By LeafTV Editor

Color coding your wardrobe makes getting ready in the morning or evening so much easier. You can find your items easily and even realize when items are missing. It may take some time, but color coding your closet will be well worth it in the long run.

Rainbow colors, clothes on wooden hangers
credit: AnikaSalsera/iStock/GettyImages
How To Color Code A Wardrobe


Organize the clothes in your closet. Divide all of the clothes in your closet into tops and bottoms. It is easier to keep the clothes on the hangers inside of the closet rather than taking them out and dividing them. Plus it keeps the space around you clutter free while you're trying to color code your closet.

Think of the acronym you learned for the color spectrum in elementary school: ROY G BIV—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. This is the easiest way to color code your hanging clothes. While continuing to keep your tops and bottoms separated, organize each section by color starting at red and ending with the violets or purples. Because most people have black and white clothes as well, add black clothes at the end of the violets and purples, and whites behind the blacks.

Remember for any item that is multi-colored, try to place it with the color that the item shows the most.

Change the order of clothing in each colored section. Place the tank tops and sleeveless shirts first, and then short sleeved shirts, then long sleeved shirts, sweaters and dresses.

Repeat Step 4 in each section until each colored portion is completed.

Do the same for the bottoms, changing the order where shorts are first, then short skirts, capris and Bermuda shorts, long skirts and pants. Basically the order is from shortest to longest.

Separate the clothes in your drawers into the same colors listed in Step 2: ROY G BIV.

Leave your underwear and socks separate as it may be easier to get to when they are all together.

Give each color a separate drawer if you have the space. If you don't have enough space, combine the colors that are the closest in the spectrum.


  • Alter the color coding system to work for your needs.

  • It is a lot more difficult to color code drawer space so if you can, hang all of your clothes up to make the color coding system work to its maximum potential.