Organizing and Labeling Clothing if Blind or Low Vision
Organizing and labeling your clothing, undergarments, and jewelry requires attention and several different types of labeling techniques. Here are some organization and labeling tips that can help.
If you need additional information about organizing and labeling a variety of household items, in addition to clothing and personal items, see Labeling and Marking and Organizing and Modifying Your Home.
Check the Lighting
If you have low vision, it’s helpful first to check the lighting in your closets and dressing areas:
- Is the lighting bright enough for you?
- Is the lighting even and without deep shadows?
- Does the position of the lighting help or hinder you when you try to identify and select your clothing independently?
- Take your selected clothing to the nearest window and see if extra light can help you identify or differentiate colors.
- When you want to match colors, hold your clothing items side-by-side under bright or natural light.
- Keep a flashlight in your nightstand drawer or near the closet to help you read labels or distinguish colors.
See Redesigning Your Home for additional information on lighting, color, contrast, and room-by-room modifications.
Use Organizing and Sorting Systems
Before implementing a labeling system, try using any of the following organizational techniques:
- Use tactile cues like texture, cut, style, and button design. Using these cues can help you identify many clothing items without labeling them.
- Place a matching outfit together on one hanger (suit, shirt, belt, tie, and slacks).
- Group similar clothing together. Place all slacks in one part of the closet; all shirts in another.
- Use egg cartons or plastic ice cube trays to organize small items like jewelry and accessories.
- Use plastic Ziploc bags to separate socks and hosiery.
- Establish a place for each item.
- Always keep items in the same place every time.
- Return all items to their designated place when you’ve finished using them.
You can also use the following everyday household supplies to help you organize your clothing and smaller personal items, such as earrings, rings, watches, and hosiery:
- Shoe boxes
- Fishing tackle boxes
- Craft boxes
- Multi-drawer hardware storage units
- Baby food jars/glass jars
- Storage boxes/clothing bags
Use Different Shaped/Sized Containers or Drawers
- Consider grouping like items together; for example, place different colored underwear in separate drawers or shaped/sized containers.
- Place gloves and scarves in another box or drawer and separate informal tops from dressy tops.
- Choose identifying and organizational systems that work best for you. If you’ve been organized in the past, you may need to make only minor changes in your organizational system.
Storing Jewelry
- Use a jewelry box with dividers to hold individual pieces, such as earrings, rings, bracelets/bangles, and necklaces.
- Organize your jewelry by color, style (formal, informal), or material.
- Exploring each piece using your sense of touch and becoming familiar with its unique characteristics can also be helpful.
Custom-Designed Storage
- Many companies specialize in custom shelving and closet organizers. They will visit your home, evaluate your storage space, and design shelving, racks, and cabinets for your specific needs and budget.
- Again, it’s essential to ensure the result reflects your unique needs.
From Peer Advisor Stephanae McCoy: Time-Saving Wardrobe Organization Tips
Peer Advisor Steph McCoy
Getting the Jump on the Morning Routine
You’re probably aware of the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I can think of many areas in life where this saying could be applicable, but none more than the daily morning routine.
You know, the one where you’ve just overslept, and you jump up in automatic panic mode, wondering how in the world you’ll be able to get yourself together in time to get to work. This issue is irritating to just about anyone, but if you are blind or low vision, it’s especially annoying.
What to do? “Micro-management” is key! Let’s look at the following steps to help you implement a time-saving daily wardrobe routine.
Beginning Steps: Use Hangers
You won’t need all of these items – just whatever works for your situation:
- Fixed or swivel-hook plastic shirt hangers
- Pants/skirt hangers. These have two clips to hang the bottoms.
- Suit combo hangers (can be wooden or plastic). As the name implies, these combine a shirt and pants/skirt hangers with two clips to hang bottoms.
