Okay ladies, and no offense men, but most men do not stay or care about organization so it is a constant struggle. I do tell my husband that I will keep spending money on organization systems until I find a system that works for him. This is how I have organized my husband this year. I will talk about his side table and his chest of drawers in the next episode. If you want more details about his closet look me up Fullerton’s Professional Organizing on YouTube or Fullerton’s Pro Organizing on Instagram.
Store folded sweaters on shelves or in a drawer.
Sweaters should be folded to keep them from stretching out while hanging. This method will help them retain their shape and allow you to quickly browse your options plus if they are hung they will have hanger horns in the shoulders that will be seen while you are wearing the sweater. Here in South Texas we do not wear sweaters often. My husband does not own a pull over sweater and mine are folded in a removable cube organizer that I pull out when it is winter time. I trade the summer cube organizer on the top shelf of my closet with the winter cube organizer in the drawers seasonally.
Use drawers for shirts and casual clothes.
My husband has his workout t-shirts and shorts in drawers. I would say Marie Condo folded but who am I kidding they are folded and then rolled up. His rock and roll t-shirts he hangs right out of the washer so that they do not shrink. I did recently place a hanging cube organizer in his closet. This will either be used for his workout clothes or his nicer shoes.
Add extra hanging rods.
Because men typically don’t need full-length hanging sections for items like long formal dresses, men’s closets can maximize vertical space by hanging double rods.
Install the top hanging rod at the top of your closet system, and then install the second hanging rod below the longest item hanging on the top rod. This will likely be about halfway down the system. Now you can fit double the items in the same amount of space!
Hang men’s dress shirts on the top rods and hang men’s pants on the bottom rods. Gather your pants and place them on the bottom rod. This allows you to visualize quickly which pants will go with the tops above.
To keep your pants wrinkle-free, fold the pants lengthwise then fold them over the hanger. You can store both dress pants and more casual pants like jeans in this way.
My husband has lots closet space and drawer space so he has his pants in drawers but he also has hooks in the closet for hanging his jeans by the back belt loop. Jeans are hung and not put in the dryer so they get top rod space to hang in the closet opposite his shirts.
Keep your shoes organized.
I have my husband boots, slip on sandals and yard shoes lined up in the floor of the closet. Right now we have his nicer shoes in a hanging cube organizer. We are not sure if this will stay this way.
Separate seasonal clothing items.
In our case my husband does not have a lot of winter clothes. In the closet we hang the short sleeve shirts and then the long sleeve shirts. On the bottom rod I hand his computer and small travel bags then coats and jackets because it rarely gets cold here. My sweaters, gloves and scarves are in cube bins that I slip in and out seasonally as mentioned above. My short sleeve tops and dresses on the left side of the closet and winter on the other side of the closet. This system can also work for men.
Identify items that you don’t regularly wear, whether they are for a different season or a specific activity. These articles can be placed higher up in the closet. Consider placing them in a bin on a top shelf until you need them.
Add specialized storage for small accessories.
In my husband’s closet I have large bins on the top shelf. There is a bin for all his extra overflow of diabetic items, his childhood memorabilia, extra electronics, extra home improvement, and hunting and fishing item.
We have hooks on the inside of his closet door for belts and regularly worn caps. On the wall on either side of the closet door hooks are used for his 3 ties, hunting caps and hunting back pack. All other accessories like rings and small stuff are kept in a shallow felt lined drawer in his dresser.
A collection of watches, sunglasses, cuff links, and wallets that usually get tossed onto a bedside table can either be place in a dish on a shelf or use a bin inside a drawer to store. This way you know exactly where to find them!
Sort ties for easy access.
When my husband had to wear ties everyday to work we kept his ties on the hook that is now holding his belts and caps on the inside of his closet door. Now we just have 3 ties on a hook inside the closet.
If you wear a tie, special storage accessories like tie hangers are available if you want to store your ties in a hanging section of the closet. Another option is to roll your ties and place them in a drawer.
Either way, consider sorting by solid versus pattern or organizing by color so you can quickly find a tie that suits your look.
Utilize the one year rule.
Once a year I hang all the clothes hangers backwards in his closet. This way I know what he wears and what he does not wear.
If you haven’t worn something in a year, it’s time to donate it to someone in need. This will ensure the item is being used and will help clear out your clutter! It also makes room for new items that fit the latest trends.