It’s bound to happen eventually. One day you’ll come home with a new pair of slacks, or a sweater, ready to wash them and put them away. But when you look in your closet it’s positively stuffed. Not one hanger is empty. Not one peg is bare. It seems impossible to fit anything else in there. But there’s still hope! We're here with some organizing tips that will help you get the most out of even the most modest of closets. So get ready to find the pair of shoes you haven’t seen since the 90's - it’s time to empty out your closet and reorganize it, top to bottom!
Shelf Wealth
When it comes to organizing your closet, shelves are great! Set against a back wall they can provide the perfect way to make your clothes orderly and accessible. But how do you get the most out of them? It depends on how do-it-yourself you’re feeling.
One simple approach is to fold things carefully. Neatly arranged, you can fit far more sweaters into much less space on a shelf than they would take up on hangers. The ideal shelves to use for this are divided into neat, square shelving segments that are just wide enough to fit your folded clothes. If you want to take things to the next level then consider putting in a wire frame shelf. Apart from being lightweight and durable, wire shelves have the added advantage of servings as hanger space. You’ll be able to set several rows of hangers into the bottom of the shelf without going to the trouble of putting in a closet rod.
It’s also worth thinking about putting in a shoe shelf in the bottom of your closet. You won’t need to take a given pair of shoes out too often, so they’re the best candidate for floor storage, and the shelves will help keep them organized.
Hang In There, Baby
Of course, shelves aren’t for everyone. Installing them can be a pain and having to fold everything before putting it away can take up a lot of time. Not to mention, needing to fish the bottom pair of slacks out from under ten others can be a tricky business. Clothes hangers provide a simpler, more accessible way to organize things that you want to have ready for quick and simple access. Most closets will come equipped with at least one closet rod, but are you getting the most out of them? We’ve got some tips to make sure you do.
If you loop a soda tab around the neck of a clothes hanger, you can slide the head of a second hanger through that. Cascade up to three hangers this way and you’ll triple the amount of space you get out of each hanger slot on your closet rod. Alternatively, if you set a second rod farther down in your closet, you can get more use out of the same amount of space. As an added bonus, if you loop shower rings through a clothes hanger you can use them to store many scarves on a single hanger - all equally accessible!
Off The Rack
As versatile as they are, clothes hangers can’t solve all our problems. Even if you’re inclined to hang every item of clothing you own, that still leaves accessories. What to do with your shoes, hats and jewelry? We’ve got ideas for how to get them all into that closet with space to spare. Hat racks are lovely, but take up a lot of space, so they're not practical for closet storage. Instead, why not put a row of hooks into one of your closet walls. The hats can rest on these when they’re not in use. That still leaves jewelry and shoes, right? Believe it or not, both of these can fit on the door. On the outside of your door, you should hang a shoe organizer. They’re a kind of wall pocket where you can put all your shoes for easy access, and definitely the best way to keep your footwear handy. On the other side of the door, we’d suggest putting up a pegboard. You can hang all your jewelry on individual pegs. This will save you the time of having to fish around in a jewelry box for the necklace that matches your dress. There’s a lot to work here in terms of ideas and obviously, you can’t do it all. There would be no room to move around in your closet! But we hope that some of these tips will help you get the most out of your limited storage space without making anything cluttered.
