My Closet Has Been “Purged” – Great Storage Ideas & The Finished Look

Earlier this month I pledged to do some heavy spring-cleaning in my clothes closet. For those who may not be familiar with my “closet,” it is an extra bedroom that we didn’t use, so my husband hung rods and shelves up and it became a huge closet for me. Once that happened though, it seemed like the amount of my clothes multiplied overnight. If there is space, I will fill it. 

My good friend Ashley, and owner of Ashley’s Attic, agreed to come over and help me decide what needed to go because quite frankly, I just had too much. Too much clothes, shoes, jewelry…just too much. Once I had organized everything and saw exactly how much of everything I actually had, I was a bit embarrassed at the excess. There were 161 dresses alone! (Now I have 90 so I did let go of quite a few.)

Once I got started and in the swing of things, I decided to literally go through every single item I owned and ask myself did I love it? Did I need it? Could I live without it? When, if ever, did I wear it last? It was amazing how many things I had held on to even though I may not have worn it in over 3 or 4 or 10 years. 

On April 22nd, Earth Day, I’m happy to say we dropped off over 400 pieces from my closet to Discover Goodwill, which will help others in our community and won’t end up in a landfill. And I personally feel better when I enter my closet and can actually see what I own. It also helps me get dressed quicker. I have vowed for 2018 to not buy one single item without removing something from my closet. I probably won’t stick with it but it’s a thought…ha!

While I purged, I also organized. Everything I used were items I already had around the house so it didn’t cost anything except some time and effort. Here are a few things we did, which will hopefully give you some ideas for your own closets.

Here’s part of my closet once I purged. There is more room on the rods and I can easily see everything. I arranged by colors and sleeve-length. My sweet husband ordered 400 thin velvet hangers for me, which will make everything even more cohesive and keep my clothes from slipping and getting those dents in the shoulders. 

There were a couple of dresses that I will most likely never wear again but didn’t want to get rid so I hung them up as “art.” This way I get some enjoyment out of them every time I see them and they don’t take up any space. If you have room, going up and using empty wall space gives you extra space. You can hang extra shelves, rods, or stack up on an existing shelf.

I don’t have drawers in my closet for items like panties, bras, tights, and socks so instead I used baskets I already owned as containers with little labels I made. My husband had actually offered to buy me a closet island with drawers but they are expensive, bulky, and most likely we’ll downsize at some point and I won’t have a closet like this. So instead I used a long folding table we had in the garage, covered it with a tablecloth, and used the space underneath for my baskets. *I buy most of my baskets at Goodwill or garage sales which saves me a bundle.

What a pile of tights I had! Tangled together, knotted, and some unwearable. About 20 pairs went in the recycling bin and I organized the rest by sorting them and placing them in clear gallon bags labeled with the color and sheerness. Now when I need a pair of black opaque tights, they will be easy to find.

I have shown pictures before of how I store some of my shoes in clear shoeboxes with pictures of the shoes taped on the outside. If you don’t want to go to the expense or time of printing pictures, blue painters tape works great as labels. It’s easy to write on and peels off without any sticky residue. I bought all of my smaller shoeboxes at the Dollar Tree, which most of my shoes easily fit in.

For someone who can never find a belt, I sure did have a ton of belts! After trying each and every single one on, I ended up donating 16 belts! Most of them didn’t fit me or were way too young so out they went. I used tacks to hang my belts up which lets me easily see what I have and doesn’t take up any space since they are flush against the wall. I hung these in the “real” closet of my “closet.” There’s also a clothes rod in front of the belts so if I need space, I can hang clothes and then just push them aside when looking for a belt.

Specialty closet items can be costly so I always try to use everyday items or things I already own. I’d rather spend money on something to wear instead of on storage items. For my scarves, I used pant hangers with clips. Easy to see and reach.

Various glass containers I’ve bought from Goodwill over the years make great jewelry holders. Again, so easy to see, which makes accessorizing much easier and quicker.

I originally had lots of fun pictures hanging on my walls. And while I liked them all, they created a more chaotic look so I took them all down and moved them to other rooms. Now I’m using wall space as display space and I love it. I use tacks which are strong enough to hold necklaces and heavier items, but won’t leave huge holes. When it comes time to repaint this room, it won’t take much to cover the holes I made.

This is by far my most favorite redo I did. We had this screen in our garage, it’s been there for about 10 years, so I decided to use it for my earrings and other things. It works perfectly and it is so easy to see each pair. At first I couldn’t figure out how to hang my hoops but a simple paperclip solved that problem!

This china hutch was a piece we were going to put in a garage sale but instead I use it for my nicer shoes. In the corner is a lamp that I hung a few necklaces on, and again, tacks to hold more jewelry.

My closet has finally been purged in a way it has never been purged! I know that not everyone has the space I do and I know others have more space. But hopefully some of these pictures will give you some ideas on organizing without spending a ton of money. Except for the hangers, which I found on eBay (400 for $130,) I used only items I already owned and most of those came from the Dollar Tree or Goodwill. 

Here’s a site I found useful when trying to come up with clever storage ideas for all my jewelry. Fifty really great ideas for all closet sizes.

www.brokeandhealthy.com/50-fun-ways-to-hang-your-jewelry

And if you’re in the Colorado Springs area, check out Ashley’s consignment store located downtown. 

www.facebook.com/ashleysatticcoloradosprings/