When you’re done with your skeletons, you may want to look at what else is hiding in your closet. Because sweeping, swabbing, vacuuming and disinfecting the house on the daily is one thing, but to actually have the time to do a deep cleaning when you have no houseguests to impress and are far from Diwali-related deadlines—that’s another lockdown exclusive.
If you’ve been wondering why cleaning up feels like such a stress-buster, it’s because it is. It makes you feel more in control, and the less clutter you see, the more at ease your brain feels.
Closet Oraginising Hacks That Work
From Mari Kondo-ing the clothes that don’t spark joy to hanging up the accessories you casually tossed into drawers months ago without thinking, here are some expert tips on how to reorganise your closet (and pass even more time in quarantine).
LET GO
Of all the clothes don’t spark joy. The swathes of fabric you’ve been meaning to get stitched into new outfits for years by the neighbourhood tailor. The shirt with the stain that’s never going to go away. Anything you haven’t worn in the last six months. And what we call the ‘thin cupboard’—clothes you’ve been telling yourself you’ll fit into again, but it’s been two decades since graduation and look, why do you want such a stressful reminder every time you open the cupboard door? Put it all into a box to hand it down to someone who can use it, or your favourite charity (there are several).
CATEGORISE BY TYPE
If you have multiple shelves, dedicate them to types of clothing. (If you realise through the process that you don’t, make notes for Hipcouch to take a look at later!) Put your tops with tops, bottoms with bottoms, ties with ties, blazers with blazers, pants with pants, shoes with shoes…you get the drift. If you have things you only ever wear in a fixed set, keep them close together. Keep a separate shelf/pile of nightclothes and workout gear; seasonal clothing (winter-wear, wedding ensembles) is best tucked away into the less accessible shelves since you don’t need them every day. This way, the next time you open your cupboard, you’ll not only know where everything is, but you’ll also be able to mix and match elements for your wardrobe more easily.
COLOUR CODE
Really want to get into it? Colour code your wardrobe like they do in the stores (who knows when we’ll walk into one of those again!). Left to right, light to dark, so you can go straight for the mood you’re in when you’re confused about what to wear.
HANG(ER) IN THERE
Over time—between dry cleaners returning your clothes, keeping the ones that come free with purchases, and some that we “accidentally” pick up from hotels on our way out—our cupboards start collecting hangers of different sizes and shapes. An assortment of steel and plastic, blue, yellow, black, white, full and half. But there’s something oddly calming about having uniformity here. Get a set in a single tone (we like wood, black or white for being the least distracting), hang up everything you own on them, throw out (donate) the rest.
ACCESSORISE YOUR CLOSET
Wardrobe essentials include a ton of accessories that fall off, slip through the cracks, get tangled up, and generally heap into a mess. Get yourself some drawer inserts/dividers, jewellery organisers, wicker baskets as storage boxes, and tie/belt/scarf racks. Purses can be hung up on hooks or, if you don’t have the space, store them away with inserts (DIY tip: stuff them with crumpled balls of newspaper) so they don’t get squashed. If you have hats, and the space, a hat rack is a great way to put your prized possessions on display and help keep their form intact.
KEEP IT FRESH
Hang up a little bag of homemade potpourri to keep your clothes smelling fresh. Or simply soak a couple of cotton balls in your favourite perfume or essential oils and place them in the corners of your cupboard (these need to be refreshed every four weeks or so). If you have wooden hangers, you can give them a quick spray directly as well. For a visual treat, give one of your investment pieces pride of place in the cupboard, or add a quirky art piece.
Once you’ve organised your closet, remember to pay attention to the way you put things back into it to minimise how often you need a full reset!