Tips on closet organization
How to Organize Clothes in Your Closet: 5 Easy Steps
It's inspiring to think about organizing your clothes, shoes, and accessories perfectly in your closet when watching home design shows. But in real life, it takes a bit of planning and preparation to declutter, clean, and reorganize a closet to make sure it's more functional after you finish.
How you organize your closet will differ slightly based on the size of your space, the size of your wardrobe, and the kind of life you lead.
Follow these tips to learn how to best organize your clothes closet, similar to how the organization experts do it on TV.
Watch Now: How to Easily Organize Your Closet
Before You Begin
Gather tools and supplies that will help make the job easier. Here's your quick closet organization toolkit:
- Shopping bags: Use sturdy bags to transport clothes to the donation center, tailor, and dry cleaner. If you don't have bags, boxes and bins will do in a pinch.
- Tape measure: Measure shelving and hanging space. Don't forget a notebook to jot down your closet's measurements.
- Full-length mirror: Decide what to "keep" and "let go," and make sure your mirror can accommodate your entire image.
- Catch-all basket: Collect change, papers, rubber bands, hair clips, wads of cash (score!), and assorted receipts in pants pockets. Do not stop in the middle of organizing to put these items away; put them aside for now into this catch-all basket.
The Spruce / Daria Groza
Empty Your Closet
Remove all the items from your closet, giving you a bare closet to reset your closet space. If you’re used to shoving clothes into your closet, this will be weird because you’re about to take everything out and probably find some stuff shoved in a back corner that you forgot about. The easiest way to organize your clothes is to remove everything from the closet, including hangers, baskets, bins, and anything else on the floor or shelves.
Clean Every Corner
You need a clear, clean space to plan and visualize how you will re-organize your closet. First, dust the shelving and hanging rods. Next, run the vacuum or sweep and mop the floor. Finally, wipe the shelving, hanging rods, walls, and baseboards down with a good all-purpose cleaner. Don’t forget any baskets or bins that could be collecting dirt and dust.
Sort and Declutter Your Things
What often happens with closets is people stow their items away in a dark, back corner, sometimes forgetting what they have. The best way to start decluttering your clothes is to take it all out; sort it by separating all items into piles by item: shoes, outerwear, evening wear, and more. Figure out what you have and how many you have. Now, make some decisions. If you have 22 "little black dresses" and only go to dinner parties as frequently as the ball drops in Times Square, it's time to pare down. Sort again into piles: "must keep," "donate, toss, or pass along," or "not sure.
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Some people fear decluttering because they love to hold onto things they “may need one day” or “used to fit/be in style.” To make this process easier and organize your closet like a pro, you can follow the KonMari Method of organization by focusing on what you want to keep instead of what you're getting rid of. Following Marie Kondo's advice, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you love it?
- Do you wear it?
- Does it project the image you want to portray?
If the answer is "yes" to all three, you can confidently place that item into the keeper pile. However, if you haven't worn something in years, it doesn't fit you anymore, or you don't like the cut, color, or style of it, let it go.
If you’re having difficulty deciding, create a "maybe" bin and revisit it in one, three, or six months. If you forgot about these items or never thought about wearing them once during that time, you can confidently donate or consign them.
Assess Your Storage System
Figuring out the right closet storage solutions for your particular space can be challenging.
Luckily, there are tons of great options for closet organizers, including closet system kits, but most people can get away with installing a few budget-friendly closet organizers.
If your closet system does not meet your needs by providing a space for your things (shelves, hanging racks, dividers, drawers), then look for a new organizing system. If your things don't fit, consider getting a different storage space for some things or re-evaluate whether you should keep an item.
The Spruce / Margot Cavin
Put Things Back in an Organized Way
How you organize your clothes closet and drawers depends on your storage plan. Think about where it makes sense to store each clothing category and which are the most accessible spots to reach in your closet. Everything should fit easily; it should not look overstuffed or continue to be overflowing. Fit your "keeper" items back in the space with like things; put least-used items in the back.
