How to clean and organize a closet

To clean and organize a closet, take everything out, sort it into keep, donate, toss and belongs somewhere else, and clean the empty closet from the top shelf down to the floor. Then put things back by how often you use them: everyday clothes at eye level, occasional things up high, and off-season clothes out of the closet entirely.

Doing it in that order matters. You only get to clean the shelves and the floor when the closet is empty.

What do you need?

• Four boxes or bags: keep, donate, toss, belongs elsewhere
• A vacuum with a crevice tool and a brush attachment
• A microfiber cloth and a bowl of warm water with a drop of dish soap
• Matching slim hangers, if you're replacing the mix
• Lidded bins for off-season clothes

Give yourself an afternoon for a bedroom closet. A hall or coat closet takes less.

How do you sort what's in there?

Pull everything out and lay it on the bed. Pick up each piece once and decide:

• Keep: you wore it this past year, it fits, and it's in good shape.
• Donate: it's clean and wearable, and someone else will get more use out of it.
• Toss: stained, torn, stretched out, or missing its other half.
• Belongs elsewhere: the tools, the gift wrap, the box of cables.

If you're stuck on something, ask whether you'd buy it again today.

How do you clean an empty closet?

Top to bottom, so dust falls onto what you haven't cleaned yet:

1. Top shelf. Vacuum it with the brush attachment, then wipe it with a damp cloth. Closet shelves collect more dust than you'd expect.
2. The rod. Wipe it down, and check that the brackets are tight.
3. Walls and the inside of the door. A damp cloth takes off scuffs and dust. Look for marks on the walls, too.
4. The light. Dust the fixture or the bulb, with the light off.
5. Baseboard. Wipe the baseboard and the door track if it's a sliding door.
6. Floor. Vacuum the corners with the crevice tool. If it's carpeted, go slowly along the edges.

While you're in there, look for small holes in wool or silk, or tiny larvae casings in the corners. Those are signs of clothes moths. Wash or dry-clean anything affected before it goes back, and vacuum the closet again.

Let the closet air out for an hour with the door open before you fill it.

How do you organize a small closet?

• Only this season inside. Winter coats and sweaters go in lidded bins under the bed or in the basement for the summer, and the swap reverses in the fall.
• Slim matching hangers. They take less space than a mix of wire, plastic and wooden ones, and the row looks tidy.
• A second rod or a shelf. A hanging rod below the first doubles the space for shirts and skirts.
• The back of the door. An over-the-door rack for shoes, bags or scarves.
• The floor. Shoes on a low rack, not in a pile, so you can vacuum under them.

Hang by type, then by color. It's quicker to see what you have.

How do you keep it that way?

• One in, one out: something new comes in, something old goes in the donate bag.
• Keep a donate bag on the closet floor all year, and drop it off when it's full.
• Hang clothes back up when you take them off.
• Do the season swap twice a year, and give the empty closet a quick wipe each time.

The rest of the room gets easier, too. Our 10 bedroom cleaning hacks cover the bedroom around the closet.

Want help with the cleaning?

Sorting the closet is yours. For the cleaning of the rest of the house, book House Cleaning or Deep Cleaning online. If a closet is on your list, ask about it when you book and put it in your booking notes.

FAQ

What is the first step in organizing a closet? Take everything out. You can't see what you have, or clean the shelves and floor, while the closet is full. Sort it into keep, donate, toss and belongs somewhere else before anything goes back.

How do you clean the inside of a closet? Work top to bottom while it's empty. Dust the top shelf and the rod, wipe the shelves and the walls with a damp cloth, wipe the baseboard, then vacuum the floor and the corners with a crevice tool.

How do you organize a small closet? Keep only this season's clothes in it, use slim matching hangers, add a second rod or a shelf above the first, and use the back of the door for shoes or bags. Off-season clothes go in lidded bins under the bed or in the basement.

How often should you clean out your closet? Twice a year, when the seasons change, is an easy rhythm. Swap the off-season clothes, pull out what you didn't wear, and give the empty closet a quick clean.

Book a cleaning

Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Book online at phillyscleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.