closet organization tip
So today I'm sharing one of my favorite home organization tips. I've been doing this since ... I think when I was a newlywed some 12 years ago or so. It was that whole "starting fresh/new beginning" mentality. I can't remember, honestly. But it sounds good, doesn't it?
It's about the closet. And how to organize your clothes.
There are [2] keys to my clothing organization.
#1 - ROYGBIV (a.k.a. "Roy G. Biv") Does that ring a bell? Remember learning about that in grade school? It's the acronym for the order of the colors in the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). THIS is the order in which my shirts hang. Of course I worked my pink, tan, white, and black in there. This makes finding a shirt (and putting your shirts away) so much faster. Plus ... it looks pretty and not random. Random looks messier. Try it. You'll never go back.
#2 - Matching hangers. Whatever kind you prefer. I'm content with white plastic hangers that can easily be found at Target & WalMart. It's a small investment for a drastically more pleasing look. Unity. It looks pretty and not random. Random looks messier (sound familiar?).
So if you happen to be looking for a spring cleaning project that's quick, there you go.
---
Hey - Want to win this handsome Nikon?
CK is doing this sweepstakes and I wanted to be sure to give you the link for easy access to entering the contest online. Good luck! The link is right here.
It's about the closet. And how to organize your clothes.
There are [2] keys to my clothing organization.
#1 - ROYGBIV (a.k.a. "Roy G. Biv") Does that ring a bell? Remember learning about that in grade school? It's the acronym for the order of the colors in the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). THIS is the order in which my shirts hang. Of course I worked my pink, tan, white, and black in there. This makes finding a shirt (and putting your shirts away) so much faster. Plus ... it looks pretty and not random. Random looks messier. Try it. You'll never go back.
#2 - Matching hangers. Whatever kind you prefer. I'm content with white plastic hangers that can easily be found at Target & WalMart. It's a small investment for a drastically more pleasing look. Unity. It looks pretty and not random. Random looks messier (sound familiar?).
So if you happen to be looking for a spring cleaning project that's quick, there you go.
---
Hey - Want to win this handsome Nikon?
CK is doing this sweepstakes and I wanted to be sure to give you the link for easy access to entering the contest online. Good luck! The link is right here.
at
10:08 AM
66 Comments:
We're moving into a new home soon and I'm totally up for making my closet more pleasant. Thanks for the tips... and the nikon camera link. Yippee!!!
I thought I was the only OCD one about my hangers all being white and hanging my clothes up in matching colors! :) THanks for the nikon camera tip... I'm off to enter the drawing! Have a great day!! You are an inspiration to all of us!
I just started doing this last year and love it! I am very interested in other organizing tips that you have, BTW. You seem very orderly and each tip and trick is helpful to someone!
I wish I could hire you to organize my house! We have a Nikon D80 and we LOVE it.
jody in Michigan
Great tip Becky!! I have my seperated by style and color. YIKES!!
I would love to win that camera. I've been wanting one for 6 months now.
Latrice ;)
Thanks for the tips, Becky.
Quick question -- have you done any layouts from your trips to CKU in the past? I'm just finishing up a mini-album about CKU-Nashville last year and would love to see any layouts you have done about CKU! Thanks :)
Thanks for the tips, now only if hubby would get rid of non-worn clothes, it would make it look much better without any reorganization! And thanks for the link for the contest! :)
Thanks for the useful tip! You should share your organizing tips more often... I really appreciate them.
Hey Becky,
That's so funny because that is also my system! I also separate by short sleeves and long sleeves, with separate sections for dressy evening shirts, button down shirts, and tank tops.
Being in a hot place, you probably mostly have short sleeves!
Too funny that there are more people out there than I thought that have OCD and can rationalize it by ROYGBIV! I just got done reading to my little guys the story of "What Makes A Rainbow" and I was thinking about that same acronym.
P.S. Did you find anything to hang over your bar yet?
Ooooh, you are good, girl! I will never forget an article in Creating Keepsakes-think it was titled "What's in Your Purse?" and you used your planner. I have a planner fetish and love to see other peoples - inspires me somehow.;-) Keep the organization tips comin'.
okay... I am no the only one..
