I love my husband.
I really do.
But if I never have to share a closet with him again I will be the happiest wife on the face of the planet!
Because the truth is, he's not the most organized man or person you'll ever meet. Let's all give him a collective "bless his heart". Bless him. Just bless. ;) Because the man kind of repels organization. And unfortunately for him he married his polar opposite. I'm that "everything has a place" kind of person. And I totally geek out over organizing pretty much anything. We make a great team. ;)
So, being that he's on his own in this house because I don't have to look at his closet which means I won't be straightening and tidying his crazy mess every day #hallelujah, I decided to help him out by starting him off on the right foot. I thought I'd share a few of the things I did to help him get organized because so far he's kept everything looking really great, so I think (emphasis on think) this new system is going to work out really nicely for him. Time will tell I guess, but it's been over a month now, and things are still looking neat and tidy. #winning
As with any organization project I always recommend starting with a thorough purge and sorting session. Before we moved the hubs did a really good closet edit, and he let go of some shirts that were looking a little worse for the wear and a few old pairs of shoes that had passed their prime. So when it was time to unpack and put things away the purging portion had already taken place. All we had to do was sort by category and hang by color.
Something I noticed that he tends to have trouble with is keeping folded clothes stacked neatly. Sweaters and sweatshirts would start out looking great and then they'd be sloppily falling over in no time. So instead of storing those items in his closet he's keeping them in a trunk in our bedroom. Which also made room for him to use the wire shelves for shoe storage keeping the floors clutter free.
*Takeaway - I think it's a good idea to figure out what you have trouble with when it comes to organizing and keeping things tidy. Once you identify your problem areas it makes it easier to figure out solutions that will actually work for you.
Next I knew he'd need a place to stash all of the "stuff" he carries in his pockets, so I brought in a little tray, a small fabric bin and a glass jar. The jar is great for him to deposit all of his loose change, and the fabric bin is great for pocket squares, sunglasses, cufflinks and receipts.
As you can tell I couldn't help but to "pretty" things up in here. Y'all know my feelings regarding wire shelving. I kind of hate it, but replacing it with a nice closet system isn't in the budget right now. There are bigger fish to fry. Instead I brought in a plaid ribbon and looped it through the fronts of the wire shelves in an attempt to disguise them. I think the plaid is just masculine enough for the hubs. He's not a fan of the wire shelving either, so the ribbon is a win for both of us.
*Takeaway - Obviously it's not a necessity at all, but I do think it plays on the psyche when you take the time to decorate an otherwise purely functional space. When you walk into a closet that is not only organized but decorated with the things you love I think it's easier for you to maintain the overall tidiness of the space. It's like motivation to keep your closet orderly. And that mentality applies to men just as much as women. It's a people thing not a gender thing. (At least that's been my experience.)
It not only works as motivation but decorating your closet also makes use of those items you're not quite sure what to do with in your home. We all have stuff like that right? Things we love and don't want to let go of, yet they don't exactly have a "home" in our home. If you have a closet with a large vertical footprint, the top space that you can't easily access is a great spot not only for out of season items but also for "pretties".
*Takeaway - A closet is a personal space that is really just for you to see everyday, so fill it with things that make you happy. Motivational quotes, old photos and postcards......use your closet walls like a bulletin board filling them with all the things that inspire you.
I can't say enough good things about these big, heavy duty canvas bins. They are perfect for keeping casual footwear off the floor which makes it so much easier to vacuum. And a little lesson I've learned thanks to my hub is if you make putting dirty clothes in the hamper a simple and easy task there's a higher chance you'll avoid running into his dirty clothes pile on the bathroom floor.
*Takeaway - Put a hamper in an easy-to-access-can't-miss spot. If they still miss it put a headlight on it or a leg lamp......whatever works to get their attention. ;)
Lastly, cafe rods are absolutely perfect for tie storage......especially for that "unusable" wall behind the closet door. This is probably my hubs favorite thing in his closet as he wears ties quite a bit for work. They're easy to access, and he can see his entire collection in spot.
Organizing is really just about figuring out what will and what won't work for you. It's about creating systems and developing philosophies that coincide with your lifestyle. Typically organizing for someone else doesn't often work too well because we're all so different. That's why it's important to include the person you're organizing for in the decision making process, so that the system you create is perfectly tailored to the person who will be using the space everyday. I think the hubs and I may have actually nailed down a plan that will work for him. And if it doesn't, well, I won't have to look at it everyday.
I'll just keep the door closed. ;)
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