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Whether you’re building the closet of your dreams with tons of space or are looking to make the most of what you already have, organization is key. When your clothing, shoes, and other belongings are organized, not only does your closet look neat and tidy, but you’re also more easily able to quickly find what you’re looking for. Plus, you don’t need to worry about all those feelings of anxiety when you open the door to a disorganized and messy closet. Read on to gain some inspiration to help you transform your closet from blah to beautiful.
1. Adjustable Closet System
One of the top closet organizer ideas that will help you maximize the usable space is to install an adjustable closet system, such as the ClosetMaid ShelfTrack available at Amazon. This system, voted the best bang for the buck in our guide to the best closet systems, offers multiple configuration options for closets between 5 and 8 feet wide. It also allows you to attach the brackets to customize the height of the rods and shelves.
2. Fold Shirts Properly
If you’re looking for closet storage ideas to contain your t-shirts, learning the best way to fold a shirt can really make a difference. Properly folded shirts take up a lot less space than those folded in more of a haphazard manner. Additionally, when your shirts are neatly folded, it is much easier to see exactly what you have and find what you’re looking for without digging through the pile.
3. Clothing Storage Bags
These clothes organizer bins available at Amazon offer a solution to keep your out-of-season clothing clean and out of the way. The set of three zippered storage bags, a top pick in our researched guide to the best storage bins, feature a 90-liter capacity, durable, reinforced seams, and an odorless and ventilated fabric to keep clothing items fresh.
4. Built-In Vanity
Give your walk-in closet an upgrade by adding a built-in vanity. Adding a vanity to your closet can help you create your own personal sanctuary where you can get dressed, style your hair, and get ready for work or play. Be sure to add a comfortable chair to help you really enjoy your new and improved space.
5. Flush Mount Light
Even if your closet is expertly organized, it isn’t going to matter if you can’t see anything inside of it. Adding a flush mount LED closet light can help you illuminate the closet to easily find what you need. This light, our expert’s top pick for the best closet lighting, is even motion-activated to prevent wasting power since so many closet lights are accidentally left on.
6. Closet Dividers
One closet organization tip is to use clothes dividers like this colorful set available at Amazon to separate clothing of different sizes or colors or for different seasons. Simply label the dividers with whatever system you want to use, place them over the closest rod, and use them to keep your hangers grouped together. These dividers will also make it easy when it comes time to put clean laundry away; simply look for the appropriate label and hang the clothing item up in that section.
7. Velvet Hangers
Hang pants, shirts, or blouses while saving closet space with these velvet hangers, chosen by our experts as the best overall pick in our guide to the best velvet hangers. The hangers have a very slim profile, allowing you to maximize the available hanging space in your closet. The velvet surface of the hangers keeps shirts and tanks in place, while the clips can slide to accommodate pants of different widths.
8. Accessory Hanger
If you are in need of a small closet organizer to keep belts, scarves, ties, jewelry, and other items organized, then this accessory hanger available at Amazon may offer the ideal solution. With 11 heavy-duty hooks featuring a non-slip rubber coating, this hanger can keep all of your accessories in place and easy to find when they’re needed.
9. Stackable Shoe Bins
Another top closet storage idea is to store your shoes in these clear stacking bins, one of our experts’ picks in our guide to the best shoe organizers. In addition to keeping your closet more organized and visually appealing, these storage bins will also help protect your shoes and keep them clean. They also have rear ventilation holes that allow air to circulate to minimize odors.
10. Vacuum Storage Bags
Reduce clutter on your closet shelves by storing off-season clothing items in vacuum storage bags. Place clothing in the bag, then suck out the air from the bag using a vacuum. This makes the bagged clothing considerably more compact, significantly decreasing the amount of storage space they’ll require. Once you’ve bagged your clothing items, you can place them back in your closet, or move them to a separate area of the house for storage until you’re ready for them again.
11. Wooden Pants Hangers
Failing to hang up pants correctly can have a negative impact on your closet storage space. Folding pants and draping them over the non-slip bar on these wooden pants hangers can help ensure they fit compactly in your closet while also staying wrinkle-free and well-creased. These smooth and sleek cherry-toned wooden hangers were also a featured selection in our guide to the best pants hangers.
12. Shelves and Drawers
Those looking for closet shelving ideas to help them create an impressively organized closet may want to consider this approach. Adding multiple sets of shelves and drawers can help transform your walk-in closet and make sure that everything has its own place. You can also consider installing some hanging curtains to cover the shelves and drawers for an even more clutter-free look.