I go further though..
white hangers are for shirts, green for pants and black for dh dress shrits.. all organized into sections and still ROYGBIV...
so right, the closet always looks good and is super easy to put stuff away.. LOVE IT...
Thanks Becky love your tips off to try them now!
Becky,
Love the tip! Can't wait to do that in my closet. I hope you want to share your pantry organization tips! Please!!!
Stacey
Great tips! Thanks, Becky! Also, thanks for the link to the camera contest. Definitely entering...and I passed it on to my mom too!
Got to try the RoyGBiv way coz my closet needs some organization although I don't know if you have Joy Mangano's non slip hanger, I absolutely fell in love with it. It comes in pretty colors and purchased it a few months back at Target. This really solve the annoying problem of my blouse constantly sliding off the hanger and best of all, it's slim. If not in your Target, I also found them at HSN but they only come in bulk and I like to try things first. Return if it doesn't meet your satisfaction and no shipping to worry about. Thanks for the tip Ms. Becky. And I did enter for that Nikon contest.
That's exactly what I do with my closet and my husband thinks I'm crazy for it - glad to know I'm not the only one! I'm going to make sure he reads this post! :)
Great! Someone else sorts their clothes like I do. I thought I was the only strange one.
I would so like to win the camera on your link, but as I live in Australia, I am ineligable to enter. Boo hoo. Maybe next time...
Cheers
Thanks so much for the tips (especially the one about the camera!). I totally get those same white hangers -- my husband likes colors, and I think my side of the closet looks so much better! I'll have to try ROY G BIV -- it DOES look pretty!
Great easy tip. Thanks for the link, what a nice prize!
My closets use to look so nice too. Must work on getting them back to that order. Thanks for the contest link.
Funny that you wrote about closets! I cleand out my linen closet today! As far as clothing closets go I have been doing my cloths that way for over 15 years (a friend of mine had it done & I have never looked back!)P.S. It is probably the only totally organized room in my house! Beth,AZ.
I did this to my husbands side of the closet last year and it does make things go away lots faster and he knows just where to look to find stuff. I have yet to do that to my side.
I hang my clothes this way too...might as well enjoy looking in the closet!
I knew there had to be more OCD's like me out there!, I do the exact same thing with my clothes, my husbands and my kids. It's so much easier for them to find what they want to wear and keep it all organised.
My closet is organized the exact same way. I didn't realize there was an acronym for the colors though. I'll have to share that with my friends who can never find their pink shirt or blue blouse. I also use the white hangers from walk-mart. For one dollar, who can go wrong? Thanks for sharing hte suggestions:)
Great minds must think alike, because that's EXACTLY how I organize the clothes in my closet. I also have separate sections for short sleeved and long sleeved shirts, pants, etc. I never fold t-shirts, but put them on my white plastic hangers right out of the dryer--no wrinkles or creases! (Like Joan Crawford said in 'Mommy Dearest', "No...wire...hangers!")
Hi Becky!
I am also a closet organizer! But every closet is organized differently. My daughter's closet is also ROYGBIV. My twin boys' closet is organized by matching outfits. And my clothes (mostly shirts) are organized by the length of the sleeves. I don't like it when someone else tries to put something away in these closets! I never had any OCD behaviors before I had kids! hee hee hee!!!
reminds me of my college roommate - but she had different color hangars for different types of clothes. cracked me up! your closet looks really cute though!
Several years ago, i bought wooden hangers in bulk from Home Depot. I only use wooden hangers now, I feel a little Mommy Dearest about it LOL. My clothes are also organized by color & function. I read somewhere not to hang t-shirts and now fold them dept-store style on a shelf (also by color). Sounds a little OCD but once I started, I couldn't have it any other way.
Well at least I'm not the only one that does this kind of stuff in my closet. But you didn't mention facing the fronts of the shirts all the same way. My Dh has black hangers, I have white, the girls have white, and my son has blue hangers. I arrange my stuff in 2 sets of colors. I have short sleeves together & ordered by color and then all my long sleeve stuff is together and ordered by color. It definitely does look neater & is easier to put things away. I have been teaching my 5 yr old daugther to do this when she helps me put clothes away. Next is my boy. My DH hangs things backwards compared to how I hang them but I bite my tongue & say nothing b/c at least he helps with the laundry sometimes & it will only be a matter of a week or so before those shirts are worn & not hanging the wrong way again.
