How to Organize Your Closet for a Total Wardrobe Makeover

If you get stressed out by all the clutter and the lack of organization every time you open your closet door, it’s time for a change. While you could hire a professional organizer to help you maximize closet space, you can also roll up your sleeves and tackle this organization task on your own.

With a little bit of time—and perhaps a few new decluttering tools—you can learn how to organize a closet to make your storage work for you. We reached out to Eryn Donaldson, a professional home organizer and the founder and CEO of Washington, D.C. home organization company The Model Home, for her best closet organization tips.

Project Overview

Working Time: 2 to 3 hours
Total Time: 2 to 3 hours
Skill Level: Beginner
Estimated Cost: $20 to $200

Before You Begin

The steps below can offer guidance regardless of whether you’re looking to learn how to organize a walk-in closet or a much smaller one. Even if your home has no closets, these tips should still provide you with a starting point and some guidance for how to downsize and categorize your belongings.

Step 1: Remove everything from the closet.

The first step of any closet clean-out should involve emptying everything from the space. Before you begin, clear off your bed and set up a table, or bring up a rolling clothes rack to give you space to put all of the contents of the closet. “Clearing everything out allows you to see the full scope of your belongings and the space you have to work with,” says Donaldson. “It forces you to confront all your clothing, shoes, and accessories.”

Step 2: Deep clean the closet interior.

After removing everything, you’ll want to give the closet a deep clean. Cleaning out a closet will be easiest when it is empty, so take advantage of this time to get it ready to be refilled with clothing, shoes, and other belongings.

Use a microfiber cloth to dust all the shelves and rods in the closet. Sweep or vacuum the floor to remove dust, dirt, or anything else that has dropped from the shelves over the years. Once you’ve finished dusting, vacuuming, and/or mopping, Donaldson says, “Consider adding cedar blocks to protect clothes from pests.”

Step 3: Sort everything and purge what you don’t need.

Sorting and purging are among the most important parts of organizing your closet, and it’s something you must tackle before considering clothing storage ideas. “Create piles for each category, such as tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, and accessories. Within those categories, separate items by season or frequency of use,” says Donaldson. She recommends making an honest assessment of what you’ll actually wear. “If it doesn’t fit or hasn’t been worn in several years, it’s time to let it go,” she says.

As you sort and purge, keep the 12-12-12 rule of decluttering in mind: Choose 12 items you can recycle or throw away, 12 that are still in good condition for donation, and 12 that should be returned to the closet where they belong. Not only will you be able to help others by donating (or selling) clothing and other items that you no longer use, but, as Donaldson explains, “Getting rid of items you don’t wear frees up space and makes it easier to see and access the things you love.”

Step 4: Create an organization system that works for you.

Now that you’ve purged your wardrobe and have a good idea about what will be going back in, it is time to focus on how to maximize closet space. Begin by assessing the height of the rod(s) to ensure they are easy to reach and appropriately spaced if you have tiered closet organizer systems. Once the rods are assessed and (if needed) repositioned, you can move on to thinking about shelves organizers, bins, and other organizational tools.

“Use shelf dividers, bins, hooks, or hanging organizers to make use of every inch of space. Drawer dividers can keep accessories organized, and cascading hangers can maximize rod space,” explains Donaldson. Both smaller and walk-in closet designs will benefit from storage solutions to ensure you’re able to find what you need and to maintain the closet organization system you put in place.

Step 5: Return items to their new locations in the closet.

Once your closet is clean and ready, and you’ve sorted out your clothing, you’re ready to return items to the closet. “Place everyday items at eye level for easy access, while special occasion or seasonal pieces can go on higher or lower shelves. Group items by type—keep all tops together, all bottoms together, etc.,” says Donaldson. You might want to get more granular in your grouping, hanging short-sleeved shirts one one rod and long-sleeved shirts on another, for example. You can also organize by color, fabric, occasion—whatever works best for your purposes and preferences.

As you’re putting things back into the closet, you can also make the most of your hanging space by folding some items and storing them on a shelf. Bulky sweaters, jeans, workout gear, and shorts don’t need to take up precious hanging space. Fold them and put them on a shelf, or even into a clothing storage container if they’re out of season.

Step 6: Label and maintain your newly organized closet.

After spending all that time organizing your closet, the last thing you want is for it to quickly return to a cluttered mess. To prevent this from happening, Donaldson says, “Label bins and shelves so that everything has a designated place. Set a reminder to do a seasonal refresh every few months.” This will make your newfound tidiness a habit and, best of all, keep your closet organized in the long term.

Final Thoughts

While organizing a closet will take some time and effort on your part, it can truly have a transformative effect. When your closet is neat, locating just right the outfit becomes much easier so you can focus on getting ready for your day.

Whether you’re looking for ways to organize a small closet or need to restore order to a huge walk-in closet, remember to follow the steps above. Start by clearing out the space and doing a deep purge before sorting, organizing, and returning your items to the closet. Subsequently labeling and periodically reevaluating your clothing will keep your closet free of unworn clutter and stress from now on.