- Group like with like: Gather belts, sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, work pants, dresses, button-down shirts, jeans, shorts, etc.
, and decide the best place to store each item as a group (e.g., hang pants in the closet, fold and stack sweaters in a bureau). Working with groupings will help you figure out how much space you need and the best way to store each type of item. - Properly utilize prime real estate: Reserve the front and middle of your closet for clothes you wear most often. If you have to get dressed for work each morning at 6 a.m., make sure your work clothes are at the front of your closet. You should store lesser-worn items like formal wear and out-of-season clothes toward the back and on the upper shelves.
- Tuck away least-used items: Use the very top of your closet for out-of-season items and stuff you only wear a few times a year, such as Halloween costumes and super-fancy shoes.
Best Closet Design Companies
Closet Organization Methods
- Get better drawers or shelves: Big-box home improvement centers and online home organization sites offer storage solutions that include drawers and shelving units that can fit your closet's available space.
Many prefabricated systems are easy to install and come with everything included. - Sort by color, category, or length: Put jeans with jeans, keep sweaters with sweaters, and so on; if you have an expansive closet or are a visual organizer, consider putting items of the same color in the same area. Or, if using shelves, move long items like long dresses or coats to a higher hanger rod, and put thinner items like T-shirts on top shelves you can reach and pants on a mid-level shelf. Use rack tags and shelf dividers to keep things organized.
- Revisit how you fold, stack, or hang clothes: Stack clothes on shelves, but use the vertical or "file folding" method that Marie Kondo uses to see all the clothes at your fingertips when you open a drawer. Use specialty hangers to optimize space for scarves, ties, belts, and pants. Nest bras inside each other, and do the same with handbags, putting smaller bags inside bigger bags.
- Consider vacuum-seal storage bags: Get vacuum bags from a retail or make DIY vacuum bags by using a large clear drawstring trash bag and a vacuum cleaner.
Suck the air out of the bag, firmly tie it closed, and voila, you've maximized available space. Place these bags on a top shelf, bottom corner, or storage space until you need them. - Label everything: Find things quickly without having to open storage boxes, bins, drawers, or vacuum-sealed bags.
- Use wall space: You can use walls to store jewelry and accessories; consider using hooks, spice racks, pegboards, or wall-hung wire bins for accessories and small clothing items.
Closet Storage Tips
Closet storage solutions won't create more space in your closet; however, closet organizers, storage solutions, and closet systems can help you maximize your space. Here are some tips for making more with less space:
- A step stool will make it easier for you to reach the top part of your closet; instead of ignoring an empty space that was hard to reach, you will use that space.
- A double-hang rod with two levels of hanging rods will better use horizontal storage space in the closet.
- An over-the-door shoe rack can turn your door into the perfect place to store shoes, accessories, or both.
You might be tempted to throw your hands up, pull out your credit card, and buy an expensive closet system. This urge might not be necessary if you measure the space, assess what you already have, and make a storage plan. Buy only what you need to store your clothes and re-purpose what you already own. Small bookcases, cubbies, and baskets are great for storing handbags, shoes, accessories, and gym clothes.
Finally, don't forget to measure a space three times before buying a new storage item. Nothing is worse than carting something home and finding it's too big or small.
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Maintaining Your Newly Organized Closet
The more you work on closet maintenance, the less time it will take. Go through your closet, complete a quick tidying once a month, and tackle the full re-organization process twice a year.
Make it easy on yourself by following a cleaning schedule, either by season, by date (such as your birthday or New Year's), or by an event. The next time you can't find an important piece of clothing, that's a good sign you need to re-organize your closet.
Take the Quiz
How organized are you? Take our short personality quiz to find out how organized you really are plus get tips for better organization.
