Happy Monday, you guys! What better way to start off the week than with some organization tips from someone who is actually organized? My friend Crystal from Happily Ever Uncluttered is teaching you how to organize your dresser drawers today.
{before you get started…check out these super awesome and very affordable drawer organizers!}
You may or may not have heard me say in the past that I am a very lazy organizer, meaning that things must be simple for me in order for me to continue using a certain method of organizing. If it isn’t easy or doesn’t work, then I just won’t follow through. Do you have this problem too? The good thing is, once I realize I am not following through, I will go in search of another way to organize the area I am failing at. This has happened in the past with my bathroom cabinets. That’s the best part about organizing, it can be changed. Well, about three years ago I happened upon a new way of organizing dresser drawers and today is the day I will share with you how to organize your dresser drawers.
By now, you have probably heard of Marie Kondo and her best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This book came out the end of 2014 and has taken the organizing world by storm. In her book she talks about using the vertical method of organizing your clothes. If you haven’t read her book and are looking to get more organized, I highly recommend it. I was so glad to learn I was already on the right track when I read this process in her book.
If you are still laying your clothes on top of one another in your drawers (horizontally), you won’t be by the time you finish reading this amazing way of organizing your drawers. Once you see the results of the vertical method, you will go to your dresser drawers and begin working on this new system you have just learned about.
What is The Vertical Method of Organizing?
The vertical method of organizing is when you place your clothing on their side instead of on top of one another.
The Benefits
There are so many benefits to using this method, let me give you some of them now.
- You can see every item in the drawer without having to move anything.
- You will wear more of your clothes instead of the same ones over and over again because you will find clothes you forgot you had.
- Organizing your clothes this way will save you time every morning while you are getting ready for your day.
- You have nothing to lose and only a clean and more orderly drawer to gain.
- No more feelings of frustration when you open your drawers.
- Your drawers will now make you Smile.
Making the Change
- By using this vertical method you may have to change the way you fold some of your clothes.
- When you are putting your clothes back in your drawers, it also makes life easier if they are separated by color.
- Putting clothes away may take a couple extra seconds, but it is well worth the extra effort.
When to Make the Change
- If you are thinking you don’t have time to do this, here is what I suggest. Do it every night this week for 30 mins to an hour while you are watching TV. Divide the number of drawers you need to do by the nights you have available this week and by the end of the week, you will be done.
Once you have done this and love it, be sure to share the love and organization in your husband’s and children’s drawers as well. The best part is, that if after a month you don’t end up loving this method as much as I do, you can always go back to the other, more difficult way you organized your drawers before you were introduced to this way.
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This is life-changing info, Crystal! How come my Mom didn’t teach me this way? I’m heading off to re-fold underwear right now.
Thanks,
Sue
So glad you could benefit, Sue! Don’t worry, my mom didn’t teach me this way either.
Great way to organize! I always fold this way, but never thought to lay them vertically! Pinning to my organization board!
It makes a huge difference – you’ll love it! Thanks for the pin! 🙂
Just ordered the book, perfect timing as we get ready to move!
You’ll love it!
I’ve been organizing my dresser drawers like this for a couple of years now, it’s awesome isn’t it?? I keep hearing about that book and so far everyone who has used the advice seems to be loving it! I may have to check it out!
Tania
I have been organizing my drawers, and my family’s this way for a couple years now too. When i do it, i always fold the front of the shirt to the OUTSIDE so kids can see the pic and know if its the one they want without emptying the whole drawer.
works great with socks, jean, pjs, underwear, everything!!
That’s smart!! I have a hard time getting my kids to keep their drawers this way – my four-year-old is always changing her clothes and pulling things out of her drawers. It drives me nuts!
Wow, how did you do that. I have to stuff my clothes in the drawers. I will definitely have to consider this method for all the extra space it provides.
I fold ALL of my shirts like that! It makes like so much easier!
I just cleaned out my dresser drawers but I will have to go back and try your method. It sure looks like it gives a lot more room and that is something I need.World rockin’ for sure !!!! Thanks for sharing.
I have read Marie’s book and I failed . It was the wrinkles of the clothes. I ended up hanging up all the tshirts again. I am now going to work on the 333 challenge when spring hits. I am from a bitter cold climate and the clothes I wear are just so bulky. Being a starting minimalist I found I need to keep purging all my belongings. I go back every now and then and what I really thought I loved just became something else to donate. Good luck hope this works for everyone .
Great post with great ideas! Like the Kondo method but haven’t got it incorporated into my life just yet but plan to do so ASAP! Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Janet
I use this for my own drawers…it doesn’t work so well for the kids, but it’s perfect for my own!
I love this method and to be honest was skeptical at first until I tried it.
Same here! Not I won’t go back.
This may sound silly, but I never folded my clothes like that before, but it seems even easier than the way I used to do it!! I have been rolling up my shorts and skirts for a while now, which also saves a lot of space, but organizing my shirts that way is news for me! Looks neat though 🙂
*Maisy
I only started doing this recently, too! It makes a big difference though…and I like that I can see everything. Before, the stuff on the bottom kind of got lost and was forgotten about.
I work as an assistant to a professional organizer and we implementment this method of organizing clothes in drawers all the time. I have been personally using this system for several years in my home and it is life-changing. (Of course, I go one step further and put everything in color order, but that’s not important to most.) Once you get used to the new way of folding, it will NOT take any longer to put away your clothes.
I completely agree – it really is just as easy! My drawers are all like this (and I usually do go in rainbow order, just because it’s pretty). I only do it like this for myself though. I found that my kids would just pull things our willy nilly and make a big mess of all my work, so for them I literally just give them a basket of clean clothes and tell them to put everything in the correct drawer, and I don’t care what it looks like anymore. But for my drawers I love the peace I feel when I open them up and see them all pretty!
We do the same thing! Vertical folding and a folding board keep our small t-shirt business from getting completely unorganized. Of course, we have folding parties when new shipments come in and store most of our stock in giant bins but the vertical folding method is our goto method.
I need a folding board!!
Great organizing idea and the space you save is amazing. Just doing a little every night is a great idea. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
I guess this works for some people, but it’s just been a nightmare for me. I find that when I take one one shirt the whole row is thrown everywhere. I prefer the traditional method.
#wineddown
Katelynn, hampersandhiccups.com
Well done Carrie! Thanks for taking the time to share such valuable tips. I know other readers will find them helpful!