How to tidy your wardrobe and free up more space after Christmas
When it comes to gifts this year, we're sure that more than one person opted to err on the side of practicality. And clothing was surely one of the most popular gift options. That's why we've decided that there's no better way to start the year than with a good wardrobe cleaning, don't you think?
If you've occasionally found yourself wondering how to tidy your wardrobe and free up more space (without an miracle intervening), know that you've come to the right place.
Don't miss these tips to organise your wardrobe and free up the space your clothes need.
Take out all your clothes and start from scratch!
Let's start at the beginning: take out all your clothes and decide what to keep and what to discard (a bit like Marie Kondo's famous method). Remember that you can donate or give away the clothes you decide to get rid of. You can always give it a second life!
Then, you should start by sorting your clothes and accessories by type and season. This way, you can decide which storage solution best suits you and your clothes: racks, shelves or drawers. In this case, we'll show you the solution for a customised ELVARLI open wardrobe including both shelves and two drawers. What do you think? Spacious, right?
If, while cleaning and organising your wardrobe, you realise that it doesn't best suit your needs, you might consider changing it up or starting from scratch. What would your ideal wardrobe look like?
Take advantage of shelves
Having enough shelves for all your clothes doesn't guarantee that everything will be in order. In reality, shelves can end up becoming a magnet for disorder: poorly folded shirts that get wrinkled, jumpers mixed with trousers, vests with long-sleeved tops, piles of unfolded clothes…
Now's the time to reorganise them and give them a new life and a new meaning: add boxes to sort different items or sort them by type, colour or fabric. Whatever way you like! The latter tip is a handy resource that we can all use at home without spending any money.
Also, if you have an open wardrobe like this one (with shelves to spare), you can use them to your advantage and include some decor to enhance your bedroom or dressing room.
Create a feeling of space: the mirror trick
If there's one thing that's essential in any dressing room or wardrobe, it's FREBRO, which fits anywhere and hardly takes up any space; or even KNAPPER, which has a built-in rack that's perfect for hanging clothes you've only worn once or clothes you'll wear the next day.
Practicality and a top-notch design: that's right up our alley!
Clothes for the season, always on hand
There are many different methods to sort your clothes, but we think the most practical thing to do is keep the clothes you wear most on hand.
In winter, for example, you can store knitwear on the nearest open shelves for easy access, as it's likely what you'll wear most. Thicker jumpers can go on the bottom or top, depending on how frequently you wear them; summer clothes can be neatly folded and sorted in boxes on the top shelves. If you don't have enough space, we recommend that you take advantage of the space under your bed, using storage boxes with lids to store your clothes for other seasons.
If you want a bit more inspiration, watch the following video to learn six ways to organise your wardrobe in a flash.
A place for everything and everything in its place!
Once you've designed your wardrobe in terms of clothes, it's time to customise it with baskets and storage boxes.
For example, you can store jewellery and hair accessories in small wicker baskets and keep other large items or accessories, such as blankets, in larger boxes or baskets.
If you decide to reinvent your wardrobe with us, you'll see that the ELVARLI shelf heights are adjustable, so it's easy to adapt and always have something new. Don't adapt to your space; make it adapt to you!
Other help beyond the wardrobe
Not everything starts and ends in the wardrobe: there are many extras that can help you find the space you need and make your rooms more comfortable.
Whether you have a dressing area or your wardrobe is in the bedroom, you can always opt to use an old favourite, such as a footstool or a bench with storage. Both work perfectly as a sitting area to put on your shoes or to store blankets, cushions and last season's jumpers in vacuum bags… Whatever you like!
How would you design your dream open wardrobe?
At IKEA, we have plenty of options for you to customise your wardrobe and get the space you've always wanted. Although we've seen an example of open wardrobes from the ELVARLI series, remember that these are tips you can apply no matter the wardrobe or amount of space you have.
In this last photo we can see the BOAXEL storage system, another example of a customised clothing storage system that you can use to design your own open wardrobe.
Want to see more options? Check out all the combinations in your store or here on our website.
What do you think? Using these tips, you'll gain much more space in your wardrobes using simple solutions.
If you found these tips interesting, don't miss the ideas below. They're just what you need!
We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original purpose, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return them.