How to Maximize Closet Space in 6 Stress-Free Steps
When starting a project to maximize closet space, evaluate everything you need to store. Pull everything out, remove items you no longer need, and sort like items. Before buying storage solutions, ensure they will fit your closet and match your unique needs. Measure carefully before purchasing a closet organizing product.
Here are tricks to increase closet space, especially if you live in an apartment or dorm with minimal space.
Tips
When you're going through your closet reorganization project, ask yourself these three key questions as you go along:
- Do I need this item anymore and why?
- Is it worth the cost and time to clean, fix, or try to fit into this item?
- Does this item continue to support my lifestyle and is it still appropriate to wear (to work, to the gym, or out socializing, for example)?
Here are the steps to follow to maximize your closet space.
Click Play to Learn How to Maximize Storage in a Small Closet
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Research Small Closet Storage Solutions
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
It's vital to have a plan before you begin buying stuff. Take inventory of what you already own to see what you have to work with. Review how many pants, skirts, and shirts you need to hang; how many shirts, sweaters, and jeans you need to fold and stack; and the number of accessories you need to keep close at hand.
Then, take your closet's measurements and record them.
Closet organizers increase space by making creative use of every inch, so be sure to check out hanging cubbies or bags with built-in shelves and drawers, stackable drawers, or small rolling carts.
See if you can repurpose things you may already have that can work in your space, such as tiny bookcases, small bureaus, shoe racks, bins, or decorative stackable boxes. Warning
It may be a tough call but you don't always have to trash items you haven't worn in a year (as many experts suggest). Dedicate one box for those few items you think you may want, need, or be able to honestly fit into soon or you may regret tossing it out.
The 10 Best Closet Kits of 2022
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Use the Floor of Your Closet
The Spruce / Julieanne Browning
It makes sense to take the shoes that you don't wear too often and store them inside your closet. Utilize the floor space for a combination of off-season storage, accessories, and shoes. The best shoe storage option for the floor is a low-to-the-ground cubby. Make sure you use one that fits so you can stretch every inch of floor space.
You can also move your off-season or rarely worn shoes either high up in your closet, on a hanging rack on the closet door, into another storage space like a hall closet, or in the storage space under your bed.
Wherever you do store your shoes, remember to properly clean them first so they do not develop mold or mildew. -
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Double Your Hanging Space
Riley JB / Stocksy
What do you do when your closet is full? Nothing transforms your closet as quickly and dramatically as a double hang. More hanging space is more efficient than shelving space, especially if you have too many clothes and not enough closet space. So if you have to choose between the two, opt to increase your hanging space—then color code your closet for an extra organizational boost. This may mean you have to hang things you would normally fold and stack.
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Go Vertical in Your Closet
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Maximize the space on the shelf above your rod. Store seasonal items as high up the wall and as close to the ceiling as you can and access the area with a good, sturdy step stool. It helps to place items in stackable clear bins so you can remember what you stored that high up.
Use smaller lightweight bins with lids so you can retrieve them easily and keep the dust out at the same time. -
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Use the Right Hangers for Your Closet Space
The Spruce / Julieanne Browning
Hangers can be used for all manner of items in addition to clothing, such as boots, blankets, handbags, scarves, and ties.
Use your hangers to group similar types of clothing. For example, you'll only have to pull out one hanger to view all of your scarves.
For the best hangers to use in a small closet, invest in designs that are less bulky and up to an inch thinner than traditional wood hangers. Each sliver of space a thinner hanger saves you will quickly add up to a lot more saved closet space than you thought possible.
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Use Storage Space on the Closet Door
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Closet door shoe racks are the best option here. But, they aren't just for shoes anymore; they’re a super functional way to store all sorts of clothing items and accessories.
These over-the-door organizers can hold accessories such as jewelry, scarves, and hats, as well as undergarments and smaller handbags and wallets. Use your closet door for the things you wear and grab the most often. For example, if you’re a scarf-wearer, tuck your most-worn scarves at eye level in the shoe rack pockets. In the summer, swap out scarves, gloves, and tights for tank tops.