Becky,
I totally agree with the hanger thing. One of your other readers has discovered the Joy Mangano non-slip hangers at Target! I replaced all of mine a short while back and even though I don't do the color thing, just the hangers make a HUGE difference. Plus, everything keeps it's shape and never falls off the hanger. Love them!
I do hang by color and have matching hangers. I have all white plastic and my husband has all silver hangers. I agree with someone else that said have all the shirts facing the same way. It makes it look so much neater...and remember, random is messier! I also hang according to sleeve length - short, 3/4, and long...within each length I hang by color. For folded items I stack them in color order as well. I do this for my husband's closet also, but he doesn't seem to appreciate it as much as I do...he is always hanging things out of place.
Betcha didn't know you had so many OCD fans, did you?
I do the same thing LOL! Funny how so many of us do this. Congrats on the baby news!
This is such a neat way of doing things. I will try that in my new home that I will be moving into the end of the month.
Do you also organize your card stock in that order LOL
Congrats on the Baby Boy news.
Hugs
I love ROYGBIV. I organize my closet in a similar fashion, but my skirts, slacks and suits are also organized by color. I start with neutrals placing the whitest white first and ending with black. I also don't think we're OCD; we're just super organized.:-)
Do you have any other good organization tips ? Such as keeping your kitchen clean, etc ? :) I'd love to hear them
You inspired me to not only organize my clothes by color but to clean out and organize our closet (which was much needed). I posted pictures on my blog if you want to see. Thanks Becky!
I never learned RoyGBiv, my older brother taught me: Run Out Yonder Girls/Guys Before I Vomit!!! Hard to forget that one :) I never thought to color coordinate, just usually sort by short-sleeved to long-sleeved and long-sleeved from tshirts to sweaters. Thanks for sharing the color idea!
I love this and do it, too! I even take this idea another step further. Because of our climate, I keep various shirt lengths in the closet all the time. So my clothes are organized in rainbow order, but I do it by sleeve-length. All short sleeved shirts in ROYGBIV order, then all 3/4 sleeve, then all long sleeved...
And my DH is just as picky as I am about the hangers. All of ours are the same!
:-)
-Alissa
That looks like my closet!!! :)
Same white hangers, same Roy G. Biv organization!
Shannon
www.scrapsnthings.etsy.com
www.applesandchalkdust.etsy.com
My closet is the same way. It has made the biggest difference in my time trying to find clothes. I started it a couple of years ago, and love it. I have mostly white hangers now - it has been a process since it is a little pricy. Thanks for sharing!
I do it that way, too!
I'm glad to read the comments and see that others organize by color like this, too, because my hubby thinks I'm OCD!! I even took it one step further recently. I had all white hangers, but I recently bought all new wood hangers (they sell them in boxes of 50 at Costco), and wow . . . I love them. They make my closet look so clean! I think they even make my clothes look a little nicer! lol
I used to do my closet this way all the time.. then, got lazy!!
Thanks for the motivation to get back in the groove! It will make me feel better too... nice and neat!
Hugs!!
Janice
OMG Becky it is soooo funny that you should post on this as I JUST wrote out a detailed message to the girls at the scrapbook shop I work at called, "Meet my friend Roy G. Biv!"
In my former life I was a retail manager and now I'm an at home mom (among other things) - I get to work in the shop 2 - 3 hours per week and I am "in charge" of albums.
So I wrote out this message explaining how I set up album displays and then display the remainders via the old "Roy G Biv" way (after size and style).
ANYWAY - too funny. My closets are that way too - love it! Thanks for sharing and have a great day all!
Kim Funk
West Sacramento, CA.
Thanks for the inspiration once again Becky! I thought it would only be about scrapbooking, but now my closet looks better than before. It only took me about an hour and it's so organized now. I didn't even realize how many shirts I owned in red until I did this. Now I know what colors to buy and what I have plenty of.
