Step by Step Plan: DIY Budget Weekend Closet Organization Makeover How To!

Our Mother’s Day Gift: A Weekend Closet Makeover!

I love closets! I love organizing! Just check our Weekend Garage Makeover from last year. Most of all, I love organizing closets. I believe that Boxing Day (the day after Christmas where you box up all your old stuff and give it to your servants to make room for your awesome new stuff) is one of the most important days of the year. If done properly, it can set the tone for the entire following year because what you wear each day so strongly affects how you feel.

On Mondays, after work, I take some time to organize our closet. Josh thinks it’s creepy. In many ways, it is. Even if I don’t see him before he leaves for work, I know what he’s wearing since his shirts are organized by color and I can tell which one’s missing. Supremely creepy!

But onto this weekend’s Weekend Closet Makeover! My mom has the most inefficient closet on Earth. It’s the kind that makes my blood boil at whoever put it together, some home builder in 1976 that thought he’d just put one rod right at eye-level and nothing else. It has the capacity to store about ⅓ of the items that it should be able to store. It’s just one hanging rod, all the way around, at the exact worst height, so you can’t store anything meaningful above or below. And my poor mom has been working with this thing for 30 years. I’m a bad daughter for not righting this wrong much earlier.

So for Mother’s Day 2014, Josh & I gave my mom “One Closet Makeover!” After our wedding and honeymoon, we sort of forgot about it, so my mom had to casually ask if the present would still be delivered. This is the weekend for the makeover! Feng Shui teaches us that you must have your closets and drawers organized in an orderly way that leaves room for more to come into your life. An organized closet simplifies your life, improves your day-to-day wardrobing process by eliminating items that don’t work and letting you see clearly what you have. It makes the process of getting ready more efficient and enjoyable. Use the ten steps below to go from a disorganized, crowded space to an orderly oasis of sartorial bliss.

How to DIY a Weekend Closet Makeover:

Friday

1. Get Rid of Stuff!  

This is the most important step. Seriously. If you don’t love it, get rid of it! If you need to learn how to get rid of things, read Sink Reflections. Get rid of anything you don’t like or haven’t worn in 6 months. Get two bags: trash and Goodwill. If it is stained, discolored or torn, trash it. If it’s in okay shape but doesn’t fit, is the wrong color or hasn’t been worn in six months, straight to Goodwill. Don’t think about it, just do it. I don’t care how much you paid for it, if you donate it the Universe will find you something better at a bargain.

2. Take an Inventory

Once you’ve gotten rid of everything you can possibly get rid of, take an inventory of the items left (that you love). Group them into similar categories. Put all the long items (dresses, coats, etc.) together to estimate how much room you need for a full length rod. Put other like items (work clothes, pants, scarves, etc.) together to plan your design. Count your pairs of shoes to make adequate storage.

3. Make a Plan

Use your best imagination and the help of Pinterest to envision the possibilities, then bring it back to reality and plan a practical design. The clothes you wear most often should be the easiest to get to. Dresses, coats and seasonal clothes can be out of reach. Everything should have a comfortable home and be off the ground.

In general, you’ll want to figure out how many things need to live on a full length rod, then use double rods for the rest of the closet to maximize space. Shelves should go over each rod. Depending on who you are and your wardrobe circumstances, you may want to replace some rod space with shelving. I hate to do this, because it’s proven that the most efficient method to maximize storage space is to hang up as much as possible. Even your jeans. But, if you have a great cashmere sweater collection that must be folded or a ton of shoes, then fine, add yourself some shelves but beware that you’re cutting into hanging territory.

Take a minute to judge the lighting and the mirror situation. Mirrors are the commander in chief of your closet armada. You need a well-lit full length mirror at the very least. Ponder over the lighting for a moment. Replace the bulbs to be brighter and plan where you’re going to add lighting now. Make note of where there are electrical outlets or if you’ll need battery powered lights.

4. Clear Out

You’re ready, get everything out of your closet! Don’t forget to take a “Before” picture though. Pile everything on a guest bed or on the couch, knowing that this is going to take more than one day because the paint has to dry. The unsightliness will motivate you to get everything done in one weekend.

This also includes demolition of the old closet fixtures, which may or may not be extensive. We were able to tear out the old closet rack with a hammer and some brute force, but depending on your situation, you might need additional tools and labor.

5. Paint

Enlist your husband to paint! I mean, paint the closet yourself…? However you do this is just fine and dandy, as long as it gets done and has ample time to dry before installation occurs.

When choosing your color, veer towards a lighter color since closets are often dark, but go crazy and pick out something you love! No one else is your house is going to see it, so it should make you happy every day.

Saturday

6. Measure twice, cut once! 

This is also where a husband comes in handy. I hate measuring and I’m no good at it. You’ll need to measure for the length of rods you need and the shelving space and write it all down on a little drawing of your closet so it makes sense when you’re talking to the nice man at Home Depot. Then go purchase all of the supplies you need and have the nice man cut the rods to size.

Always get wood materials, never plastic or they will break, trust me. I’ve shrieked many a time as all of my clothes came crashing to the floor in crappy apartment closets. Prefinished materials are great if you have the budget means, otherwise, be prepared to paint. Think through all the screws, lights, hooks and everything else you need for your perfect closet. See below to learn what we chose.

7. Install

This is actually the easy part and goes pretty quick, as long as you measured correctly. Make sure you use various articles of clothing on their hangers to gauge where the rods should go to make sure there’s adequate space. Put the top rod as high as you can to still fit what you need to store on a shelf above, then the lower rod around hip level.

8. Finishing Touches

Gadgets, lights and mirrors oh my! Don’t forget the full length mirror, lots of hooks and to finish up by installing more lights. There are SO many fun closet gadgets out there. Take a look at our belt loop, scarf organizer and over the door hanger. These are all from amazon and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sunday

9. Welcome Your Clothes Home

Put your clothes back and admire your hard work. Now is the time to organize by occassion (work vs. weekends) or color if you still have the energy. If you still have the budget, take this time to replace all of your hangers with matching slim ones that won’t damage your clothes, like these, which are $26.99 for 50.

10. Organize & Enjoy! 
Try a few different arrangements to make your closet work. Think about stowing large or out of season items in vaccuum sealed bags under a bed or in the attic. Your new closet should feel spacious, orderly and peaceful. Display your prettiest items where you’ll see them the most and add a sachet or two of lavender for good measure. Congratulate yourself for a deed well done and snap that “After” picture! Happy Hour this evening in your closet? Why not! You deserve it.

Josh receiving the Son-in-Law of the Year Award, 2014!