Don't forget about all that precious real estate on the outside of your closet door. Add decorative removable Command hooks from which you can neatly hang bags and other grab-and-go items.
9 Ways to Store Clothes Without a Closet
Organization of the perfect wardrobe - Perfect Wardrobe
A large and spacious wardrobe is the dream of so many. Not only girls and women, but also men dream of a dressing room. To all of us, the wardrobe is presented as a wide bright room with many shelves, boxes, hangers and storage systems.
However, not many people can afford to arrange their ideal wardrobe in this way.
For its convenience and appearance, as a rule, it is not the allocated area that is responsible, but the system for organizing and designing this space.
We will try to help you in this difficult, but at the same time interesting and creative matter - how to organize a wardrobe.
So, let's determine what steps the organization of the ideal wardrobe consists of:
Step 1. Choosing a space for a wardrobe.
Step 2. Determination of what things will be stored in the wardrobe.
Step 3. Space planning.
Step 4. Finding and buying the missing wardrobe items.
Step 5. Placement of things.
Step 6. Maintain order.
Let's take a closer look at each of these steps.
Choice of wardrobe space.
In practice, a situation is more common when this is not a choice, but a given, which depends on the size of the house or apartment, as well as the way of life.
Agree that a person who lives on his own or a young married couple who are quite mobile and often move, there is absolutely no need to acquire a large stationary dressing room. However, everyone wants to have a convenient, organized and beautiful place to store things.
Where can a wardrobe be located:
- Separate dressing room
- Large wardrobe
- Several cabinets and chests of drawers
- A small wardrobe that needs to accommodate several wardrobes at the same time.
I repeat that often, when determining a place for the future “home” for our things, we do not proceed from the number of things, but from the amount of available space. If there is a choice, then you need to be guided by a few simple rules:
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The wardrobe should be hidden from prying eyes. After all, this is your personal space. You can show it off if you want, but definitely don't organize your wardrobe in a walkable area.
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You should be comfortable dressing there at the beginning of the day, undressing in the evening, choosing outfits.
It is logical if the dressing room is located behind the bedroom. -
The dressing room should be well lit and painted in light colors. This will allow you to see the outfits in real color, as well as pay attention to what advantages of the figure emphasize your outfits.
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Household trifles, items intended for house cleaning, toys and other foreign objects should not be stored in the dressing room. This is the realm of your style and appearance.
Determine what items will be stored in the wardrobe.
This question is also purely individual. However, you must determine this at the very beginning. To properly organize the space of your wardrobe. When choosing storage categories, keep in mind the capacity of the space that you have already chosen and where you plan to place these things.
The wardrobe can store:
- Casual wear
- Home and sportswear
- Party wear
- Lingerie
- Seasonal clothing
- Outerwear
- Hats
- Shoes
- Accessories
Some of you will exclaim that all these things will never fit in your wardrobe.
Then you should find another comfortable space for them, which you also organize.
Remember that the mentioned categories should be slightly separated from each other. Agree that it would be strange to store lace underwear and winter boots on the same shelf. Therefore, be guided by common sense and the principle of "like to like".
Wardrobe space planning.
The main goal of space planning is to organize things in such a way that they are easy to find, convenient to take, and at the same time everything around continues to please the eye, and does not look like a “dump” at home.
Therefore, after you have determined the categories of things that will be stored in a wardrobe or closet, divide these categories into types of things that are similar in shape or type of fabric: shirts and polos, knit sweaters and tops, trousers, skirts, trouser suits, coats and jackets etc. This is necessary because different types of things are stored differently.
And these storage conditions must be observed if you want your favorite things to serve you longer.
By placing each type on shelves, racks, wardrobe hangers, you can arrange them by color. So your wardrobe will look more harmonious, and certain things will be easier to find. Therefore, when planning a space, be guided by these rules.
