When my kids were young, I would organize their closets twice a year to switch out their clothes for the seasons. I don’t do that anymore! I wised up and decided to teach my older kid how to organize their closet.
It’s such a relief to get help with this! I still guide them, but they do all the work!
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I know what you’re probably thinking.
Would they organize their closets if I didn’t insist?
Absolutely not!
Do they keep their closets organized?
For a while!
Then, slowly but surely, their closet starts to look like this!
the before pictures
If you look closely, you’ll notice that his hanging clothes look nice!
The problem is the clutter on the top shelf and top of the plastic storage drawers.
And the clutter on the floor of the left side of his closet.
Now it’s time to clear the clutter and get this closet organized!
But first, let’s talk about the importance of teaching your kids to do this themselves.
Why teach an older kid how to organize a closet?
Life skills
It’s your job as a parent to teach your kid life skills! Having a clean and organized home is an important skill to teach them. Some day your kids will grow up and move out, and they need to know how to clean and set up their place!
instills Respect
Teach your kids to respect their property. If they are fortunate to have plenty of clothes to wear, they have a lot to be thankful for! Keeping clothes clean and organized teaches them respect.
Reduces stress
An organized closet makes it easy to find the outfit you are looking for and reduces everyday stress.
teach your older kid the 6/P Strategy
We have an easy 6-step strategy your child can follow to organize their closet!
Each step starts with the letter “P”: prep, purge, polish, personalize, place, and put back!
Here’s an explanation of each step!
1) PREP
Locate the following items:
Find a trash bag, cardboard box, and two laundry hampers.
2) PURGE
Remove all items from the closet and place each in one of the following categories:
- Trash-Throw worn-out items and trash in the trash bag
- Donate-place any items that you no longer use but are in great shape in the box to be donated
- Relocate-Place any items that don’t belong in the closet in laundry hamper # 1
- Replace-Place clothes on the bed and put other items that need to stay in the closet in laundry hamper #2
3) POLISH
Clean the closet from top to bottom.
4) PERSONALIZE
It’s time to decide how you will organize the closet based on your personal needs. Answer the following questions:
1) What will go back in the closet? How will you group like items together?
2)How will you contain items? Will you make or purchase containers?
5) PLACE
It’s time to put the closet back together!
- Trash-discard in your garbage can
- Donate-Don’t procrastinate, take the items to your local donation center right away!
- Relocate-take laundry hamper #1 and deliver items to the room they belong in
- Replace-place everything back in the closet in its new designated spot.
6) PUT BACK
Remember, if you don’t put each item back in its appropriate place after each use, you will end up with a cluttered mess again!!
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Tips for Organizing clothes in a Closet
Are you ready to see how G organized his closet??
I’m so excited for you to see the transformation!
Prioritize clothes in the closet
The problem with my son’s closet was not his clothes!
The clutter was building up because he was storing other items in his closet.
I told him he should prioritize his clothes, and then if there was still room, he could contain other items in the closet!
So let’s talk about how to store clothes in a closet!
INSIST THEY TRY CLOTHES ON TO MAKE SURE THEY FIT
If your older kids are into clothes and fashion, they know exactly how each piece of clothing fits them!
If they’re anything like my boys, they may not know or care, lol!
My son said he thought some of his sweatpants were too short!
I told him to try on items he was not sure fit!
Then, he put the clothes that did not fit and items he rarely wears into the donation box!
Group like items
G made a decision to divide his clothes into two categories, business casual for work and casual for every day.
He decided to use the left side of the closet for work clothes and the right for his everyday clothes.
Next, he hung all the shorts together. Then came t-shirts, you get the idea!
USE VERTICAL SPACE
Use the vertical space between the hanging clothes and the floor.
You can use hanging shelves and plastic storage drawers to fill these spaces!
G does not have a dresser in his room, so the drawers come in handy!
The drawers hold his underwear, socks, summer pajamas, and swimwear.
Make drawer dividers
We have a budget-friendly way to organize drawers!
Grab some duct tape and a piece of cardboard.
Cut the cardboard to fit and tape it in place!
So simple but functional!
use MATCHING HANGERS
If it’s in your budget, purchase matching hangers for the closet.
If the closet is small, purchase the slimmest hangers you can find.
We purchased plastic hangers for the boys when they went to college.
The pants hangers came with the clothes we purchased!
store out-of-season clothes
G used vertical hanging shelves to store sweatpants, sweatshirts, and winter pajamas.
He’s storing baseball caps in the side pockets.
Here in Florida we rarely need winter coats, hats, or gloves.
However, there are a few days a year we are glad to have them.
It’s best to store them out of the way!
G put his winter coat behind the vertical hanging shelves.
Then he put a hat, gloves, and scarf in a storage cube on the top shelf.
ADD STORAGE CUBES TO THE TOP SHELF
These storage cubes fit perfectly on the top shelf!
They hold winter items, hats, and video game accessories.
Bring in a laundry hamper
Put a laundry hamper in the closet, so kids won’t be tempted to throw dirty clothes on the floor!
Sentimental Items
All of the clothes are in the closet!
There is space on the left side where he can store other things.
G is an artist and stores his artwork inside a portfolio that will fit behind his laundry basket!
Like most of us, he has some sentimental items he no longer needs to display but is not ready to part with at this time.
He is storing the items in small Home Depot moving boxes. They work great stacked in the corner.
Now his closet is completely organized!
Wow! He did a fabulous job!
Since he worked so hard to get it this way, I think he will do a much better job of keeping it organized!
Only time will tell!
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Blessings, Donna and Rich
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More home organization inspiration
- Easy Tips to Organize a Kids Bedroom and Closet
- How to Organize a Master Closet on a Budget
- Simple Solutions to Organize a Master Bedroom
- 5 Secrets to Maintain an Organized Living Room
- Master Bathroom Organization Made Easy
Items to help you organize a closet
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Such an important life skill to teach your child!
I agree! Thanks and have a great week!
Fantastic idea. They did a great job and you can see the respect they have. Well done!
Thanks! Hopefully, he’ll do a better job of putting things back since he did all the work! Only time will tell! Happy day, Donna
This is such a useful skill for anyone. I love that you had shared this.
Thank you, Carol! I think it’s very important to teach our kids life skills like organizing! Many people become overwhelmed with clutter and don’t know how to deal with it! Have a great day!
This is such a useful post. Kids really need this skill!
Thank you! Organization skills do not come naturally to many people, so it is important to teach your kids the basics!
Great post! Having raised three sons I always drove home the importance of being tidy!
I can relate, I have three sons as well! Thanks and have a great week!
What a great organization project for summer! These skills are so important to teach our children. Thank you for sharing!
I think Summer is the perfect time to organize kids’ bedrooms and closets! They are out of school and can begin to learn organizing skills! Thanks!