How to Organize Your Closet
Keeping your closet organized is key to making your daily routine fast and efficient. Knowing just where your specific clothing items are ensures that you can put together your best outfit and more as you get ready for the day.
With some inspiration and helpful tips, you can organize your closet with ease. And once you get your closet in order, why not look for ways to organize your living room, add storage to a small bathroom and keep tabs on your shoe collection?
Storage Options for Your Closet
There are various ways you can organize and add storage to your closet. Different storage solutions are available for closets of all sizes and shapes, so you can choose the right option for your home.
Closet Shelving
Adding shelving to your closet allows you to create space for keeping all kinds of items. Shelves allow you to organize and sort different clothing, as well as offer extra storage to hold items in a place that’s out of the way.
Most closets offer a fixed shelf and a hanging rack. But other shelving styles can be installed and used to add even more storage options. You can even add custom storage solutions into your closets that are specifically designed to work in your individual areas.
Installing shelves in your closet is not as daunting as it may sound. The first step when installing a shelving system is to measure your closet. This will determine the length needed for the shelves. Next, decide whether you want to make the shelving yourself, buy pre-made shelving or work with a company to create a custom shelving system.
What to Store on Your Closet Shelves
Closet shelves are a great place to store bins that hold daily accessories like belts, scarves, hats and more. Keep similar items stored together, so they are easier to locate and keep organized.
Also, shelves are a great place to store items you don’t regularly use. Tuck seasonal items or rarely worn items in the far reaches of your shelves so you can have access to more commonly used items placed front and center.
Closet Shelving Materials
Most closet shelves are made of different types of wood. Plywood is versatile and dependable, while particle board is a very affordable material that is easy to cut and assemble. More expensive and elegant woods can be used, too, like pine or cherry.
Other materials used for shelving include metal wire, plastic, canvas and more. Canvas is flexible and lightweight, plastic is durable and easy to install, and metal wire can stand up to years of use.
Closet Bins & Baskets
Bins and baskets go hand-in-hand with shelves in your closet, as they offer a place to organize and store essentials. You can find bins and baskets with various drawers, baskets that can stack, and lots of other containers that fit your closet space easily.
How to Utilize Bins & Baskets in Your Closet
Bring more organization to your closet by sorting items into baskets. On shelves, place folded clothing into wire storage baskets to prevent tall stacks from toppling over. Use separate baskets for tops, bottoms, shoes, scarves and other accessories.
Organize your linen closet with various sizes of baskets for storage on shelves. Large, lidded wicker baskets work well for bulky items such as bedding and bath towels. Wire storage baskets or fabric bins can capture miscellaneous items such as loose cords and toiletries. To make finding items even easier, mark each container with labels, listing what’s inside.
The heavy items are best kept on the floor or on lower shelves, while smaller, lighter items can be placed on higher shelves. Putting too much strain on shelves can cause the shelves to bend, warp or break.
To store items that you may need in several locations, use a wheeled bin. The wheels will allow you to take the bin out of the closet and easily roll to the spot you need it.
Specific bins, like hampers, are great for closets, too. Hampers let you keep dirty clothes off the floor and stored away until laundry day. Keeping the hamper in the closet further declutters your home and uses some of the negative space in your closet that wouldn’t otherwise be used.
Vacuum Storage Bags
Vacuum bags come in handy when you want to swap out seasonal clothing in your wardrobe. They can help you put away winter clothing in summer and do the opposite in the winter. Vacuum storage bags also work great for storing bulky items, like bedding.
Vacuum storage bags work by removing air from the bag, reducing the size that the item inside takes up. The bags become much flatter when the air is completely removed, even with something like a pillow or quilt in it.
It is important to note that long-term storage of fabrics in vacuum bags could affect the materials. Compressing the fibers of clothing and other items can damage the fabric, so it’s important not to store items in vacuum bags for extended periods of time. This is especially true of natural fibers like wool and fur, very bulky items like sleeping bags and down jackets and any item made of leather.
