This guest post is sponsored by Coupons.com.

A cluttered closet is a time waster. While you might not feel the pinch of trying to search for a specific shirt on a typical day, you will feel it once you are in a rush. Even worse, it can easily lead to the damage of your most valued clothes. When mixed in a pile, clothes can not only get wrinkled but also torn.

The sad thing is that you might think you have enough clothes, only to realize that most of them are useless. Although purging your closet might seem like the toughest part of organizing it, maintaining a clean closet might be tougher.

Here is how to purge and maintain a tidy closet:

Take Inventory and Brutally Purge Unnecessary Clothes

Some clothes might have sentimental value to you, but they may no longer be useful. For instance, the pair of shoes that you wore during prom night has no business being in your closet. The first step to purging your wardrobe is to remove all the items in it and take inventory completely.

You should know the exact number of similar jeans or old shoes that you have. By sorting the clothes out by category, it becomes easier to determine what clothes are eating your space and which ones need to stay. In case you feel that a piece of cloth has no business in your closet, throw it away.

Anything that you haven’t used in the last year, and has no more value should also be disposed of. You can sell it or even give it out to charity as long as it is usable.

Set Rules for Anything That Gets Back In

Ideally, you should ruthlessly follow a set of rules when reorganizing your closet to identify the things that need to remain. For instance, you can pile clothes in four categories; keep, repair, donate, and trash. Anything that has holes and stains that can be repaired should belong to the repair pile. Any clothing that no longer fits or isn’t your style should belong to the donate pile.

If you think that a piece is too worn out, place it in the trash pile. The only clothes that should find their way back into your closet should be those that provide some value to you. The same applies to shoes too. When it comes to buying other clothes, you should also revisit your rules to ensure that the piece will fit the specifications. To avoid throwing all necessary clothes away, sort them out by category by grouping shoes, pants and shirts separately.

Design Your Closet with Ease in Mind

You don’t need an expensive closet to improve functionality. Simple tweaks to your current one might be enough to improve your access to clothes. This will ensure that you can easily pick clothes to wear the next day without much friction.  For instance, you should consider storing clothes that you often use at eye level.

As for winter clothes, it might be ideal for storing them deep in the closet or placing them on top of it during summer. If you have enough vertical space in your closet, feel free to use it to your advantage. You can stack boxes or clothes on top of each other to save space.

Group Clothes by Category

It will be so easy to wear clothes in the morning once you are sure of where the socks and shirts are stored. Consider placing shirts in certain parts of your closet and shoes in other parts. You can put those that you will need to use often closer and those that you use once in a while further away.

As for clothes that can easily get stained or wrinkle, consider hanging them. This will include anything in the line of fine linen suits and gowns. It might also help to use matching hangers to make the closet look appealing from afar.

Have Special Containers for Clutter

Things such as watches or makeup kits can quickly clutter your closet. Even worse, it can be sad to find that your lipstick was smeared on one of your favorite white shirts. The idea here is to ensure that such small items have designated storage locations.

You can store any jewelry and watches you have in specialized boxes designed to hold these items. In case your drawers are full, consider storing these boxes in other spots.

Work On Keeping the Closet Clean and Tidy

It can be nice to find a tidy closet every time you open it. As a result, make it a habit to keep on cleaning it. This can be pretty helpful in situations where dust might find its way into your closet, making your clothes dirty.

Something as simple as wiping or dusting it every once in a while can mean a lot. You should also work to limit the amount of clutter that you place into your closet. This will include forming a habit of putting everything exactly where it is supposed to be.

Waking up to a tidy closet is a great way to start your day; it might even motivate you to be more organized throughout the day. However, you need to make staying organized a habit. Be consistent with the organization decisions you make to enjoy the benefit galore that an organized closet provides.