How to Organize Your Closet

There are certain things that make everyone feel more put together. One of those things for me is an organized closet. Now I will be the first to admit I’m not type A so everything isn’t perfect. But I do love to have a general organization system.

If you are starting from scratch on organizing your closet, you’ll want to start by going thru your clothes Follow the guidelines listed here to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. Once you are only left with what you love you can start organizing. Since I have a smaller closet this post focuses on taking advantage of every bit of space and how to organize a small closet.

How to Organize Your Closet

I, like most people, do not have a giant closet so making the best of use of the space is the most important. To maximize my space I store out of season items away while I don’t need them. Twice a year I’ll rotate things in and out to make room for the next season. Below I have listed the storage bags and boxes I use. I store most out of season items under my bed and some of them in my attic (if they are vacuum sealed and stored in an air tight bin)

The most basic organization system starts with putting like items together, dresses with dresses, pants with pants etc. Once I have items together I look for sub categories. This will be different for each person and depend on what you have. I’ve list my some of my subcategories below as inspiration. You could get way more complex an then also color code items. But the best organization system is one you will keep up with, so be realistic! I only color code my shirts and sweatshirts because I don’t keep up with color coding other items.

Dresses

Casual
Work
Cocktail/Wedding

Pants

Sweatpants
Leggings
Denim
Slacks

Tops (first organized by sleeve length)

Tshirt
Casual
Work
Dressy
Sweatshirt
Sweater
Jackets
Blazers

The next step in organizing your closet is picking out where everything should go. I like to work around convenience so the items I use the most get put front and center. A year or so ago, I had my work clothes in the middle of my closet so they were easy to reach. My work dresses were the first category of dresses and then my work slacks and tops were front and center. Now that I am home so much more and my work dress code has become more casual, I rearranged things. My leggings, denim and casual tops now have the prime space in my closet. Because all like items are together, it is easy to rearrange when needed.

Organization Helpers

The most helpful organization items are the ones that are customizable. This way you can use your space optimally.

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If you change one thing in your closet, make it changing your hangers to velvet ones. These velvet hangers are seriously a lifesaver! They are very thin so the velvet hangers will give you more space. The velvet material keeps everything in place. Thin straps and silky fabrics won’t fall off these hangers and litter the bottom of your closet.
I keep out of season clothes, shoes and accessories in these clear under the bed tubs. Every Spring and Fall I trade out sweaters, boots and leggings for sandals, shorts and sundresses. It’s a little bit of work but gives me so much more space.
For sweaters, shoes and other bulky items, this hanging organizer is a great use of space. Sweaters are bulky on hangers and the hanger can damage their shape. Folding them and keeping them in the hanging shelves is a better use of space.
If you have dress or long hanging space in your closet you probably have some dead space under your dresses. To make the best use of that I put clear plastic drawers on the floor. You can stack these and put as many as your space will allow. I like theses and these.
These shoe organizers are ideal for all types of shoes. You can stack them on each other to customize for your space. I have heels, sandals, tennis shoes and flats in mine.
Keeping big drawers organized can be difficult. I use these drawer dividers to separate my socks and undershirts in my drawers.
Jewelry organization is made easier with these clear acrylic stacking trays. You can buy just the type you need and they can stack or sit next to each other. I have mine in a shallow drawer in my dresser.

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How to Organize Your Closet