- Make your combo hangers with aluminum soda can pull-tabs and shirt hangers (the thin velvet ones are perfect), mesh drawstring bags, plastic sandwich bags, drawstring shoe bags, or grocery store bags. If you use sandwich bags, punch a hole near the top of the bag to slip it over the hanger. You can use the hanger, pencil, or pen if you don’t have a hole punch.
Use Everyday Items
You can use the following methods if you still want or need to label your clothing after trying these organizational systems. Please note: If you use a label applied directly to the clothing item, ensure the label is not visible and does not rub on your neck, back, waist, or any other part of your body.
- Make large print labels with a white unruled 3″x5″ file card and a rubber band. Mark the label with a black wide-tip marker, laundry marker, or foam alphabet letters. Place it on the hanger with the clothing item.
- Cut a large ring or “donut” from heavy cardboard. Mark it with a large print, braille, or a tactile symbol or letter. Loop the ring over the hanger.
A “sock tucker” or
“sock lock”
- Use a safety pin coding system to determine color; for example, blue = one safety pin and red = 2 safety pins. Use small “no rust” laundry pins for this system. Place the pins in an inconspicuous location, such as inside a pocket or a hem, where they will not be visible or rub on your neck, arm, or leg. Use no pins on whatever color you have the most of to save time and resources.
- You can also use safety pins to label clothes that go together; for example, all clothes with one safety pin are pastels, and all with two are jewel tones.
- Create a master list of your coding system in large print, braille, or another accessible format for quick and easy reference.
- Use iron-on patches in various sizes and shapes.
- Use buttons or French knots.
- The small plastic “sock tuckers” or “sock locks” (pictured at left) can help you sort your socks and hosiery. You can also use them to keep your socks matched during laundering.
Use Specialty Labeling Products
There are also many specialty labeling products for people who are blind or have low vision.
- Braille Clothing Identifiers: Durable and washable white plastic tags with braille and corresponding black print. They can be sewn or pinned onto the garment. Each label contains just 2-3 braille letters that you can learn to recognize by touch without having to learn to read the entire braille system:
- Color Mates Clothing Identifiers: Package of 160 tags, 16 colors in different shapes on safety pins to identify, mix, and match wardrobe items:
- Identi-Buttons Clothing Identifiers: Package of eight buttons, one button per color, all in different shapes:
- Hi-Mark Tactile Pen: A three-dimensional plastic liquid that makes raised lines, dots, and shapes to identify clothing, canned goods, and frozen foods and mark the settings on appliances:
- Spot ‘n Line Pen: A three-dimensional plastic liquid that makes raised lines, dots and shapes to identify clothing, canned goods, frozen foods, and mark the settings on appliances:
- Loc-Dots: Clear raised dots to mark index cards, appliances, computers, and keyboards. They cannot be used directly on the clothing item.
- Maxi-Marks: Black plastic dots and slashes with adhesive backing to mark index cards, appliances, computers, and keyboards. They cannot be used directly on the clothing item.
- Touch Dots: Black, white, red, yellow, and orange raised foam dots with adhesive backing to mark index cards, appliances, computers and keyboards. They cannot be used directly on the clothing item:
- Bump Dots: Black, orange, and clear raised plastic dots with adhesive backing to mark index cards, appliances, computers and keyboards. They cannot be used directly on the clothing item:
- Touch-To-See Labels: Braille and tactile adhesive labels to mark index cards, medication, and food. Each reusable label contains a raised letter or number with corresponding braille. They cannot be used directly on the clothing item:
- Pen Friend 2: An electronic color identifier and voice labeling system that allows users to record, and re-record, information on to self-adhesive labels. The device will speak the color aloud when you hold it against the garment:
- Talking Color Identifier with Light Probe: This electronic device detects approximately 100 colors. The device will speak the color aloud when you hold it against the garment:
- VOXCOM III Voice Labeling System: Record audio talk labels and messages by depressing a button and inserting a card into the unit. The card attaches to canned goods, medication, clothing, food, and household items:
By Maureen A. Duffy, M.S., CVRT