Category Archives: Organization Tips

How is it possible that finding something to wear from a packed closet is such a difficult task so much of the time?

With so many wardrobe options to choose from, it should be a breeze to find an outfit relatively quickly, shouldn’t it?

Not exactly. Just like clutter in your workspace or anywhere else in your home, having too much closet clutter impedes your ability to focus and be productive within your closet space.

Closet clutter wastes your time (and money)

If “closet productivity” sounds like a silly concept, perhaps look at it more as “time efficiency in the closet”. There’s a direct correlation between how much time you end up wasting in your closet and the amount of clutter it contains.

47% of women surveyed by OnePoll said they struggle when it comes to picking out a work outfit. 61% of those who had a hard time find anything to wear in their closet ended up buying new clothes, according to the survey.

And that same survey of 1,000 American women also found that a third of them believed an organized closet would make their mornings less stressful.

Eliminate these 10 items to reduce closet clutter

Take action to make your closet more functional by minimizing your closet clutter, or preferably eliminating that space-hogging clutter altogether.

Empty out everything from your closet in order to be thorough. Make it a weekend project and enlist a friend to help and provide some honest, impartial feedback on what’s worth keeping.

These 10 items are a great place to start with your closet purge.

1. Old bags

Odds are that some some of your closet clutter is made up of old bags.

This includes free tote bags, gift bags, and higher quality boutique shopping bags that have a tendency to accumulate in our closets over the years.

How many of those bags do you really need, though? When is the last time you used them or when can you realistically see yourself using them next?

If the answer to those questions is “ages ago” and “probably never”, respectively, toss them out or recycle them.

Gift bags will probably have the most usefulness, such as during the holiday season or for birthdays. Get them out of your bedroom closet and store them wherever your gift wrapping and wrapping accessories are kept.

You’ll never use all of those tote bags, gift bags, and shopping bags sitting in your closet.

2. Sale items you’ve never worn

The irresistible lure of a great sale price for a clothing item has led to more than a few ill-advised purchases that are likely responsible for some of your closet clutter.

Our judgement can get clouded by a “too good to pass up” price for something we really don’t need. And even though you had every intention of wearing the item, it just never happened.

Maybe you’re being stubborn or embarrassed to admit you made a mistake, which is causing you to hold on to something you’ll never wear. Do your closet a favour by lightening its load and donating those never-worn pieces of clothing.

Just chalk it up as a learning experience that will hopefully make you think twice the next time you’re tempted to make an impulse buy on a sale item.

3. Clothing that doesn’t fit

When curating your wardrobe, it’s essential to part with items of clothing that no longer fit or aren’t comfortable. We all have several things in our closets or drawers that fall into these two categories, so why do we hang onto them?

Maybe it’s wishful thinking that we’ll eventually slim down to fit into something again. Perhaps it’s just too hard to part with that favourite pair of old jeans.

Make some tough decisions and clear out that closet clutter comprised of things that are no longer practical for your wardrobe needs.

If you haven’t worn something in the last year, or worn something very sparingly in, say, the last five years, add it to your “donate” pile.

4. Damaged and old clothing

Just as ill-fitting or uncomfortable clothing that’s never worn has little practicality, clothing that’s damaged or just old is also creating closet clutter. Here are some examples:

• shoes in need of repair
• stained clothing and yellowed white t-shirts
• clothing that’s stretched-out or has worn-out elastic
• faded clothing
• clothing that’s thinned from too many wash and dry cycles
• torn clothing

Take stock of what damaged and old clothing is worth a salvage effort, establish a timeline for doing so, and hold yourself accountable for taking some action.

Anything that doesn’t qualify as repairable can probably be thrown out, as most charities won’t accept donations of damaged or heavily worn clothing.

5. “Special occasion” clothing

Three “special occasion” types of clothing that will likely never be worn again are your wedding dress, a bridesmaid dress (or dresses, if you’ve been enlisted in the role more than once), and your prom dress.

Sentimentality and nostalgia are powerful things that can make us reluctant to get rid of mementos that serve as important milestone markers in our lives.

But if those mementos are clogging up your closets and only being appreciated once in a blue moon, you probably won’t miss them.

Unless you have a daughter that might use your wedding dress or prom dress someday, there are plenty of worthwhile organizations you can donate them to.

The Brides’ Project, for example, accepts wedding dress donations and distributes all of their profits to various cancer charities.

That never-to-be-worn again bridesmaid dress hanging in your closet isn’t making the best use of your storage space.

6. A sock or glove without a partner

A few lone socks or gloves that don’t have a partner admittedly don’t occupy much real estate in a closet or drawer.

But if you’re never going to wear these things specifically because their orphaned state makes them less useful, why keep them?

They’re still contributing to your drawer and closet clutter and only give your brain more things to process when looking through your wardrobe.

If it’s been more than a year since those lonely gloves or socks have been paired with their mate, get rid of them.

