First things first, though. Organizing your closet isn’t a one-shot deal. Either you need to vow that you won’t let your household leftovers squeeze out your clothes, or you have to resign yourself to at least a semi-annual organizing fest.

You can always hire a closet organizer or buy expensive organizing systems, but if you’re on a budget or are just a do-it-yourselfer, here are 20 tips to help you tidy up. Who knows…? You may even find that missing wool glove in the process!

1. Set aside two to four hours to tackle a small closet; four to six hours to wrestle a walk-in into shape. If a friend can be coerced into helping you – or at least keeping you company – so much the better.
2. Buy a few plastic bins from your local discount store and collect some large, sturdy cardboard boxes. These will come in handy when you begin to sort and store.
3. If you find that your plus-size clothes slip off of their wire hangers and end up scattered on the floor of your closet, consider investing in some extra-large hangers and foam hanger covers, which will prevent slippage. Find a fixture store (also called display stores, they sell racks, tags, etc. to retail stores) that’s open to the public, and pick up 100 hangers for around $30 and 100 foam covers for about $10. The cost is worth it in terms of the time you’ll save by not having to iron those wrinkled blouses. Take your flimsy wire hangers back to the dry cleaner for recycling.
4. Before you start, decide what types of items you want to store in the closet. Clothes and shoes only? Wrapping paper? Your bowling ball? Unfolded laundry? A zillion of your kid’s school papers? Plan ahead and create storage space elsewhere for items that will be evicted from your closet.
5. Ready to dig in? In a systemized way, take everything that’s not on a hanger out of your closet. Go from the top of the closet to the bottom, from the floor up, or go from right to left.
6. As you remove each item, sort it into one of five piles: trash, giveaway, projects, storage or closet. The trash pile is self-evident – toss it into the garbage bin. Giveaways are those items you no longer need, but can be of use to a family member, a friend or a charity. Projects are those articles that need further action on your part – shoes that need new soles, decorative pillows that need mending, etc. Storage consists of things you want to keep, but not in your closet. The pieces in your closet pile will go back into your closet once you’ve finished organizing.
7. Take a look at your shoes. Haven’t worn them in over a year, and won’t in the foreseeable future? They’re either trash or giveaways. Are they special occasion shoes that you’ll wear again? Box them up and label them. If you’re in a cold weather clime and your tootsies won’t see sandals for another six months, box up your warm weather shoes and pack them away for the winter.
8. Once you’ve gotten this far, you’re more than halfway there! Now you’re down to the clothes on their hangers. This is the tough part, but boldness and bravery are necessary to achieve your goal.
9. Go through each piece, one at a time, with as much objectivity as you can muster. Does the item fit you at your present size? If not, immediately place it into either the giveaway or trash pile with nary a backward glance. Your self-esteem doesn’t need nagging thoughts of “Maybe someday…” and besides, you’re trying to reclaim your closet space for the person you are today.
10. Have you worn it in the past year? If the answer is no and it’s still in good shape, the piece goes in the giveaway pile. It doesn’t matter if it still has the price tag on it – if you loved it and it looked good on you, you would have worn it by now.
11. Has it seen better days? Be brutally honest. That ratty old bathrobe may have brought you emotional comfort, but are you really ever going to wear it again? If you still can’t bear to toss it into the trash, put it in the storage pile – but get it out of your closet!
12. How does it really look? This is where a friend can come in handy. If that orange suit makes you look like a pumpkin, do yourself a favor by putting it in the giveaway pile. On the other hand, that chunky sweater may look terrific, and it’s back in season to boot!
13. Once you’ve sorted through everything in your closet, it’s time to assess your progress and put everything in its proper place. Organize your hanging clothes by their function: sportswear, casual, career, special occasion. Within each function, group like items together: blouses, skirts, pants, jackets. Within these groups, organize by color.
14. Now you can dispose of your five piles. Dump the trash and be done with it.
15. Sort the giveaway pile into items to distribute to people you know, and put the rest in a large carton or trash bag. Local women’s shelters are always looking for plus-size casual clothes, and programs like The Working Wardrobe, which helps low-income women move from welfare to work, will take plus-size career clothes off of your hands in a flash.
16. Sort your projects pile into appropriate categories, and put them in a bin or box. Take time to reserve a day on your calendar when you will tackle those tasks.
17. Group the items in the storage pile by the location where they will be stored. Box up the things that are going into longer-term storage and label the boxes. Then, put all of the items in their proper places.
18. Now that you’ve reclaimed your closet space, you should have plenty of room to put away the things from your closet pile. Make sure to label any boxes, so you’ll know what’s inside and you won’t have to dig the next time you need something.
19. If your closet is only as big as a shoebox, you may need to take additional steps to create more space. Consider over-the-door organizers, wall hooks and multi-level rods. Remember that the space under your bed can be utilized as long-term storage space. If you’re ambitious, you can create a second shelf in the closet, or convert your narrow shelf into a deeper shelf by utilizing a wider board on the existing shelf guide bar.
20. Relax and congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Green: Alpine, Forest, Autumn Sky, Slate, Lichen, Thyme, Seafoam, Reed, Khaki Milkweed, Fatigue, Moss, Marshgrass, Willow, Hunter, Ivy, Loden, Spruce, Woodland

