In this week’s Challenge we’ll tackle the master bedroom closet.

This can be a pretty big task, so this week we’ll talk about the big picture and focus on cleaning it out and getting good systems in place.

Then, over the next couple of weeks we’ll focus on various parts of the task, each with their own weeks, including:

• Seasonal clothing;
• Clothing stored in your bedroom;
• Accessories (plus we did purses several weeks ago);
• Shoes;
• Kids’ bedroom closets; and
• Kids’ bedrooms

Therefore I’ve broken this big task down even more so you don’t get overwhelmed trying to do it all at once this week. Instead, we’ll make progress this week which we’ll improve upon further over the course of the next several weeks.

Organizing Your Master Bedroom Closet

Step 1: Declutter Your Master Bedroom Closet

First Part Of Decluttering Your Closet: The No Brainers

The first part of removing this clutter is to attack only one small zone at a time, and get rid of the most obvious items in this first step.

This includes getting rid of clothes that:

• You haven’t worn in at least a year
• You don’t like, such as if you don’t like the color, they don’t make you feel comfortable, etc.
• Are out of style
• Don’t fit
• Are completely worn out, have holes, spills or stains on them, etc.

Anything that someone else could wear should be donated, consigned, or otherwise sold.

On the other hand, you know not to donate trash items to charity, so those types of items should be discarded, turned to rags, or otherwise disposed of.

Second Part Of Decluttering Your Closet: Tough Decisions

Often, after the first round of decluttering we’re feeling pretty good about what we’ve accomplished, but take a critical eye to what you’ve got left.

In this day and age of “too much stuff” it is very likely you’ve still got too much stuff after getting rid of the no-brainer types of items.

This is where the process can get tough. Group similar items together and decide how much space you have to store each group, such as how many pairs of underwear to have, how many pairs of dress slacks, etc.

Keep winnowing down until everything you own fits comfortably in the closet, removing excess items that you have duplicates types of. (Please note if you have room to store out of season clothing elsewhere you don’t have to count this as part of the room taken up in your closet.)

Step 2: Now Take Everything Out And Assess Your Closet Storage Space

Earlier in the first step of the Organize Closet Challenge I suggested not taking everything out of your closet while decluttering, and I still stick by that advice.

However, once you’ve decluttered, now it’s time to completely empty your closet, so you can get on with the organization process.

As you take items out of your closet group like items together so you can see how many of each type of item you’ve got, and how much room it will take up.

This will allow you to confirm you’ve got the right types and sizes of closet storage solutions available for what you own and want to keep.

Once the closet space is completely empty you can really look at the room, make sure you haven’t missed some clutter, throw away broken hangers, etc., and really assess the space you’ve got.

I’m amazed at how much stuff can really be packed into an organized closet, and still have everything be accessible. The key is to focus on using every inch of space, which is what we’ll do next, in the third step of the Organize Closet Challenge.

Step 3: Add Or Rearrange Closet Storage Solutions To Accomodate Your Stuff

The next step in the Organize Closet Challenge is to add or rearrange storage solutions within your closet to accommodate the items you want to store in there.

There is no one size fits all closet organizers everyone should use. Instead, you need to choose what works best for the shape and size of your space, as well as what you’re storing there.

You most likely already have items you can use as organizers in your own home, so make sure to use what you’ve already got laying around before buying closet organizer kits and systems.

You want to utilize space from the very top to the very bottom of your closet, keeping in mind that the most accessible spaces should be used for items you use the most.

I’ve shown you some ideas for how to store items on this page already, but here are some of my favorite solutions you should consider:

• Storage baskets, especially to hold small items
• Extra shelving, especially adjustable shelving so as the items you’re storing in there change you can make the most of the space available
• Vertical hanging dividers
• Extra or double closet rod (such as the closet doubler shown to the left, above)
• Hooks and pegs, especially on the door
• Over the door storage solutions, such as shoe or purse racks, to add storage space where there was none before
• Drawers

Step 4: Put Everything Back Into Your Master Bedroom Closet

Finally, once you’ve got your storage systems in place go ahead and place everything back into your closet as the final step of the Organizing Your Master Bedroom Closet Challenge.

The key is to place like items with like, so everything similar is together and it is easy to find what you need (and remind yourself of what you have) so you can easily get dressed each day.

Tell Me How The Organize Closet In Master Bedroom Challenge Is Going For You

I would love to know how this week’s Organizing Your Master Bedroom Closet Challenge is going. You can tell me your progress or give me more ideas for how you’ve organized this area of your home in the comments below.