It doesn’t have to take expensive organizing systems to make things work. Try these simple solutions courtesy of Albert Lea native Jane Ehrhard, a personal organizer who now lives near Montgomery.

1. If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it. If you haven’t worn the item of clothing in
a year, donate it to charity.

2. Reorganize your closet with a friend —
an honest friend. “Women like to do things in pairs,” Ehrhard said. “This is some fun together time.”

3. Give your closet some breathing
room. “Keep to basic pieces and colors, from taupe to black and add a pop of color,” Ehrhard said.
4. Sort the clothing in your closet by type — blouses, jackets, pants and skirts. Then within those types, sort by color, from lightest to darkest. “You’ll best find out what your preferred color is,” Ehrhard said. “If you find your closet is all black, add color — any color.”

5. Find uniform hangers. Everything hangs better this way. Get rid of those wire hangers that come with dry-cleaned items. The dry cleaner will take them back.

6. Keep seasonal clothes and seasonal shoes within eye’s view. “There should be some carryover,” Ehrhard said, “but if you put away clothes that are not in season and get them out again when they are, it’s like going shopping again.”

7. Racks are great for shoes and clear shoe boxes are nice because they allow you

to see the shoes inside. Keep a bin with out-of-season shoes elsewhere. “There’s no sense in seeing your sandals when it’s 30 below,” Ehrhard said.

8. Be creative. Where an expensive organizer may work fine for stacking purses, an egg crate might work just as well.

9. Take the dry-cleaning plastic off clothes right away and re-incorporate them back into the closet. “The plastic is not great protection for your clothes,” Ehrhard said.

10. Make your closet an enjoyable door to open — without a hard hat. “Clearing the clutter is like clearing your mind,” Ehrhard said. “It reduces stress and helps your self-esteem if the only clothes in your closet are clothes that fit. And if the size bothers you, cut the tags off.”
— Geri McShane