You don’t realize how important closet space is until you have a small closet. Growing up, I had a cramped closet in my bedroom that went far back, but was too narrow to be useful. I stuffed whatever I could in there, and had to deal with everything else in another way. It was cluttered, disorganized, and really annoying. At some point during high school, my dad built me a larger closet – it wasn’t a walk-in, but it was bigger and offered a lot more space than my other one, and it changed my life… well, at least my bedroom life. Small closets are a pain, and I wish I knew these organizing secrets back when I was younger.
Because, honestly, the key to making a small closet work is keeping it organized. This is easier said than done when you have more stuff than you do space, but it’s still not impossible. Put aside a weekend to redo your closet, spend some money on a few items that will make your life easier, and DIY a few things that will save room. With the right organization tips, you can transform your tiny, cramped closet into a place where everything has a spot and is easy to find. You don’t need a walk-in closet to keep your stuff together! Here’s proof – these genius tips on how to organize a small closet are kind of life-changing. Thank me later!
1. Before you do anything else, you need to get rid of what you don’t need.
Closets can easily become an endless pit of stuff you no longer wear or want. Go through every item in there and throw out what you no longer need, asking yourself these questions in the process.
2. Add shelves and drawers instead of just racks.
Most closets start off very basic – a rack or two and maybe a few shelves. You might think that adding shelving or drawers is going to take up too much room, but doing so does the opposite. Shelves and drawers give you MORE space and help keep things more organized.
3. Add another rod or two.
Even in the smallest of spaces, you can probably add another rod to your closet. Having only one is not utilizing space correctly. Hang a lower rack for shorter items like shirts or folded jeans and immediately double your space and keep things from being stuffed onto hangers.
4. Speaking of hangers, make the most of them by adding hooks.
These plastic hooks make it easy to hang up more than one or two things on a hanger. They’re great for holding multiple scarves, hats, belts, or even tank tops in a spot that would normally only hold one thing.
5. Add shelving to the inside of the closet door.
If you’re able to add shelves on the inside of the door, definitely do so. You can use that space to hold smaller accessories, like shoes, hats, or anything else you need to store in the closet. This frees up space on the floor for baskets of clothes.
6. If shelves aren’t an option, put racks on the inside of the door.
They don’t hold quite as much stuff, but racks like these are great for scarves, hats, and anything that can hang.
7. Get separators so that everything has its own space.
You can buy a cube storage space like the one above, or just cardboard to separate your items that are on shelves. This is especially great for handbags or shoes so they don’t fall all over each other and make a cluttered mess.
8. Hang your bags on hooks instead of placing them on the floor or on shelves.
Use a hook rack to store your handbags so that you can free up space on the floor or on shelves. This is also a great way to ensure that they stay in place.
9. Repurpose a lid rack into a spot to hold wallets and clutches.
A lid rack is a surprisingly perfect size for holding clutches and/or wallets.
10. Add rods to any available space to hold your scarves.
I love the idea of putting these at the end of a rod of clothes. It utilizes all available space and keeps your scarves neat.
11. Make sure everything has a home.
Don’t just hang up dresses, shirts, and pants wherever there is a spot. Do some hardcore cleaning, and separate everything into sections that make sense to you. Give everything a home so that you know where to look for what you need instead of shifting through everything.
12. Baskets are a great addition to a closet. If you don’t have floor or shelf space for them, hang them from hangers. Use them to hold small accessories or folded clothes.
13. Make half of the space shelving with baskets.
Don’t let your closet be just rods! Use half the space for shelving, and put a basket on each shelf. Baskets keep the closet from looking cluttered and also keep your items more organized.
14. Add a shoe rack.
A shoe rack with a few levels can hold way more shoes than only one level – and it will keep them neater too.
15. Use a hook hanger like this to hold lots of tank tops.
16. If you have the room space, make a garment rack.
Use it to hold the stuff you wear the most so it doesn’t take up valuable closet space.
17. Use a chain to stack hangers.
Your rod can probably hold a lot more stuff than you think. Use a chain to stack and layer your hangers so that you can hang up more items.
18. Get Ikea brackets and use them as extra space.
These brackets are meant to support shelves, but look how nicely they display clothes with hangers!
Which one of these organizing tips are you gong to try? How do you keep a small closet neat? Tell us in the comments!
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