You might be keeping some items for sentimental purposes, even long after they become unwearable. Try to find another use for items like this, like making a tee-shirt rug or a quilt, so that they aren’t taking up space in your drawers. If it’s a casual or daily item and you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s time for it to go. Formal items can go unworn a bit longer.
You can also store off season items in a box under your bed. At the very least, you’ll want to put heavy winter items in the lowest drawers. This is better for your dresser.
Generally, these items can be split very nicely between four drawers. Delicates and pajamas in one drawer, shirts in another, pants in a third, and sweaters and other items in the fourth. Sweaters should be kept separately to help protect them from moths but also to keep them from pilling all over other clothing items. Pants must generally be folded differently from shirts and keeping them separate will prevent wrinkles.
For functional separation, look for the common pairs. Lightweight items vs heavy items, casual items vs formal items, flirty items vs professional items, etc. This can help you find the clothes you want more quickly, because you will know exactly where to look. It also keeps items with similar materials together. However, separating by color will make your drawers look much nicer and help you stay motivated to keep them organized.
Some clothing types might need special storage considerations too. For example, placing a cedar plank or mothballs in a drawer with sweaters is important for combating moths. Some items might also need to be stored hanging up or in a bag, instead of in a drawer. It’s a good idea to identify these items and set them aside. Examples of these items would be any item made of silk, as they will wrinkle very easily when folded, or very expensive or irreplaceable sweaters, which should be stored in bags to protect them from moths.
The sections can then be further divided as needed. For example, you might have your top long drawer divided into three. Bras can be nested in the first section, the second section can be divided into two parts, one for socks and the other for pajamas. The third section can be divided into three parts, for the different types of underwear you have.
This will help keep everything separate but it also means you can take out and rearrange the drawers without having to take out and refold all your clothes.
Another great option is to save the divider that comes with a box of wine. This is great for storing sock, underwear, and other small items.
The downside to these is that they don’t create a solid line, which can make it hard to keep small items separate. However, they’re perfect for things like rolled shirts, jeans, and sweaters.
The exception here is if you have clothes with natural creases in them. Creased pants, for example, should probably be folded in the traditional way, although they are really best kept in a closet.
You can remove the board (as is more traditional), but if you used cheap cardboard, you can leave the board in the shirt or pants. This makes it faster to sort through the items or even store them vertically, like the bagged dress shirts at a department store. To make your own shirt board, cut a piece of thick cardboard to about 15” by 18”. It should be just about the same size that a shirt is once folded into a “store style” rectangle.
You can even use a file organizer in your drawers to help keep items upright.
You can store them in one big line or you can place the left cup inside of the right cup to conserve space, although this is less good for the center of the bra and can lead to warping.
Another option is to use pudding cups or drink cups in your drawer and put the socks in those. However, this is not very space efficient. It will make your drawer more organized but it will also take up a lot of space. Choose what’s best for you.