When you’re making your next clothing donation, check with your local charities to see if they take single gloves or socks.

7. Out-of-season clothing

Winter clothing taking up valuable closet space during the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons isn’t exactly useless clutter, but it’s clutter nonetheless.

Unless you have the luxury of owning a spacious large walk-in closet/dressing room, your closet’s contents shouldn’t include out-of-season clothing.

Have a designated storage space somewhere else in the bedroom or perhaps in the basement for clothing that’s not currently in season.

8. Unfashionable clothing

Another culprit when it comes to closet clutter are fashion relics. A top-to-bottom closet purge is sure to turn up a a few outdated pieces of clothing whose “best before” date has long since passed.

Stop holding out hope that those acid-washed jeans bunched up on your closet floor will be among the very few fashion trends that make a comeback.

Clothing that may not necessarily be hopelessly out-of-fashion, but simply no longer fall in line with your current sense of style can also be eliminated.

9. Odds and ends

Just like the garage, our closets tend to become catch-all spaces that attract clutter we either don’t know what to do with or can’t be bothered to deal with.

Old newspapers, books, and magazines you’ll never read again, old electronics, and any number of other odds and ends can needlessly sit in a bedroom closet for years, while you struggle to manage your wardrobe. It makes no sense.

Paring down the contents of your closets by eliminating these useless items will free up valuable closet space that can be put to much better use.

Purge things like old newspapers you likely won’t read again from your closet.

10. Gift clothing you’ll never wear

Keeping unwanted clothing gifts given to you by a relative, friend, or co-worker that you’ll never wear also makes little sense.

If the item they’ve given you doesn’t fit or align whatsoever with your fashion taste, there’s no reason you should feel any guilt about getting rid of it.

You can still appreciate their generous gesture. Donate it, help a charity, and let someone else get some use out of the item.

While you’re at it, reconsider what type of holiday-themed clothing you should actually let occupy your closet space. Do you ever actually wear that ugly Christmas sweater?

Are ironic fashion choices just not really your thing? If not, clear out that tacky apparel to reduce your closet clutter.

Get rid of your closet clutter

If you’re constantly dealing with closet clutter, unburdening yourself of these 10 things is a good first step towards having a more manageable closet space.

Adding some closet organization solutions to your home will also be a great help when it comes to keeping your closets neat and tidy.

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors to plan your custom closet project.

See also:

• Too Many Clothes? These 9 Reasons Show Why Your Closets Are Packed
• The Top 7 Ways Disorganized Closets Negatively Affect Your Life
• 35 Surprising Home Organization Statistics That’ll Inspire You to Tidy Up

One day you open your bedroom closet and are disheartened to discover your expensive cashmere sweater has several small holes.

You check through the rest of your clothes and soon realize many of your finer garments are similarly damaged. There’s only one explanation for the cause of this wardrobe calamity – clothing moths.

Clothing moths can do thousands of dollars in damage in your closets and throughout your home if they’re detected too late. In addition to the ruined clothes that will need to be thrown out, you also might need to spend a lot on dry cleaning.

For particularly bad infestations of clothing moths, professional pest control services may be required.

Clothing moths have expensive taste

Part of the costly expense of dealing with a clothing moth infestation comes from the fact that they target your most expensive clothes. Yes, the refined, expensive tastes of the clothing moth mean they thrive on natural fibres including:

• wool
• cashmere
• silk
• fur

Basically, anything made from animal fibres and hair is favoured by clothing moths. Synthetic and cotton fabrics typically are ignored by the little pests, unless the materials include a blend of animal fibres.

And the appetite of these moths goes beyond just clothing. Anything made from natural textiles, such as carpets, rugs, curtains, and furniture upholstery is susceptible to damage from clothing moths.

How to identify clothing moths

The first sign you have a problem are those telltale holes in your clothing and also seeing adult moths flying around in your closets and home.

The adult insects can be harder to spot because they’re only about a quarter-inch wide. They also have a brown colour, which makes them difficult to see in a dark space.

These adult moths don’t actually eat your clothing, however – their larvae do the damage. The tiny caterpillars dine on your clothing over the course of the week-and-a-half period they’re in this stage of their life. The overall life cycle of clothing moths lasts between 2-3 months.

If you do notice moths in your house, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re clothing moths. In fact, it’s unlikely. There are thousands of moth species, but only two types that are categorized as clothing moths. The most common type is known as Tineola bisselliella.

Why your home might have clothing moths

Clothing moths can enter your home on a piece of clothing you were given. Buying something from a second-hand clothing store can also transport the larvae into your home.

Clothes moths don’t like light and are typically found in dark, warm spaces. Closets or wardrobe corners, the backs of closets, and up high on closet shelves are all common nesting spots for the insects.

Disorganized closets with clothing clutter provide more opportunities for them to find a textile that suits their diet.

