Whether you live in a tiny studio or a four-bedroom home, you could probably use more closet space. Short of knocking down a few walls or moving, though, what can you do to get your closet organized?
Face it, you’re not going to give away most of your possessions. So why not try to increase your closet’s efficiency? Re-organizing might not fool anyone into thinking your tiny closet is a walk-in, but it will make it easier to find and store your belongings. Plus, a 2000 IKEA survey found that 31% of respondents reported feeling better after reorganizing their closets than they did after sex.
We make no such claims for these four tips on how to organize your closet. But why not try for yourself?
In This Post:
Don’t Organize by Color. Organize by Type.
Yes, it looks cool on Pinterest. But unless you plan on dressing monochromatically, organizing your clothes by color doesn’t help you plan outfits. Organizing by type — tank tops, button-downs, slacks, layering basics — makes it easy to build a look from the ground up. And it allows you to store clothes according to how often you wear them, making those quick morning decisions about what to wear even quicker.
Box Up Out-of-Season Clothing.
Do you really need your cashmere sweater in July? How often do you wear your oversized, floppy sun hat in December? A great way to free up space when closet organizing is to pack away your clothes when they’re not in season. You can stash them in a box under your bed or in the attic, if you have one, until the weather changes. Bonus: In the process of packing and unpacking, you’ll probably come across some things you haven’t worn in years. Are they ripe for rediscovery, or is it time for them to find a new home? You decide.
Utilize Vertical Space.
If you have a small closet, even a few pairs of shoes can take up all of your floor space. And you can only fit so many coat hangers onto a rod. The trick is to maximize vertical space between the floor and hanging clothes. Hanging cubbies allow you to use space from floor to ceiling, and are great for foldable, stackable items of clothing like jeans, socks, and sweaters.
Over-the-door hooks are perfect for scarves, and allow you use the sliver of space between your hanging clothes and the door. And a simple nail in the wall is a space-saving way to hang up your belts.
Divide and Conquer.
If you have a shelf in your closet, don’t just throw foldable things on top of it willy-nilly. Keep things separated — small baskets can house socks and underwear, while larger trays can help keep your jeans from mixing with your sweaters.
Multi-tiered stacking systems can also help take advantage of all available space, while keeping things organized by type. Just remember to stack according to how often you wear garments: eye-level for everyday, above-the-head for occasional, and top of the stack for special-occasion. You shouldn’t need a stepladder to reach your sweatpants.
I hope these closet organizing ideas are helpful, and your closet is nice and organized now!