A tidy closet can make getting dressed easier and make your clothes feel like a collection instead of a pile of things you happen to own. The good news is that you don’t need a custom closet system or an expensive shopping spree to get there.
A few inexpensive changes can make a closet feel cleaner, easier to use, and much more put together. Whether you’re working with a tiny closet in an apartment or a large space packed with clothes, these tricks can help you make better use of the room you already have.
Sort, Purge, and Donate
Before buying bins, hangers, or shelves, start by taking everything out. It’s much easier to organize a closet when you can actually see what you own.
Make three piles: keep, donate, and toss. Be honest about what you wear, what still fits, and what has been sitting untouched for years.
There is little reason to find a storage solution for clothes you don’t want anymore. Getting rid of the extras first gives you more room and makes the rest of the closet much easier to manage.
Use Matching Hangers
One of the quickest ways to make a closet look more put together is to replace a collection of mismatched hangers with a matching set.
Uniform hangers give the closet a cleaner appearance, and slim hangers can leave more room for clothing. You can often find inexpensive sets at department stores or home goods stores.
You don’t need expensive wooden hangers for everything. A simple set that matches and fits your clothes properly can make a noticeable difference.
Make Use of Vertical Space
Look up. Many closets have plenty of unused space above the hanging rod or on top shelves.
Stacking shelves, hanging organizers, and storage bins can give you more places to put folded clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories without taking up additional floor space.
Keep things you rarely use, such as seasonal clothing, on higher shelves. Items you reach for every week should stay somewhere that’s easy to grab.
Sort Clothes by Type and Color
Once you’ve decided what stays, put similar clothing together. Keep shirts with shirts, pants with pants, dresses with dresses, and jackets with jackets.
You can take it one step further by arranging each category by color. This makes it easier to find a particular piece and gives the closet a much cleaner appearance.
It also makes it easier to see where you have too much of one type of clothing. If you have a dozen nearly identical black tops, your closet will make that pretty obvious.
Add Drawer Dividers
Small items can turn a perfectly tidy drawer into a mess surprisingly quickly. Socks, underwear, belts, scarves, and other accessories are much easier to manage when they have their own sections.
Drawer dividers are inexpensive and come in different sizes, so you can find options that fit most drawers. Small containers can work too if you already have some around the house.
The goal isn’t to fill every inch of the drawer. It’s to give smaller items a place where they can stay separated.
Related: 10 Things You Should Never Store in Your Bedroom Closet
Add Shoe Racks or Clear Boxes
Shoes can quickly take over the bottom of a closet. Leaving them scattered across the floor also makes it harder to find a matching pair.
A shoe rack gives each pair a spot, while clear shoe boxes let you see what’s inside without opening every container.
If you use boxes, choose ones that are easy to open and stack. Keeping shoes off the floor also helps protect them from getting crushed or covered in dust.
Hang Scarves and Belts on Hooks
Scarves and belts don’t need to take up valuable drawer or hanging space. A few hooks inside the closet can give these accessories their own little area.
You can use adhesive hooks, a wall-mounted rack, or a hanger made for accessories. Keep frequently worn pieces where you can see them so you aren’t digging through a drawer every morning.
It also keeps belts and scarves from getting tangled together.
Related: 11 Easy Ways to Soundproof Your Bedroom Without Major Renovations
Use the Back of the Closet Door
The back of a closet door is easy to overlook, but it can provide useful storage space. According to ajonesfororganizing.com, hooks and over-the-door organizers can be used for bags, hats, accessories, and other smaller items.
This is especially helpful in a small closet where every bit of available space matters.
Just avoid hanging so many things on the door that it becomes difficult to close or starts putting strain on the hinges.
Use Baskets for Loose Items
Baskets can help contain things that don’t have an obvious home. They’re useful for handbags, extra blankets, seasonal scarves, hats, and other pieces that tend to end up in random corners.
They also keep open shelves from looking cluttered. If you’re using several baskets, choosing similar styles can make the closet look more coordinated.
For a storage idea, baskets can be a practical option without spending much money.
Create a Jewelry Display
Jewelry doesn’t have to disappear into a drawer where you forget what you own. A small jewelry stand, tray, or organizer can keep necklaces, bracelets, watches, and earrings visible and easy to reach.
A simple display on a dresser or vanity can also make getting ready easier. Just give each type of jewelry its own spot so necklaces don’t end up tangled with everything else.
Add Open Shelving
If you have an empty wall inside or near your closet, open shelves can turn that unused area into useful storage.
Shelves work well for handbags, hats, folded sweaters, shoes, and decorative storage baskets. Since everything is visible, they’re also a good reminder to keep the area tidy.
Before adding shelves, check how much room you actually have and make sure they won’t interfere with doors, drawers, or hanging clothes.
For more storage ideas, see these tips for things you should never store on open shelves.
Use Labels
Labels can save you from opening five different bins just to find one sweater.
They’re especially useful if you store seasonal clothing, shoes, accessories, or rarely used items in opaque containers. A simple handwritten label works perfectly well, so there is no need to buy a special labeling machine.
If several people share the same closet or storage area, labels can also make it easier for everyone to put things back where they belong.
Clean and Reorganize Regularly
A closet can look great today and be a mess again a few months later. Clothes come in, old pieces get pushed to the back, and suddenly you’re back to digging through piles every morning.
Give the closet a quick reset every few months. Pull out anything you haven’t worn, return misplaced items to their proper spots, and wipe down shelves and storage bins.
It’s also a good time to deal with clothes that no longer fit your lifestyle or that you keep skipping over every time you get dressed.
You don’t need a picture-perfect closet. The best system is one that makes sense for the way you actually live and makes it easy to put things back where they belong.