Warmer spring temperatures can also help clothes moths thrive, especially if it gets unseasonably warm quickly.

7 tips to prevent getting clothing moths

Clearly, you’ll want to take some precautionary steps so you won’t have to face the dilemma of dealing with clothing moths in your home. Use these seven tips:

1. Keep a clean, organized home

Keeping your home clean and organized is one of the best ways to minimize your risk of getting clothing moths.

Vacuum and clean your entire home regularly and make the effort to give it an even deeper cleaning twice a year. And be sure to pay particular attention to your cupboards and closets.

If your closets and home contain less clutter, you’ll be more likely to tackle cleaning tasks on a regular basis. And you’ll be able to clean more thoroughly, such as vacuuming underneath furniture and getting to your closet’s darkest corners.

It can be a lot of work, but emptying your closets every few months and shaking out your clothing outside can help reduce future problems with clothing moths. Do this task during the day, as the moths and larvae hate the light.

2. Wash second-hand or borrowed clothing

It’s imperative that anything purchased from a vintage or second-hand clothing store be washed as soon as you get home.

Run the clothing through a wash cycle in 100-120 degree hot water to kill any possible active moth larvae.

Borrowed clothing, even from a close friend or family member, also puts you at risk for introducing clothing moths into your home. Remember, it only takes one infested item to cause a huge headache later on!

3. Wash your dirty clothes

Leaving dirty clothes lying around can also attract this particular type of moth. It goes without saying that sweaty clothes and clothing with food stains should be dealt with sooner, rather than later.

If you have left some dirty clothing sitting around for longer than may be advisable, wash them in 100-120 degree hot water to be safe.

4. Use mothballs

Mothballs are probably the first thing that comes to mind as a way to prevent getting clothing moths. While they can be effective as a way to repel and kill moths, mothballs need to be utilized properly to deliver the best results.

Nowadays, mothballs can be found in more pleasant aromas (like cedar and sandalwood) than the icky traditional mothball smell that seemed to permeate any item the smell came in contact with. Cedar-lined chests are another popular solution for protecting against clothing moths.

The drawback of mothballs is that they need to be used in an airtight container or bag to be effective. You also have to use the right amount of them to deliver a high enough concentration of the moth repellent. They can also lose their potency after a while and need replacing.

Another big drawback of mothballs is their toxicity. They’re essentially a pesticide, so you need to take care with how you use them and handle them. Toxicologists recommend wearing gloves and adhering to the manufacturer’s guidelines when handling mothballs. Or you can use chemical-free mothballs, which are a little pricier.

5. Use pheromone strips

The pheromone strip is a clever and effective newer method for preventing clothing moths from breeding. The strip lures male moths with a female moth pheromone in powder form that sticks to the males.

The strip, also known as a moth trap, effectively cuts off the breeding cycle, as the male moths now appear to be female to any other moths. Pheromone strips are a safer, non-toxic alternative to mothballs that only cost around $10-15.

It’s the clothing moth larvae that leave holes like these in your clothing.

6. Store clothing in airtight containers and bags

One way to prevent moths from ruining your delicate clothing is to store them safely in airtight plastic containers and vacuum-sealed garment bags.

Just make sure your sweaters or finer fabrics being stored this way have been properly washed or dry cleaned first. Naturally, you’ll want to do this with items of clothing you won’t be wearing for a while, such as a cashmere sweater during the year’s warmer months.

7. Try dried lavender

Scientists are somewhat skeptical of its effectiveness in warding off clothing moths, but some people swear by dried lavender as a moth deterrent.

Typically, the lavender is sold in small bags that can be put in closets, drawers, cupboards, and pantries. Along with their pleasant smell, lavender is also a natural way to potentially keep moths away.

What if I already have clothing moths?

If your wardrobe is already showing signs of noticeable damage from clothing moths or you can see them flying around, you’ll need to enter elimination mode, as opposed to prevention mode.

Depending on the severity of the infestation, professional services may be required to completely rid your home of the pests. If the problem is more manageable, you can take a few measures to tackle the problem yourself.

Using any of the tips above should help you to clean up your moth problem. Most importantly, give your home a thorough cleaning and shake out all your clothing outside.

An additional way to kill moths or larvae that you know are on certain items of clothing is to use the freezing method. Put the clothing in plastic bags, leave them in the freezer for a week, and any signs of life on the clothing should be gone.

It’s a little unconventional, but it’s a method that works.

Organize your closets to help prevent getting clothing moths

A closet that’s kept tidier with a high-quality closet organizer makes it easier to detect the early warning signs of possible clothing moths.

Whether it’s your closets or other areas of your home you’d like to keep cleaner and more organized, schedule your free in-home consultation with one of our design experts.

See also:

• The Top 7 Ways Disorganized Closets Negatively Affect Your Life
• 7 Signs It’s Time To Ask For Help With Your Home Disorganization Problems
• How To Improve Indoor Air Quality By Reducing Clutter