Keeping a closet space neat and tidy is an ongoing and daily process.
It can only take a few days for closets to go from functional to dysfunctional, either because we lack the time, are too tired, or are simply feeling too little lazy to put things away properly.
With the help of a few closet storage tips, you should find your closets require a lot less effort to maintain and keep clutter-free.
10 essential closet storage tips
These 10 important closet storage tips include a few organization ideas that might seem like no-brainers, such as reducing the amount of clothes you own.
But sometimes the most obvious solution to a problem is the one we fail to identify until it becomes glaringly obvious.
Go through our list of closet storage tips for a helpful reminder on some simple, fundamental strategies to restore order to your closets.
Hopefully you’ll also discover a useful closet storage and organization idea or two here that might not have occurred to you before.
1. Re-evaluate the size of your wardrobe
Re-evaluating how many items really need to be stored in your closets and taking meaningful action to reduce your wardrobe to a manageable size is one of our more common-sense closet storage tips.
It’s something that many of us fail to do, however. Consider the following statistics:
- 61% of women who have a hard time finding anything in their closet end up buying new clothes. (OnePoll survey)
- 80% of your clothes are only worn about 20% of the time. (NAPO study)
- A study of over 2,000 U.S. women revealed that their closets had an average of $550 worth of unworn clothing. (10 Yetis survey)
Having a clothing collection comprised of numerous things you never wear only slows down your decision-making process when picking out an outfit.
A good wardrobe purge every now and then to get rid of things that don’t fit, are damaged, or are out of style will make your closets easier to manage and save you time.
2. Prioritize your storage needs
Prioritizing your closet storage needs doesn’t just mean removing clothing items you never wear. It also means not using your closet space for storing things you wear on a seasonal basis and don’t currently need.
Of course, if you’re fortunate enough to have a dressing room/large walk-in closet, you’ll have all the closet storage space you need.
Otherwise, you’ll probably need to be a little more selective with where your seasonal items are stored. This especially holds true when the weather warms up. That bulky fall and winter clothing that won’t get worn for months can fill up your drawer and closet space quickly.
Designate another space in your home, such as the basement or a spare closet, as your family’s out-of-season clothing storage area. Other closet space-hogging items like luggage should also be stored there year-round.
Make sure to wash (and dry clean if necessary) your out-of-season clothing before storing everything away in clothing storage bags or storage bins.
3. Use a closet organizer
With the challenge of minimizing your closet clutter being a never-ending process, why not use the best solution available?
Get a high quality closet organizer to do most of the hard work.
A closet organizer system is designed to maximize your closet’s available storage space. By incorporating features such as drawers, strategically located shelving, and other clever design elements, an optimal level of functionality within a closet can be achieved.
If your budget allows, go with a custom closet design instead of a one-size-fits-all closet organizer system from a big box retailer. You’ll get better quality and a lot more customization options that will prove to be worth the extra expense.
If your closet space is shared, a closet organization system is particularly valuable. Having designated “his and her” closet zones ensures order is maintained within a shared storage space (and that’s order not just with closet clutter, but with squabbles that can result because of clutter).
4. Add closet drawers
Adding drawers to your closet makes perfect sense.
Drawers that are included in a closet’s custom cabinetry helps to keep all of your apparel in one main area. That can free up space in your bedroom by allowing you to get rid of a dresser.
A smaller system of drawers within a closet can also potentially give you as much (or even more) storage space as a typical dresser.
You just need to have the right kind of space-saving design, such as outfitting your drawers with dividers that allow you to keep smaller items like socks, underwear, stockings, and scarves well-organized.
Vertically folding your socks, t-shirts, jeans, and a few other types of clothing will also make maximize your drawer storage space.
Closet drawers with dividers keep socks and underwear and well-organized.
5. Add more hanging rods
Continuing our theme of closet storage tips that enable you to maximize your storage space, add a few extra smartly positioned hanging rods in your closets.
If your closet space allows for it, having extra hanging rods gives you a few more options with how your hanging space is used.
