Faith Style

A messy closet is depressing. Be nice to your clothes. Don’t shove or cram things into your closet. How will you ever know what you have if you can’t see or find anything? In the words of Jacqui Ripley in The Makeover Book (Piatkus 2004), “It’s said that clutter stresses us out by creating visual noise. The same can be said for an overstuffed wardrobe.” Everyone has their own method of madness so organize accordingly. Pick a style that works for you and your lifestyle. I’ll share my tips with you, hopefully you’ll pick up a trick or two that will make your closet function a bit more efficiently.

Now that you’ve detoxed your closet of all the stuff that was holding you back this step will be much easier to work through. You’ll need approximately 2-3 hours after you have all your tools to make a closet you can be proud of.

Step 1

• Keep clothes organized by categorizing them. For example, on the clothing rod, keep jeans hung together, dresses together, skirts together and dress shirts together.
• Assign specific drawers by category. For example, t-shirts only, lounge clothes, or pajamas.
• Arranging clothes by the same color is also helpful and time-saving.

*Faithful Tip: Hangers can sometimes leave bumps and humps on your sweaters and shirts. Here are some of my secrets: Never hang sweaters; they will easily sag and loose shape. When it comes to hanging your blouses and shirts there is only one rule to live by: NO WIRE HANGERS. They can do tremendous damage to the shape and life of your clothing. As soon as clothing is returned from the dry cleaners make sure to immediately remove it from the hanger. The hangers can be collected and returned to your cleaners to be used again (which is better for the environment). I use wooden hangers, because they follow the slope of your shoulder and is the best at retaining your clothing’s shape.

Step 2

Talking about sweaters, make sure all your knits are clean. Because of their weaves and bulk, sweaters can provide hiding places for bugs. Dry clean them once or twice a season. If your still not sure if your knits are insect-free between cleanings place the pieces into large plastic freezer bags, seal and store them in your freezer for two days. This will kill anything.

Stack all your sweaters into piles such as work, weekend and evening. Putting bulkier sweaters on the bottom. You can use canvas storage boxes for a decorative approach or crochet bins to hide your hoodies that tend not to fold very nicely. Add a moth ball or two to your boxes, bins or drawers – they have an excellent reputation for eliminating insect damage to clothes and other stored items.

*Faithful Tip: Avoid snagging other knits by wrapping a layer of tissue paper around any tops that feature beads or embellishment.

Step 3: Untangling Your Underthings

• Sort lingerie by silhouette, colour or function (everyday, dressy, occasional).
• Keep go to items in the front of your drawer, everything else should go in the back.
• Stack molded and padded bras flat – never fold cups inside one another because this can cause the fabric to ripple over time. The only exception is for non-padded and underwire bras.
• Store your bra & panties in silk-lined boxes (that way the corners won’t snag delicate fabrics) helping to divide your drawer in sections.

*Faithful Tip: Adding drawer sachets will create a beautiful scent to your pretty undergarments. Or tuck an unlit scented candle in the back of the drawer.

Step 4: Sole-Searching

My shoes are one of my most prized wardrobe possessions. I think you can tell a lot about a person by the type of shoes their wearing and in what condition there in.

• Protect & Preserve, prior to slipping into a new pair of your shoes spray them with the proper cleaning agents to ensure they are fit for the season. A stain guard is perfect for leather and a suede brush will keep your suede looking brand new. You don’t want to seal in dirt or marks so be diligent and make sure that gets done before your foot hits the pavement.
• Keep a bag of baby wipes in your bag or car in case you get hit with some dirt on your trek. It is the perfect solution for a quick clean.
• I keep all my shoes in clean plastic bins, it is quick and easy for me to pick out a pair in the morning. It also helps to protect my footwear such as suedes, exotic skins and embellishments from dust or damage.
• Cedar blocks or cedar shoe trees combat odor and absorb moisture.
• Use boot shapers to help ensure your knee highs are in pristine condition. Another solution would be to use old rolled magazine.
• Carry a shoe-polish pen to conceal scratches on the go.

*Faithful Tip: For your pointy shoes, have your shoe-repair man shave cedar shoe trees to fit snugly into shoes. This will prevent tips from turning upward with wear.

Step 5: Stashing Bags, Jewels & More…

• Use hooks to hang on the back of your closet door for belts or scarves.
• Stuff purses and bags with paper to keep their shape.
• Use bookends to keep purses and bags from falling over.
• Clear containers also work well for mid-to-small purses and clutches.
• Install vintage hooks to hang your fabulous jewelry.

Step 6: Personal Touch

• Think bold colours.
• Think great patterns.
• Think lighting, maybe a chandelier or crystal pendants.
• Think smell, adding your favourite scents.
• Think YOU. What would make you happy? What would cause you to gush when you opened your newly re-designed closet?

A great resource for spiffing up your space is The Solutions Store with a ton of great little things to make your closet especially well kept. Visit your nearest Ikea…picking up colourful storage options adds some personality to your closet. Adding your personal touch to your wardrobe just as you would the rest of your house will give you an overwhelming feeling of happiness every time you open those closet doors.