I am a self professed clean freak.  I'm not sure when it started.  When I was younger my room was always a mess, but when we moved in the summer of '96 things changed.  At first I thought it was because I had more space.  Then, I thought since I was blessed with such a big, spacious room I should take care of it (see my previously post on my beloved room here).  Before I knew it, my room was the cleanest room in the house.  Most everything was always in its place.  Even when I left for college I would clean my room before I left to make sure it was spotless when I returned.

While in college I went through a brief phase of disorderliness.  I tried to not be so obsessed with cleaning.  Everyone experiments in college, right?

Now as an adult with a place of my own, I feel it is my responsibility to keep it clean and orderly.  I have embraced my inner "Monica" and no longer fight my urges to be "normal." 

This obsession does not exclude my closet.  I've always had large closets with plenty of space.  Unfortunately my current apartment has one average sized closet that I also have to share with my husband.  I've had to be creative in organizing my clothes and shoes.  My closet in our previous apartment was a small room (my favorite room), so the transition of down-sizing was a challenge.  There are a few rules I live by when it comes to closet organization. 

**  Match all hangers.  I have found that a closet looks more uniform if all (or at least most) of the hangers match.   
**  Organize by season.  If out of season items are out of sight, this will help with picking out what to wear in the current season. 
**  Categorize.  For example:  all of my pants, skirts, tanks, dresses and tops are hanging together.  If I'm looking for a specific thing, I know exactly where it is. 
**  Organize by color.  This not only makes the closet look cleaner and organized, but it also helps with picking out what to wear.
**  If its out of sight, it will be out of mind.  Meaning I try to display items (especially shoes) where I can see them.  When I don't see them, I don't wear them and end up forgetting I even have them.
**  Keep similar items together.  All shoes, bags, etc. stay together.

 

{Shopping in my closet.}

Obviously I'm not a professional organizer, I just do these things to help myself stay sane.  Another thing I do is keep a trend board in my closet.    This is a cork board with outfits that I like.  These are from magazines, store windows, and other media.  This gives me inspiration on what to wear if I'm having trouble picking out something to wear.  I've done this for years and it seems to help on those days when I can't decide what to wear.  It is also a way to wear things you already own in a new way.

{ Trend board complete with items that make me smile.}