Now that I am no longer living in a dorm, I have access to a large, walk-in closet where I can store all of my clothes, accessories, shoes, and other items. When I recently moved my items into a different closet, I found myself thinking a lot about organizing a walk-in closet with vision loss, and how I could effectively organize items so that they would be easier for me to find as a person with low vision- as helpful as it is to be able to use a visual assistance app to locate items, I feel a bit silly doing that when it’s easier for me to take the time to make sure my closet is well-organized from the start. Here are my tips for organizing a walk-in closet with vision loss in mind.
Keep categories of clothing together
Whenever possible, I try to combine entire categories of clothing in one centralized spot so that things are not scattered across the space. While some people prefer to organize by occasion, I find it easier to have all items of one category in one place- dresses on one rack, shirts on another, etc. This also helps if someone else has to grab something from my closet, as it makes items easier to locate.
Related links
- Assistive Technology and Dressing Aids For Low Vision
- Organizing Jewelry With Vision Loss
- Organizing Dresser Drawers With Vision Loss
Make sure shelving and storage areas have defined segments
Instead of keeping items in a pile on shelves or in a place where they can tip over, it’s helpful to have defined segments/sections so that items do not spill into each other. One option is to use shelf dividers to help with organizing items, or to put items in clear bins.
Having multiple folded items stacked on top of each other or folded on top of each other can make the clothing identification process even more difficult. Instead, consider folding or stacking items in a single layer so everything is visible and it is easier to identify items. Alternatively, stack items that are the same color/style together, such as groups of black t-shirts, which can be used interchangeably with each other.
Related links
Arrange items by color
Once items have been divided into categories, I like to arrange items by color because I like the way it looks and also because it helps me locate items more easily. I have a lot of different colors in my closet, so I arrange items by rainbow order, though others may prefer to group all of their gray shirts, blue pants, or black jackets in one place so that they can easily identify which color is which.
Organize tops by sleeve length/pants by length
When I organize tops and pants, I sort them by sleeve length or pants length. Within each color section in my closet, sleeveless items are organized in a group together, followed by short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, and long sleeve items, and pants/skirts are organized by length as well.
Ensure there is adequate lighting
While organizing a walk-in closet with vision loss is important, one of the equally critical items to consider is adequate lighting inside of the closet. Some options for improving closet lighting include:
- Motion sensor lights
- Small LED lights that can be attached to the wall/ceiling
- Lighting strips
- Using higher-watt lightbulbs
- Pointing a phone flashlight at items
Related links
Use hanging storage whenever possible
Hanging items in a closet or on a clothing rod can be easier than folding them for people with visual impairments, because it requires less precision to hang items and hangers can also accommodate additional attachments that can be used for clothing identification. For example, someone could label hangers to indicate items that are a certain color, or hang an entire outfit on a hanger, using a soda can pull tab as a way of “extending” hangers so that multiple items can be stacked together or purchasing suit combo hangers.
Related links
Keep items off the floor
Items like laundry and shoes that get left on the floor are in the perfect position to be accidentally pushed to the back of the closet, tripped over, or create visual clutter that can make it more difficult to locate items. Depending on the surface of the floor, glare from overhead lights or dark spaces can make it even more difficult to identify shoes correctly or keep them separated from each other, and laundry may end up “blending in” to the floor.
While a shoe rack is still technically on the floor, they can elevate shoes above ground level and provide a solid-colored backdrop for placing shoes on a neutral background. Using a shoe rack can also reduce or eliminate bending over to reach shoes, depending on the height, and some models support stacking racks on top of each other to increase storage capacity or height.
As for laundry, I find it helpful to have two high-contrast laundry bins to help with corralling clothes and sheets/bedding separately.
Related links
- Organizing Shoes With Vision Loss
- Making Clothing Stores Accessible For Low Vision
- My Favorite Shoes For Chiari Malformation
- Tips For Doing Laundry In College With Low Vision
Have a designated place for empty hangers
When hangers are empty, individuals can choose to either leave them in their dedicated space on the rack, or corral them in a bin or designated section of the closet so that they don’t get in the way of other items. People who do not rely on hangers for identifying specific clothing items may benefit from the corralling option, as this makes it easier to locate hangers when putting clothes away.
If I take an item off of the hanger, I hang it on top of a hook in the closet so that I can more easily hang up items when they are clean, and so hangers don’t clutter the hanging rods. This also makes it easier to take items off the hanging rod in general.
Related links
Other tips for organizing a walk-in closet with vision loss
- Hanging storage is a great way to make use of vertical space and keep items in the line of sight— learn more in Organizing Hanging Storage With Vision Loss
- One of my all-time favorite tools for keeping my closet organized is the Stylebook app, which requires a one-time purchase of $5. Learn more in How I Use The Stylebook App With Low Vision
- When possible, use velvet/slim hangers that are easier to hang items on and that provide good contrast against clothes. I talk more about the importance of high contrast in High Contrast and Low Vision
Published July 8, 2020. Updated June 2022