Red: Chili, Claret, Garnet, Merlot, Cedar, Haze, Berry, Cranberry, Candy Apple, Regatta, Cardinal

Pink: Rose Quartz, Mira Pink, Primrose

Grey: Stone, Charcoal, Heather, Mercury, Heirloom Silver, Lambsear, Cinder, Nickel, Pewter, Grey Skies, Steel, Putty

Blue: Lapis, Navy, Mineral, French Blue, Cobalt, Bohemian Blue, Bluestone, Blue Frost, Atlantic Blue, Sky, Indigo, Wedgewood, Summer Sky, Mist, Delft, Mallard, Bonus Blue, Mallard, Peacock

Purple: Lupin, Eggplant, Plum, Twilight, Larkspur, Wisteria, Amethyst, Desert Plum, Mulberry, Clamshell

Off-White: Natural, Oatmeal, Ivory, Bone, Pearl, Flax, Stone, Winter White, Camel

Brown: Mushroom, Celadon, Mulberry, Caramel, Sandstone, Straw, Walnut, Cinnamon, Cognac, Nutmeg, Cocoa, Woodberry, Mahogany, Timber, Chocolate, Mundo Tan

Yellow: Bamboo, Maize, Cornsilk, Chamois, Butter, Daffodil

Orange: Russet, Clay

Off course, if you’re still confused, you can always order Black or White…

According to L’Oreal Spokesperson Jennifer Stephens, “The color palette changes like the leaves on trees,” during fall, with hair colors becoming darker and richer. “It’s a matter of working with different products to get warmth in the hair – warm, burnished red or rich chocolate brown,” Stephens advises.

At-home coloring products allow us to try out new colors and new techniques as our moods dictate. Why not dive in and discover the wonders of a new look for a new season?

Ready, Set, Color!

Step 1: Temporary or Permanent?

If you’ve never tried at-home hair coloring, but are ready to take the plunge, decide how permanent you want your new look to be. Here are the choices:

• Semi-Permanent – Doesn’t change or lighten your natural hair color because the color molecules are small and wash out in 6-12 shampoos. It covers 50% of gray, doesn’t leave roots and is easy to use
• Demi-Permanent – Brightens hair without lightening your natural color, and blends and covers about 40% of gray. Demi-permanent leaves no obvious roots and lasts 24-28 shampoos
• Permanent – Your natural color is lightened and tiny molecules of color embed into the hair shaft, then expand so that it won’t wash out, which means you’ll have to touch up the roots every 4-6 weeks. Permanent hair color completely covers gray and can lighten your hair within a few shades of its natural color.

Step 2: Pick a Color

According to Jennifer Stephens, spokesperson for L’Oreal, the first step in choosing a color is to determine the natural color of your hair. The combination of your natural hair color, the amount of gray you have and the shade of hair coloring that you choose determines the resulting color. Factors to consider are:

• Shade Range – The rule of thumb is that your shade range is up to two shades lighter or darker than your natural color. According to Stephens, if your natural hair color is light brown (L’Oreal’s 6), you can lighten your hair to a medium blonde (8) or darken it to a dark brown (4)
• Complexion – The tone of a color should compliment your complexion. If your complexion is “cool,” that is, pink or ruddy, choose a cool-toned hair color – one with words like Ash, Champagne or Beige in the shade name. If your skin tone is “warm,” or golden, olive or dark, choose a color with warm tones, such as one with words like Golden, Copper, Auburn or Red in the shade name

If you want to have fun with hair color without making a commitment, check out the “Try it All On” section of www.clairol.com. You can use your own picture and “try on” different hair colors and styles. You can also complete a questionnaire about your natural hair color and complexion and the look you are trying to achieve, and receive an instant recommendation for the Clairol products that will give you the results you want.

Step 3: Getting Ready

It’s almost time to color, so make sure you’re ready:

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and perform a skin allergy test 48 prior to coloring your hair
• Generally, you shouldn’t shampoo or condition your hair 24 hours before coloring, since shampoo removes the oils that will protect your scalp during coloring
• If your hair is below shoulder length or very thick, you’ll need to buy two boxes of hair color for maximum coverage
• If you’re going to perm or relax your hair, do so before you color, and wait about 7-10 days before coloring
• If your hair is severely damaged, hold off on the hair color until the damage is repaired. Damaged hair absorbs color more easily than healthy hair, and causes uneven results

Step 4: Color It!

Now that you’re ready to color, don’t forget the:

• Strand Test – Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for a strand test, which will let you gauge how long to leave the color on your hair. Because the natural color, texture and condition of your hair all affect the final color, don’t assume what the end result will be
• Cover-Up – Wear an old robe or shirt with buttons, so you won’t have to pull your shirt over your head before rinsing
• Soapy Cloth – Immediately wipe up any drips or spills while you’re coloring
• Instructions – Closely follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and keep the packaging. That way, you’ll have the emergency hotline number handy, and will know the color name and number when you go to buy the product again

Step 5: Stay Beautiful!

Once you have your new look, you need to keep your hair as healthy as possible. Use a shampoo for color-treated hair and condition your hair every time you wash it. Conditioners help seal the hair and keep the color in. If you’ve gone with permanent color, plan to touch up the roots in 4-6 weeks.