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How to Organize Your Small Dresser: Organizer explains

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Your bedroom is the room you spend the most time in. While some may just glance over the details and pick whatever IKEA has to offer, as an organizer, I like to nitpick and this goes double when it comes to the dresser.

In short, you want to empty your dresser completely, then make a pile and throw out whatever clothes you don’t need. After that, put seasonal and less used clothes in storage or the basement/attic. Then you should hang your bulky clothes if possible, and store your other clothes in the dresser using rolls.

Throughout this article, we are going to go into more detail about how to efficiently reorganize your dresser. I will also give you some extra resources you can check out to further organize your clothes properly.

Empty Your Dresser Completely

The best way to re-organize your dresser is to simply start from scratch by pulling everything out so you can see what you actually own. I know we have all tried to organize our clothes without removing more than a few items from each drawer, but we also know that never really works. Stop putting off the inevitable and yank everything out. 

This will help give you a good idea of the types of clothes you want to keep, get rid of, or even store somewhere else. It’s also a very easy starting point, as it is the easiest part of the process. Not much thought or effort is required to simply empty everything out. So start small and easy, and clear out your dresser. 

Throwing Out 2/3 of My Clothes (FULL VIDEO)
Here was my experience going through the process if you want to see how it is done live.

Make a Pile of Clothes to Give Away

One of the nice things about organizing (and I don’t say that lightly) is that you can also get a good idea of what you don’t want or need anymore, and can open up a lot of space by getting rid of it. I was always taught to not just throw clothes in the trash, but rather to give them to Goodwill instead. You could sell them online if that catches your fancy, but only throw things in the trash if the clothes are too worn to be given away or sold off. 

30 Day PURGING Challenge (got rid of 500+ things)

Hang Nicer and Bulkier Clothes

If you have some extra closet space, then sift through the clothes from your dresser and see if there are any items that might be a little nicer and deserve to be hung in your closet rather than stuffed in a drawer. It can be easy to stuff the next thing in a drawer, but if you have a nicer t-shirt or pair of khaki pants, then hang those particular items in your closet so they don’t get all wrinkly from being in a drawer. The same can be said for bulkier clothes like hoodies and sweaters, which can take up a lot of room in your drawers. This can save a lot of dresser space by hanging up just a handful of items. 

How to Hang T-Shirts and NOT DAMAGE Them: A complete guide

Organize Your Clothes

Most people have a routine of some sort with their clothes, whether that be for work, casual or going out. They know where certain types of shorts or tops are for a particular occasion. A good way to organize your dresser is to organize your clothes in a similar fashion. You might have a drawer just for shorts that includes lounging and casual clothing. Then you might have a drawer for all of your t-shirts, and a drawer for socks and underwear. Try to keep these drawers consistent, and you’ll know where everything is whenever you need it!

Store Clothes That Are Out of Season

If it’s the middle of summer, then you might not need to store all your long-sleeved shirts and long pants in your dresser. A good way to keep your dresser neat and relevant is to store clothes that are out of season elsewhere to make up space. There are storage containers made specifically for clothes that can keep them in good order and can be stored in another room until it’s time to bring them out again. 

Under Bed Storage Solution (DIY)

Fold Your Clothes a Different Way

One of the most overlooked, yet most effective ways to organize your dresser is to fold your clothes differently. This is where you can take a page out of the military’s book, and roll up your clothes. If you don’t want to do that, then after you fold your clothes the normal way and in a big square, fold them in half one more time. This will save up space, and you can line them up in a row in each drawer, rather than one on top of the other. 

It may not sound like much, but you’d be surprised at how much space you can save, and how many more pieces of clothing you can fit just by changing the way you fold things.

Folding Clothes to Save Space (Complete Guide)

In Review

Organizing a dresser can seem like a daunting task, especially if organizing isn’t really your “thing.” However, if you take it one step at a time, you can find how manageable it can be. It’s one of those things that once you’re done, you’ll be glad you did it, but I know there’s a lot to tackle in between. In this article we broke down 6 simple steps to take to organize a smaller dresser:

  • Empty your dresser completely – it’s an easy starting point and shows you what all you have.
  • Make a pile of clothes to give away – you’ll likely find things that don’t fit you or that you just don’t wear anymore.
  • Hang nicer and bulkier clothes – 2 hoodies can take up half a drawer, so hang those along with nicer clothes that are taking up space.
  • Organize your clothes – organize by how you dress each day, and have drawers consistently filled with the same types of items.
  • Store clothes that are out of season – keep irrelevant clothes for that particular season stored elsewhere.
  • Fold your clothes a different way – you can save a lot of space by folding your clothes a little bit differently.

If you want to be hand-held through the process I made a premium entire guide you can check out next.

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