The Ultimate Maintenance Checklist to Keeping Your Walk-in Closet Pristine

Weekly Walk-in Closet Upkeep

1. Put away items properly after use. Develop the habit of immediately returning clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other items to their designated homes in the closet after wearing or using them. Sloppy behavior like draping clothes over chairs or littering the closet floor with discarded items will quickly breed clutter and disorganization. Taking just a few minutes to properly store everything prevents minor messes from snowballing into bigger issues.

2. Group hanging items by category. Hanging sections on closet rods get jumbled easily when things aren't replaced in an organized way. Maintain separate divided areas for shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, etc. Use closet rod dividers, bookcases, or vertical hanging sections to keep clothing groups separated and coherent.

Monthly Closet Maintenance

1. Edit, edit, edit. Most disorganized closets suffer from having too much stuff. Once a month, go through each section of the closet and remove any items you didn't wear or use that month. Be brutally honest with yourself—if it doesn't currently fit your body and lifestyle, or if you don't absolutely love it, donate, or discard it. Overstuffed closets become unruly very quickly.

2. Clean closet surfaces. Remove everything from all shelves, nooks, and rods and give them a good wipe down to prevent dust build-up. Use a microfiber duster to reach into any awkward crevices. Then use the vacuum hose nozzle to remove dirt, debris, clothing fuzz, and other detritus from corners and hard-to-reach areas.

3. Switch out seasonal items. At the beginning of each new season, remove off-season clothing, shoes, and accessories to free up prime storage real estate for your current wardrobe. Opt for bins with airtight lids over vacuum storage bags if possible. According to Sparefoot, all fabrics need to breathe, so vacuum bags can be hard on your clothes if used for a long time. Plus, clear bins will allow you to immediately see what’s in each bin, which can be helpful if you need to access something you put in storage on an unseasonably cold day in spring or warm day in the fall.

4. Check lighting and fixtures. Make sure all closet lighting is functioning properly and replace any burnt-out bulbs. Tighten any loose shelving supports, hardware fixtures, and attachments that may have worked themselves loose over time through regular use.

Deep Cleaning (Every 6 Months)

1. Pull everything out. Do a total closet reset by removing all clothing, shoes, accessories, storage containers, and anything else from the closet interior twice per year. This will allow you to thoroughly clean every nook, cranny, and surface that may have been missed in your monthly wipe-downs.

2. Sort into categories. Before putting anything back, fully sort all clothing into distinct categories like shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, loungewear, workout gear, etc. Also sort by season to make storing off-season items easier.

3. Discard or donate. As you sort, have a designated bag or box for any items you no longer want or need. Be ruthless about discarding things. Well-edited closets with only loved and frequently used items stay much more organized over time.

4. Clean closet boxes/containers. Remove all bins, baskets, shelves, and boxes from the closet and wipe down the outsides and insides before replacing them. Vacuum the insides of larger containers to remove dirt and debris.

5. Apply wood polish. If your closet has any wood components like shelving, drawers, or cabinets, polish them while empty using quality furniture polish and cleaning cloths. This protects the wood and keeps it looking rich and luxurious.

6. Vacuum and wipe walls/floors. Use the vacuum's crevice tool to remove dust from corners, walls and along the closet floor before wet mopping the floor last. Getting low with a flashlight can reveal hidden grime to tackle.

7. Reconfigure storage. With a completely fresh start twice per year, analyze if your current storage configuration is working optimally or if you need to modify shelving heights, hanging sections, dividers, etc. Based on your evolving wardrobe needs and any shortcomings you noticed over time.

One Final Pro Tip

Enlist some help! Even if you follow this checklist to a tee, closets require continuous maintenance to combat entropy, disorder, and the inevitability of the space being “lived in." Don't try to manage it all alone. Get the whole family involved in helping maintain your beautiful walk-in closet after the deep bi-annual clean. Assign age-appropriate tasks to kids like matching socks, sorting clothing donations, or taking inventory. You'll be amazed how much easier it is to sustain an organized closet when it's a team effort!

Conclusion

With this ultimate walk-in closet maintenance checklist and a commitment to regular upkeep on your part, you can keep your closet looking pristine and functioning flawlessly for years and years. No more overcrowded, cluttered catchall—just an oasis of calm and order for your entire wardrobe.

Source

https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/19223-5-things-to-know-when-picking-the-right-container-for-storing-your-clothes/