Search and purchase of missing wardrobe items.
Everything is simple here. Be guided by one simple principle - each thing should have its own house. Therefore, if according to the plan the “house” is not enough, then it must be purchased in addition. These can be boxes, storage trays, suit hangers, special hangers for trousers and skirts, hangers for outerwear, hangers for delicate items, hangers for shirts, hangers for accessories and much more. To make your wardrobe or closet look harmonious. All elements included in it must be of the same type, shape and color. Many will decide that this rule can be neglected, but we will predict the result of this decision in advance: all things will hang at different levels, the colors of the hangers will distract from the color of things, create chaos, and irregularly shaped hangers will deform things.
Placement of things in the wardrobe.
The placement of things will depend on how you planned the space and whether you have enough "houses" for things. Treat this process no less creatively than the very planning of the wardrobe space. Hang them up and arrange them by color, size, or frequency of wear. Take a closer look. Is everything convenient? Try organizing differently.
Maintaining order.
Congratulations! You have done a great job, for which you are rewarded with a beautiful view of your wardrobe. But this result is easy to lose. And you must admit that it will be a shame to see another pile of things in the place of a perfectly organized wardrobe. Therefore, it is important to observe the following simple rules:
- Put things back in their place each time.
- When adding new clothes or removing things from the wardrobe, do not break the system.
Even the newest and finest blouse should hang with the rest of the tops, and not in rows with trousers, because there it is better visible. - All stored items must be clean. Dirty things go straight to the dirty laundry basket, and do not huddle them on the shelves.
- When buying a new item, make sure that there is an appropriate hanger or shelf space for it.
- Remove the packaging film immediately after dry cleaning. Lack of air access spoils things.
- Do not store clothing on metal wire hangers. They deform things.
10 tips for organizing the perfect wardrobe
For many people, a separate dressing room in an apartment is an unaffordable luxury. Nevertheless, in the house of every fashionista there is a certain space for storing clothes, shoes, wallets and other accessories.
Of course, when we hear the word wardrobe, we immediately imagine organized racks of clothes, boxes of shoes perfectly stacked on the shelves, and hats and handbags hung on hooks.
But in reality, as a rule, everything turns out to be completely different.
If chaos and chaos have also settled in your closet, and you do not know how to deal with them, then we suggest you clean up and get rid of things that you are unlikely to ever put on.
To do this, you need to follow 10 simple steps.
1. Empty the closet and lay out the things. You can group outfits by color, purpose, brand, or something else. You can sort skirts to skirts or shirts to shirts. The main thing is to define a clear system that will be easy to use.
2. Separate the groups. Look at each thing you put aside, remember how long ago and how many times you wore it and whether you wore it at all. If a thing has not been worn for more than a year, then feel free to put it aside - it no longer has a place in your closet. In order not to regret, set yourself up to free up a shelf for new things. Give old clothes to charity, sell or deposit.
3. Refresh the cabinet: dust the shelves and drawers, leave the doors open for some time to ventilate.
4. Zoning the closet or dressing room space. Each category of things should have its own zone. For example, “evening dresses”, “outerwear”, “accessories”, “shoes”, “bags”, etc. It is important to remember that the fewer categories, the easier it will be for you to maintain the established order. Clothes that you wear infrequently are better to hang in the far corner, and take out casual trousers, skirts and sweaters “to the front line”. Designate a separate drawer for underwear, pajamas.
5. Remove seasonal items. Outerwear, summer or old baby clothes, etc. pack in vacuum bags to save space. If there is no place in the dressing room for them, they can be handed over to a warehouse for individual storage.
6. Install shoe storage systems. You can take a hotel wall or a shelf in the wardrobe for this. Shoes that you rarely wear, put on top. It will be better if you also divide it into categories: shoes, boots, boots, sandals, etc. If space permits, store shoes in branded boxes.
