How To Organise A Lot Of Clothing In Very Little Closet Space

I have a lot of clothes, and in the dozen or so homes I’ve lived in, many had very little closet space. Here are 12+ years worth of tips on how to cram your stuff into the minimal space you have. Women may benefit the most from these tips, but men might learn a thing or two!

The personal images I link to below are from this album of my current closet situation.

General Tips

1. Use ALL available space, but keep it organised.
2. Keep out-of-season (winter/summer) clothes out of the way.
3. You’re more likely to wear something if you can see it.
4. Keep 1-2 hooks empty for quick-n-dirty clean up.
5. Don’t forget the backs of deep shelves, and high-up places.

Hanging Clothes

• Try installing a second closet rod above your main one. This basically doubles your hanging space. Buy a stool (my preference) or a reaching rod for access. I have often done this myself on the cheap — search around for tutorials or visit your local home improvement store.
• Matching hangers makes everything look so nice. I have these Joy Mangano ones and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I bought a 200-pack or something like that when it was on special. Worth it.
• Cascading hooks are bloody genius and work with almost any hanger. Use two at a time!
• You can get a tiered hanger for skirts. Mine is over 30 years old and still going strong.
• I have yet to find the perfect single skirt hanger commercially available, but it must have spring-clips and smooth rubber grips. The Joy Mangano clips suck — don’t waste your money.

Folded Clothes

• Fold all knit items to prevent hanger bumps. That includes sweaters, most t-shirts and some blouses.
• Got deep shelves? Fold clothes appropriately. If you still have space behind your folded clothes (i.e. really deep shelves) store your out-of-season sandals/sweaters back there. (Tip 2 & 5 combo!)
• If you are using a dresser or other drawers, stack clothes vertically rather than horizontally. (See tip 3.) I do this for everything including tights, socks, PJs, and even underwear! By the way, folding your underwear saves space but people may call you OCD. Weigh your options wisely!
• For open shelving, be sure not to stack so high that it tumbles.
• Feel free to use extra shelving in already existing shelves.

Shoes and Boots

• Use an over-the-door shoe organiser — I like these better than hang-in-the-closet versions because hanging space is so valuable. Ideally, look for ones where you can put both shoes in one slot. This is the one I have and I love it.
• Small cheap bookshelves are great for boots. Check your local Craigslist for cheapies.
• Some people love keeping their original shoe boxes, but this violates tip 3.

Bags

• Stuff bags with tissue to keep their shape. When using a bag, leave tissue as holding space.
• Sit them on a shelf rather than hanging them to prevent handles from stretching out.
• Use bookends to keep them up. I built my own.
• If you must hang, use an over the door coat rack or this handy thing (on the other side of the door from your shoes) to hang bags, and even hats. Potentially keep some of these hooks open (tip 4).
• For less often used bags, create a drawer out of a long boot box. Line them up in the box, and slide it into a shelf — great for deep shelves (tip 5).
• I love having a junk bowl/box/space for the things that I often but not always keep in my purse like hand sanitiser or a different-sized wallet.

Other Accessories

• Hang scarves on towel racks — you can get one for less than $US4 at your local home improvement store. I have two on the inside of a closet door, but have also had this hanging over a boot bookcase (see above) on the wall before.
• For belts, jewellery, sunglasses, and basically everything else ever, buy some screw in hooks in bulk at the home improvement store, and leave no wall or cabinet space uncovered. These are also very handy in the kitchen. They work best if you drill a hole first.
• Corral smaller items into open boxes, jars and cups purchased at thrift stores.
• Items that you intend to use infrequently can be hidden away in boxes. Those are from IKEA and hold travel organisation tools, special occasion undies and hats.

Creating More Space

• Buy an armoire — that’s what I did!
• Are you handy? Build a closet in a corner!
• Only kind of handy? Get a stud-finder, drill, closet brackets, a shelf and closet rod. Install brackets, add shelf on top, slip rod into place. Beware of how much your wardrobe weighs; you may need more than two of those brackets. Note: I once installed just the shelf, then had a towel rod underneath for scarves, and below that was the boots bookshelf.
• Get a freestanding rack. I have one in my pantry for coats. Whatever, it works.

Many of the photos are of my current storage situation which includes two separate closets and an enormous armoire, so I left plenty of unfilled space. However, I will soon be moving to a smaller apartment where I will have one dresser and half of a closet!

So tell me, what other tips do you have for closet organisation and space saving (or creating)?

Closet Organisation and Space Saving Tips [Reddit]

Nathalie loves fashion and food, and blogs at Purple Closet Beauty.