Hanging Storage
Since closets are already set up to support hanging garments, incorporating hanging storage solutions is a no-brainer. Hanging storage comes in many forms, including simple hangers, hanging organizers and even over-the-door storage options.
Types of Hangers
Not all hangers are created equal. Your closet should contain several different types of hangers for specific needs, ensuring your clothing stays properly organized and stored so it continues to look its best.
Shirt hangers: These standard hanger options include divots or rubber-tipped ends to keep shirts and tank tops from falling off.
Pants hangers: When looking for pants hangers, look for ones with thicker bars to hold your bottoms. The thicker the bar, the less likely it is your pants will wrinkle and crease.
Sweater hangers: While they are similar to shirt hangers, sweater hangers are designed to prevent puckering and dimpling at the shoulder of sweaters and other knit tops. The hangers feature a more narrow width, which ensures the fabric hangs properly and looks as good as new.
Skirt hangers: These hanger options offer clips to allow skirts to be hung from a bar in your closet. Consider getting skirt hangers that feature rubber coating on the clips to prevent them from adding pronounced dimples in the fabric.
Suit hangers: Hangers for storing a suit should include a way to hold both the jacket and the pants. The hanger should offer a shape that follows the outline of the shoulders of the jacket. It should also feature a bar for storing the pants, one that’s wide enough to prevent creasing.
Coat & jacket hangers: Hang heavy jackets or coats on wooden or plastic hangers. Avoid keeping your warmer coats from being tightly bunched up or stuffed into cramped spaces in your closet. Keep coats away from humidity and wetness when in storage, to prevent the insulation of your jackets from getting damp and moldy.
Hanging Organizers
Hanging organizers can be placed on the closet rod to add shelving storage space for those living in a small apartment or house. These organizers are great for those who don’t have room for a dresser or need more space for other organization options.
The main consideration when choosing a hanging closet organizer is to ensure your rod can support the weight. You also want to take into account the construction of the organizer, as heavier materials will mean you can store less in them.
Hanging organizers can be used to store sweaters, shoes, accessories, handbags and more. You can find organizers with drawers, as well as additional side pockets and configurations to suit your needs.
Other Hanging Storage Options
You can utilize other storage options that allow you to hang items in your closet to organize all kinds of items. Adhesive hooks can be installed in your closet to hang purses, scarves or jewelry. Over-the-door shoe organizers can store footwear in negative space, decluttering your floors and opening up your space.
How to Store Shoes in Your Closet
Keep footwear stored neatly in over-the-door or hanging organizers to save space. You can also use floor shoe racks to neatly display your shoe collection and offer ease of access.
How to Store Bags & Purses in Your Closet
You can store purses and handbags on specialized hanging racks in your closet. Another easy way to store purses is to add adhesive hooks to your closet wall and hang the bags on them. Over-the-door hooks also work well for purse storage.
How to Store Tools in Your Closet
Closets aren’t just for clothing and accessories. Store tools in your closets for easy access and simple organization to keep them right where you need them. Clear plastic totes or stackable bins are great for tools, as they are sturdy and can handle heavier items. Label the bins to make identifying your tools even easier.
How to Store Towels in Your Closet
Towels can take up a lot of space when stored away. To get the most out of your towel storage, fold them in thirds, into a rectangular shape. Place on shelves with the rounded edges facing out for a more attractive look. Keep towels on shelves by themselves or use canvas bins to store smaller towels and washcloths neatly.
How to Store Blankets & Bedding in Your Closet
Keeping bulky bedding stored away in a closet frees up a lot of space for the rest of your storage needs. Store your quilts and bedding on a closet shelf. Make sure it’s neatly folded, as doing so encourages as much airflow as possible. This keeps bedding looking, feeling and even smelling great, ensuring your clean sheets and quilts are ready at a moment’s notice.
Shop Kohl’s for storage solutions for your home, including closet storage selections that will expand your organizational options. With bins, organizers, totes, baskets and more at your disposal, you can keep your living space neat and tidy.