It becomes easier to group like items of clothing together or keep your hung items colour-coordinated. Lower hanging rods can be added, or even one that’s attached in a perpendicular configuration on the side wall of your closet.
Extra hanging closet space could also come in the form of a pullout pant rack.
6. Use your closet floor space wisely
Closets tend to become catch-all spaces for those odds and ends you’re not sure what to do with. And closet floors seem to be where many of these things without a home end up.
Try to make better use of your closet floor space, because it’s much more useful than as a dumping ground for those “out of sight, out of mind” items. Shoe storage is the most logical choice.
If you’re using a wall-mounted closet organization system (such as our SmartLine system) that leaves open floor space, add some single-tier shoe racks.
Or you could make sure your custom closet design utilizes your floor space with open shelving shoe storage or a multi-tier pullout shoe rack.
7. Accessorize your closet
You should be well on your way to transforming how your closet functions if you’ve used just a few of these closet storage tips.
Be sure to also include closet accessorizing in your closet makeover process.
Those little extras you can add to your closet with some helpful closet accessories will streamline your daily dressing routine even further.
We’ve already mentioned closet drawers, extra hanging rods, and shoe racks. Here are some more practical closet accessory ideas:
- laundry hampers
- retractable valet rods
- belt hooks
- sliding belt racks
- decorative hooks
- tie hooks
8. Add extra closet shelves
Having some extra closet shelves is never a bad idea if your closet space can accommodate it.
Some open shelving is great for items like sweaters, which can save them from getting stretched when they’re hung up. Jeans can also be folded and stored on your shelving to save drawer and hanging space for other things.
To stay organized, shelf dividers can be used. Stylish baskets are also useful for keeping loose items contained.
Consider adding an extra shelf in your closet’s upper area if possible, as that is space is commonly underutilized in closets. Keep a good step stool tucked away to ensure you can safely store and retrieve things from your closet’s upper reaches.
Perfumes, colognes, framed photos, or other trinkets you want to display can also occupy your shelves to personalize your closet space a little more.
9. Use better closet lighting
A tidy closet is a wonderful thing, but it isn’t as functional as it could be unless it has good lighting. Deeper closets and closets with a smaller doorway may not allow as much light in from your main bedroom lights as you need.
Illuminate the entire space so you’ll be able to find things not just because all your things are well-organized, but because you can actually see everything!
Make sure your closet is equipped with something more than just an outdated incandescent light bulb with a pull chain. A new energy efficient LED light fixture or perhaps some recessed overhead lighting will work nicely.
If some areas of your closet are still a little too dimly lit for your liking, add some extra light sources, such as a few LED puck lights.
You’ll have the option of using battery-powered or hardwired LED task lighting. Try and use the latter, as you’ll get better quality lighting and won’t have to worry about replacing batteries.
Use good closet lighting to make your organized closet even easier to function in.
10. Don’t overburden your closet doors
Using the back of your closet doors for extra storage might appear to be one of those no-brainer closet storage tips, but there are drawbacks to doing so.
In theory, those over-the-door hanging shoe organizers seem like a practical storage option. In practice, however, they make your closet doors heavier and more cumbersome to open.
They also aren’t much to look at. After all, mesh (which most organizers are made with) rarely looks very stylish.
Some of these organizers also do a poor job of actually keeping your shoes securely in place. That can damage your shoes and become a nuisance when you’re frequently having to put them back in their proper home.
Additionally, don’t install too many hooks on the back of your closet doors for the same reasons as mentioned above.
Closet storage tips to simplify your daily routine
Follow these closet storage tips and you’ll find that your daily dressing routine will become a lot easier and more efficient.
Remember not to go overboard by adding too many new features to your closets. You still need space in your closets for air to circulate, which helps keep your clothes fresh.
That’s why hiring a closet design expert like Organized Interiors can be so beneficial. Our design consultants will know exactly what your closet needs in order to serve you best.
To get your home’s closet spaces working harder for you, schedule a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors today.