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VICKI
NORRIS
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July 2007
ORGANIZING 101
Essential Steps
For A Closet Makeover
By Leah Jayasanker
Day by day the monstrosity
you refer to as your bedroom closet continues
to overflow with piles of sweaters, jackets,
books, and even doggy treats. Nearly every
single person (even your anal retentive
ex-college roomy) has experienced the dreaded
disastrous storage space known as the black
hole. Fundamentally you have a decision;
take matters into your own hands (clearly this
has not worked) or consult a professional. We
opted for the latter, seeking out the expert
advice of Vicki Norris, Founder and President
of Restoring Order®, an organizing services
and products company, to end the chaos and
restore the order.
LJ: Beginning with the
basics, what are the essential steps to
organizing a bedroom closet?
VN: I
have a top eight list of how to quickly
process through your closet to come out with a
fabulous result.
1. Purpose the space. This means purpose your
closet for its intended use, which can be
applied to any room in your home. People
typically have other things in their closets,
like toys or blankets. Gather together any
related items and then remove the unrelated
items.
2. Self-observation. For each person using the
space consider their taste, lifestyle, colors
and their current size. So if you were a
career-woman who is now a stay-at-home mom,
you should clean out items you currently no
longer use. As far as size is concerned you
should reference your current size, rather
than a size you were two years ago.
3. Identify a client’s special needs. For
example, if a client is not tall and they
cannot reach the high bar, you can install a
retractable hydraulic rod. Look at height, and
perhaps a disability or general needs and
preferences. A preference is a stool to sit on
inside a walk-in closet. And lastly look at
seasonal needs.
4. Empty your closet by category. First
macro-sort by making stacks of jeans, skirts
sweaters etc. Then gravitate to micro-sorting.
Let’s say you’ve emptied out all your blouses
and once you’ve finished the entire bed is
covered. At this point you can micro-sort
blouses based on long-sleeve, short-sleeve and
color.
5. Prune. This is different than purging; this
is clearing out the deadwood. Begin with the
favorites that you’ll keep and then look at
what does not fit right and what is no longer
a favorite. Your closet is where you catalog
your image, so it is important to determine
what makes you look good.
6. Apply any necessary product. Design a built
in system, buy draw organizers, more hangers,
sweater boxes, etc. This step is very
important only at this stage in the process.
Another key element to include now is how
you’ll manage laundry, either using a basket
in the closet or inside your bedroom so
clothes stay off the floor.
7. Reload. Take all the items you know you
like and love and insert them back into the
closet.
8. Keep refining. This refers to decision
making on what items are necessary to keep and
what are ready to toss. An example might be a,
tattered top or shrunken pants which no longer
look right or fit properly. I keep a donate
bin near my laundry room, so if a shirt is
faded or too small I have a place to toss it.
If you can stay on top of the laundry and can
donate then the closet organization will last.
LJ: Is it necessary to
toss items you have yet to wear, like clothing
that still has the tags on, purchased several
years ago?
VN: I
do not make clients throw things away, yet I
ask questions like, ‘When did you buy this
item’, and ‘why haven’t you worn it yet?’ If
you love it then commit to it. Remove the
tags, hang it in the closet and have access to
the item. A key to organizing is having access
to the things you want to use. Many times
there are reasons for not using something
bought. I tell my clients to give themselves a
reason, like, throw a party, attend a nice
event or go to dinner and use the item. Wear
it and enjoy it.
LJ: How do clutter
magnets stay in shape?
VN:
Follow the eight-step process and continue to
refine and utilize the donate bin. Organizing
is a process, it is about recognizing change
and adapting to it. For example, a career
woman who goes from working out in the
business world to staying at home after five
years needs to recognize the change. She must
work the change and toss outdated career items
she no longer uses and keep the things she
actually wears. Ultimately any space that
needs organizing can be done by practicing the
aforementioned eight-step process. Do it
right, do it custom and you’ll only do it once.
For more information on Vicki Norris and her
services visit
restoringorder.com
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