How to Organize Your Small Closet

Looking for tips and ideas on how to organize your small closet? Let me share with you how I have managed to get all my stuff into my small clothes closet and how I am able to find it all when I need it.

Find and use the hidden potential of your small clothes closet by following these organization tips.

From clever storage solutions to space-saving tricks, we will discuss the secrets to transforming your cramped closet into a haven of order and effortless style.

Few people are blessed with a large closet, much less a fancy walk-in one. Most of us have small closets that are utilized to store our possessions in our homes.

With a small closet, it is often very challenging to keep it organized and clutter-free.

It may seem like small closets won’t have enough space for all your stuff.

However, we can use organizational storage solutions to help keep our closet organized and maximize its true storage potential.

Follow along as we discuss how to optimize small closets and maximize every inch of space with these smart organization ideas.

1. Declutter The Closet

Let’s face it – everything in our closet doesn’t belong there. With limited space in a small closet, keeping your closet free and clear of clutter is important. Decluttering helps you see what you have, assess it, and decide what to keep, purge and toss.

Take the time to declutter the closet and remove items you no longer need or use. While it’s easy to become attached to things in our closet, once you declutter, consider donating these items to your local thrift store, upcycle the clutter or sell them online to make some extra cash. Whichever you choose, removing items will free up space in the closet and provide you with a fresh start.

2. Use a Double Rod

A double-rod closet system is an excellent way to maximize the space in a small closet. Double rods instantly add twice the space for hanging clothes in your closet and increase the closet’s storage.

Simply mount an extra rod a few feet from the existing rod and give your DIY closet enough room to hang shorter items like tops, folded pants, and skirts. This system works well in an adult’s and kid’s closet.

3. Matching Hangers

Maintain control of your closet and add visual continuity with matching hangers. Coordinated hangers help to keep your wardrobe more streamlined and organized. It creates a cohesive look among your items and gives the appearance of a much neater space.

Whether it’s a velvet hanger, wooden hanger, or plastic hanger, having this type of coordination that allows clothing to be hung at the same height and width in the closet helps to boost the closet organization.

4. Tiered Hangers

Tiered hangers can help you to save hanging space in your closet. On a tiered hanger, you can combine multiple clothing of similar styles on a single hanger. This hanging storage works well for items such as skirts and blouses.

This space-saving item will have your closet maximizing its full space potential.

5. Over-The-Door Organizer

Transform your closet with an over-the-door organizer to take advantage of the underutilized space. You can use this smart storage for your accessories, medical supplies, and more. With this type of storage organizer, you can find what you are looking for right when needed, at an eye-view level.

6. Fold The Small Stuff

Properly folding your items eliminates creases and wrinkles and helps create an organization system within the closet.

Simply folding smaller items in your closet will give you easy access to your items and maximize space. Consider folding items such as tops, t-shirts, socks, bras, and underwear. Store and stack these items neatly on a shelf or drawer in the closet.

7. Closet Dividers to The Rescue

If your closet has shelves, a divider can help you stay organized.

Instead of having your items spread across the shelves or jumbled together, closet dividers help partition areas on the shelves to make room for specific categories of items. You can now create smaller compartments on the shelves to store your folded blouses, t-shirts, and purses. If it’s a linen closet, then you now have room to separate your towels and linens in defined areas of the closet.

8. Floating Shelves for Maximizing Vertical Space

Floating shelves are a great way to use the vertical space in your closet. Adding more shelves to a tiny closet gives you more room to organize your folded items, shoes, or accessories.

9. Wall Mounted Hooks

Hooks on the wall or your bedroom closet door can help keep items within reach. It also helps to keep certain things off the floors. Wall-mounted hooks can give your hats, coats, scarves, and bags a place to live in the closet. It could also be a very stylish addition to the overall closet design.

You can add a wall-mounted rack with hooks or place a couple of hooks on the wall or door for easy access. No more wasted space on the walls in the closet. Time to get creative with optimizing your wall surfaces.

10. Baskets and Bins

Baskets and bins are great for organizing items in your closet. Baskets are highly multi-functional, helping to hide and reduce clutter by providing a designated area for the undesignated items in your wardrobe.

Whether in a master bedroom or bathroom closet, you can add these storage containers on top of the closet shelves or the floor, giving you the perfect blend of functionality and style in your wardrobe.

Purchase these containers from stores like Walmart, Target, or The Container Store for increased efficiency.

Related Reading: DIY Jewelry Organizer (with a rustic look)

11. Jewelry Cabinet Organizer

A jewelry cabinet organizer will fit seamlessly into a closet, making space for your jewelry and other small accessories. This closet organizer will take up wall space making room for untapped areas on the floor. You can keep your jewelry well organized, untangled, and easy to see.

12. The Power of Lighting

The proper lighting can make all the difference in how you see and visualize the items in your closet. From the colors to the style, you want lighting that will help you keep your closet mess free and prevent you from rummaging through it because of inadequate lighting.

Illuminate the space with a new LED light fixture, puck lights, or a standing lamp to add functionality to your closet space.

13. Incorporate Furniture

Create the illusion of a walk-in closet by adding a small dresser, chest, or cube storage unit to store your folded items and accessories. A small dresser will help to add layers of drawer storage that you can use for things that need to be folded or tucked away.

Furniture in the closet works exceptionally well in a kid’s closet, where their clothes may take up little space and are best folded.

14. Transparent Stackable Bins Just for Shoes

Opt for transparent storage bins to store your shoes. This way, you can see what shoes are in them without removing the items. You can stack the storage bins on top of each other to maximize space. A shoe organizer makes it easy to see and visualize your shoes while improving your shoe storage in a small space.

Related Reading: DIY Drawer Organizer (made from upcycled boxes)

15. Drawer Organizers

Drawer organizers will give all your small items, such as jewelry, socks, underwear, and other knick-knacks, a proper place. Drawer organizers create individual compartments in a drawer so that you can organize more efficiently. This tool will arrange your beautiful mess cohesively, making everything much easier to see and find.

16. Categorize Clothing

Consider a category system to organize your clothing more effectively to see what you have. When categorizing your closet items, group similar items together, such as sweaters with sweaters, shorts with shorts, dresses, jeans, and so on. Segmenting clothing by category allows you to see what you have quickly and the best way to accommodate it.

17. Prioritize Based on Use

Organize your closet based on the items that you frequently need or use. You want to be able to easily access the things in your closet without sifting through rarely used items.

Place out-of-season items in bins or baskets and on the upper shelves. Place special occasion dresses on the farthest-to-reach area of the closet rod. Clothes frequently worn for work or school should be front and center. Prioritizing items based on the frequency of use will improve the overall closet organization.

18. Have a Step Ladder Handy

For those hard-to-reach areas in your closet, have a step ladder handy to get to your items quickly. Small step ladders are easy to tuck away and hide, so they only take up a little necessary space. It will allow you to reach those upper areas and higher shelves in the closet.

19. Labeling Is Key

For items stored in baskets and bins, try to label them so you know what’s in them. Labeling helps to maintain and sustain an organized closet.

Label the items that are hard to reach on top shelves and items that are rarely used. This will significantly reduce your need to pull things down and forage through to find what you are looking for.

Conclusion

These organization tips and storage ideas are critical to a small, organized closet. Hopefully, you are now inspired to begin (or continue) your organizational journey.

While keeping your closet tidy will require ongoing effort, following these small closet organization ideas will help you increase efficiency in your closet and simplify your closet routine.