House & Garden

How to streamline your wardrobe – and reduce stress!

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
As some of you know, I am the Rebecca Bloomfield (Confessions of a shopaholic) of Melbourne (well, according to my best friend) and my wardrobe and drawers are full of clothing and accessories.
I was looking for a pair of my favourite shoes last weekend and I had to pull heaps of stuff out of my wardrobe to find them… let’s just say that the bedroom looked like a clothes/shoe bomb had hit it! I was worried one of the kids would get lost in the clothing jungle that was now my bedroom.
Once I shoved everything back in, I had a light bulb moment, I wouldn’t of spent so much time and effort trying to find my shoes (and then cleaning it up) if everything was organised!! Everything else in the house is organised and scheduled (especially the kids!), so should my wardrobe! But like most mums, I haven’t had the time to even contemplate organising my wardrobe until now.
Everything else in the house is organised and scheduled (especially the kids!), so should my wardrobe! But like most mums, I haven’t had the time to even contemplate organising my wardrobe until now.
 I might even find some clothes/ shoes I had forgotten about (and get rid of some nasty fashion faux pas!).
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Now my mission is to totally transform my wardrobe….. But how do I go about doing it?
Thanks to the lovely people at Howard’s Storage World, we have listed their 10 tips for an organised wardrobe.
Top 10 Tips for an Organised Wardrobe
Organise your wardrobe in three key stages: Plan, sort, store.
Plan
1. What do you want to achieve by organising your wardrobe? Set yourself a goal – do you want to create space for more items, cut the clutter, make it easier to access items?
Sort
2. Start by taking absolutely everything out of your wardrobe. Sort items into four piles: keep, throw, not sure and give away. After you have completed this, go back to the ‘not sure’ pile and sort through this pile again – remember, if you haven’t worn something for two years, you probably won’t wear it again! Put your ‘throw out’ and ‘give away’ piles to one side.
3. Using your ‘keep’ pile, sort the clothes by clothing type and then by colour. Think of the frustration prevented when you’re running late, and you can easily see all your shirts, tops, trousers etc.
4. If you have extra space you can also sort by season. Store your out-of-season clothing in another area, away from your current wardrobe.
Store
5. Group like items together, e.g. everyday clothes, seasonal clothing, shoes and accessories and create a zone for them in your wardrobe. Remember to keep things accessible.
6. Clothes should be stored on quality hangers to protect the shape of the clothing – and to save on ironing!
7. Shoes take up a large space, especially if you like your shoes! Use a shoe rack to increase space and create your own bank of shoes, viewable at a glance – you’ll save time, and protect your shoes.
Howards has a number of stylish shoe racks: Bamboo 2 Tier Shoe Rack ($99), the Clear Store Storage System and Clear Store Shoe Drawer (from $22.95).
8. If space in your wardrobe is an issue, use clever hanging storage solutions such as the tiered shirt and trouser hangers from $7.95, or the Easy Hang Sweater Organiser ($16.95).
9. Kids: Encourage children to be organised by making it easier for them to put their clothes, toys and books away. Create a workable space for your child that includes an easy to reach hanging space, shoe racks, labelled sliding drawers and hanging shelves.
10. To get the most from your wardrobe space, install a quality, flexible shelving system – Howards recommends the ingenious elfa® system.
The elfa® storage system utilises frames and baskets made of strong, epoxy coated steel and come with a high weight bearing capacity and 10 years guarantee. The system is easy to install with the top hang track being the only part fixed to the wall. The rest of the system simply clicks into place.
Being totally customisable, you can easily take it with if you move home or add to the system if your needs change.
If wall space is limited or you are in a temporary situation, the NEW elfa free standing system offers the same quality and flexibility as the fixed system.
Howards also offer a free measure and quote service to supply and install the system. http://www.hsw.com.au/

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