to breathe and they keep all of the chemicals used in dry cleaning in your clothes.)

-Invest in the right kind of hanger for the type of clothing you are hanging. Use padded hangers for items made from delicate fabrics like silks and organza. Plastic hangers work well for button-down shirts. Use sturdy wood hangers for suit jackets (they will help retain the shape of the items). If you have the room, hang pants from the cuff on pant hangers (this will help keep the crease). If space is a big issue, buy swing-arm pant hangers that can hold up to 5 pairs of pants.

-Hang like types of clothing together i.e. long skirts, short skirts, dress pants, suits, dresses, evening clothes, shirts, etc. Also group like colors within each type of clothing i.e. all white shirts, all blue shirts, all pink shirts etc.

-Hang a second pole (see double-hang closet pole below) from your existing pole to maximize vertical hanging space. This is particularly helpful if you have lots of separates like shirts, skirts, and jackets as opposed to long dresses that need longer hanging space.

-Create instant hanging space in your closet with an over-the-door hook rack. Use it as a catchall or a place to set aside an outfit the night before to save time in the morning.

Things you might need:

Swing-arm pant hanger

Padded hangers

Plastic hangers

Suit hangers

Skirt hangers

Pant hangers

Double-hang closet rod

Double-hand closet rod

Over-the-door-hook

Time you will save:

I always like my closet to look like a boutique where clothes are organized by color and type. That way, I can find what I need and I feel as though I am shopping every morning! Wouldn't you like to take the 5 minutes you could save every morning (25 minutes a week) and do some real shopping?

Posted By: elizabeth_mayhew on

Monday, May 14th, 2007, 7:03 pm

Now that you have everything out, it's time to assess the layout of your closet.

Your assignment:

-You need to figure out about how much hanging, folding and storage space you need, then take measure of the space that you actually have.

-You will need to use backs of doors, floor space, and all interior wall space as much as possible -- especially if you live in an older home, where closet space is a rare commodity.

-It's possible that no matter how much you try to edit and organize, you just have too much stuff to fit in your closet. If that's the case, then you need to resort to a seasonal system; rotate your fall/winter clothes with your spring/summer clothes. Covered clothing racks can be filled with out of season clothes and kept in your attic or basement or under your bed.

Things you might need:

Covered clothing storage

Plastic storage bins

Time you will save:

By weeding out your clothes and even paring down those you keep in your closet, you will be able to get dressed more easily because you will be able to see what you have. Just think how long it can take you to find a specific pair of black pants (chances are that you, like most women, have 10 pairs of black pants)...it can be as much as 10 minutes! You could spend those 10 minutes blow-drying your hair so you don't have to throw it in a ponytail AGAIN.

Posted By: elizabeth_mayhew on

Friday, May 11th, 2007, 8:01 pm

Hope you were able to tune into the Today show on Monday, May 14!

Challenge Coach and lifestyle expert Elizabeth Mayhew shared her advice for organizing your closets. She unveiled a full week's worth of doable daily step-by-step assignments.

Week 4, Day 1: Research and Edit:

-Before you begin ripping apart your closet, call your local churches, schools, and organizations to find out if they will pick up your items or go to a search engine and type in "donate clothes" and the town you live in and many different options will come up to choose from. (This step is very important; there is nothing worse than having a bunch of unwanted clothes in a pile or garbage bag cluttering up your room. Also you don't want to risk having anything work its way back into your closet.)

-Organizing is all about editing. Start by taking stock of what you really wear, not what you THINK you MAY wear one day when it comes back in style (or when you lose those 10 lbs).

-Enlist a friend to help; she can often be a better judge as to whether you should keep or get rid of something.

-My general rule of thumb is if I haven't worn something in a year or two then I get rid of it. Also if I buy something, I get rid of something.

-Make three piles: Keep; Donate; Toss.

Time you will save:

Today is an investment in the whole; it's your first step to getting control of your closet. Going through your closet is time-consuming but think of it as an investment in the future - a future of no-hassle dressing. By the time you are finished you should be able to shave 5 minutes off of your dressing routine and hopefully find outfits and accessories that you forgot you had. Maybe that's 5 minutes you can spend contemplating something new for your Spring wardrobe?

Other assignments coming up this week in "Get Control of Your Closet:"

Day 2: Maximize space
Day 3: Hang it all up
Day 4: Fold it all up
Day 5: The sole (and accessory) patrol