13. Stackable Storage Bins
These stackable storage bins available at Amazon can work well for bedroom or utility closet storage to keep your belongings dry and clean. The clear design allows you to easily scan the bins to find what you’re looking for without digging around. These bins even have wheels and a slim enough profile that they’ll fit under most beds, allowing you to remove some of the clutter from your closet to gain much-needed space. In fact, they were even selected as the best plastic bins in our under-bed storage bins guide.
14. Expandable Coat Rack
Make the most of empty wall space in a closet with a coat rack, such as this model, which was selected as the best expandable option in our guide to the best coat racks. The expandable pine coat rack offers an accordion design that allows it to fit well into spaces of varying widths. It has 14 pegs to keep coats, hats, scarves, bags, belts, from taking up too much shelf space or getting lost on the closet floor.
15. Garment Rack
If you don’t have closets or need to find a way to create additional space, consider making a second “closet” with this garment rack available at Amazon. This DIY closet organizer, a featured pick in our guide to the best clothes racks, can provide valuable hanging space with its two-rod design. The heavy-duty casters make it easy to move around in your room or slide it out of the way if additional space is needed.
16. Lingerie Chest
Keep delicates and other smaller items organized in this five-drawer lingerie chest. With espresso, red, and white finishes available, the chest can offer a nice complement to different decor styles and color schemes. With its more compact size, the chest will fit nicely even in smaller walk-in closets, while still offering valuable space to keep socks, underwear, bras, and other personal items clean and organized.
17. Drawer Organizers
If you’re searching for drawer or closet organizers for clothing, these dividers can help. The set of four organizers offers smaller compartments (ranging from 6 to 24 cells), which are ideal for keeping socks, underwear, and other delicates organized and easy to find. There are seven different non-woven fabric color options to choose from to match different decors and preferences.
18. Necklace Hanging Hooks
One of the ways many people waste their closet space is by not using the back of the door to their advantage. One of the creative closet ideas to use this valuable space is to add a few hooks on the door to hold necklaces. Not only will you be taking full advantage of the available space, but you will also easily be able to pair the right necklace with your outfit for the day.
19. Rolling Laundry Hamper
Selected as the best overall product in our guide to the best laundry baskets, this attractive rolling laundry hamper available at Amazon can help you keep dirty clothes off the closet floor. On laundry day, either wheel the hamper to the washer and dryer, or pull out the removable canvas bag to carry it down the stairs.
20. Covered Garment Organizer
If you’re looking for a portable closet for a room that needs additional hanging space, this freestanding covered garment organizer may be a good fit. The zippered cover keeps clothes clean and dust-free, but is easy to open up when you need to pull out something to wear. This organizer would also work well for storing off-season clothing.
21. Handbag Hangers
Keep purses and handbags clean and off the floor with this set of three handbag hangers available at Wayfair. Each hanger, which is crafted from a durable, moth-proof plastic, is designed to protect bag handles from being damaged when improper storage. The hangers feature a wide and curved channel to perfectly accommodate handles and help them remain in their natural shape when not in use.
22. Shelf Dividers
These clear acrylic shelf dividers can help you keep stacks of clothing, handbags, and other items in your closet organized. Each closet shelf organizer clips to the shelf to prevent sliding. No tools are required to install these dividers, and you can easily adjust the amount of space between them for a customized layout to fit your needs.
23. Boot Hangers
Keep your boots from taking over valuable closet floor space with these heavy-duty hangers. The chrome-plated hangers have anti-slip rubber tips to keep the boots from sliding off. The rubber tips also help prevent indentations from being left on the fabric. In addition to using these hangers for boots, they can also be used to hang caps, towels, jeans, and other heavier clothing and accessories.
24. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer
Whether you’re looking for big or small closet ideas, this set of two over the door shoe organizers available at Amazon may be able to offer some assistance. Selected as the upgrade pick in our guide to the best over the door shoe rack, each of these organizers has 12 spacious pockets to hold shoes, as well as belts, scarves, gloves, and other accessories. Use the organizers separately, or hook them together for even more storage space. Hang these organizers over the closet door with the included clips, or mount them on the interior walls of the closet using hooks.
25. Donate Old or Unworn Items
One of the best small closet organization ideas is to make sure that you aren’t holding onto more than you need. Before re-organizing your closet using any of the products shared above, take some time to weed out any old clothing, linen, or accessories you no longer use. Donate items that are still in good shape and throw out or recycle those that are not suitable for use.