Amy in Lincoln, NE
Love that i'm not alone w/ the roygbiv and white hangers! It's the only way to do the closet!lol
Now, if I could just be that organized w/ the rest of house. ;)
Thanks for the tips....but really I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS!! :) Missed that bit of news on your last entry until just now! Your announcement is adorable!!! Hope all is going well with the pregnancy! And thanks for sharing this news with us! :)
Hey Becky! Happy Monday! Your closet organization photo was just the inspiration I needed to tackle my closet. I am a total organizational freak (I'm also in the midst of working on my photos after reading "Photo Freedom" but the closet was something I could start and finish in a reasonable amount of time and enjoy the results. It also helped me go through myt drawers and get rid of a lot of clothes I don't wear any more. I feel the need to keep it "real simple" these days...the "Less is More" theory and cleaning out our master closet really was a great first step! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Been doing this since middle school when I was way into rainbows and unicorns and love it! Sometimes when I go into my closet it still makes me feel like a youngster. :) Thanks for sharing!
Becky, great tip...just moved into a new home w/a huge closet...I have an unrelated question for you....in a recent issue of CK, there were pics of your new scrap space. Can you tell me the name of the manufacturer of the modular cubes that you store your card stock and albums in???
Becky...It's Joyana from Peoria!!! WOW Long time no talk but from what I can tell you are doing great!!! How cute are your kiddo's! I have the twins that are now 5 and a baby boy. We just moved to CO and LOVE IT!!! Write if you have even an extra second in your crazy life. Love - Joyana :)
Wow, what a great idea. Congrats on having another boy. I have a girl and two boys as well. They are so much fun! I hope your pregnancy goes well!
BECKY!!! COME BACK!!!! HA.HA.
Becky we miss you, please come back on...LOL
OK, your little closet tip was fabulous! I "made over" our closet and it is so happy now! My husband was thrilled with the simple concept and didn't even complain about the cost of the 100 no-slip hangars! PLEASE share more organizing tips! I LOVE THEM! Just the inspiration to clean out something and spruce it all up. You're awesome!
don't know if you'll even get this, but I have a quick question you might be able to answer...I wanted to download the recipe card templates from the website that were mentioned in Britney Mellen's article, "Recipe Redo," in the May issue of CK. It says to go to creatingkeepsakes.com/downloads to access it, but when I put that into my bar, it says that pages isn't available. I have searched CK's website over and over and can't find them. I wanted to do recipe boxes for the senior girls in my laurel class as their graduation gifts, and the templates would look darling...any ideas, let me know! Thanks!
Karli
karli_jo77@hotmail.com
I've been organizing by color, but not by the Roybgiv order - I love how it looks. Think I'll move mine around & try it.
I don't hang mine in acronym order ;) but I do hang them by color and love it. And I also went uniform on the hangers a few years ago. Prior to that, you might find some wire hangers, plastic white, and the "big daddy's", the wooden hangers with optional pant bar. Heck, back then you might have even seen some grubby hands holding on to the rack with a shirt tossed over them (Only in a pinch. Only in a pinch, I tell you).
I now have all wire hangers. They're not as asthetically pleasing as other options, but they're free and free is budget friendly, lol.
BLessings,
~Toni~
Hey...where are you? Are you still doing a blog? Enjoyed reading it. Hope you come back soon.
I did this to my closet while my husband was out of town last week. Two things happened. First, I learned that I have lots from the GBIV part of the spectrum, but only a few pieces from ROY. :-) Second, he thinks I'm totally AR now (giggle). Thanks so much for the tip!
Hi, Becky...
I don't have my closet oragnized by color, although all my pants are together, shirts are together, etc...with sleeve length dictating where they're located in the closet...long sleeves in the front if it's winter, opposite for summer and 3/4 lengths in between. i did want to tell you that my cardstock supply is, and always has been ROYGBIV and so are my scraps and ribbons. Great to know there are others out there!
ok becky, i love you, but that is just wrong. i don't understand why would anyone would ever do that or want to do that. i am just happy when my close are in the closet hung up. that is the best i could ever do. maybe dr. phil can help you. haha. have a great weekend. angie
ROYGBIV...hahaha I think that every time my kiddos paint a rainbow!
I organized my closet like this a long time ago. My hubby laughed at me. Then I did it to his too! LOL :)
Glad I'm not the only one who sees the wonder of clothing in color order! tee hee
I used to think I was such a nerd for doing the exact same thing with not only my shirts but those in my son's closet too! I agree: it is much easier to select/put away. Yay for organizing freaks!
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