Closet Organization Hacks And Ideas

Closet organization hacks can make a big difference when your wardrobe starts to feel crowded or messy.

A few simple changes can help you organize your clothes better, maximize closet space, and make it easier to find what you want to wear.

According to Closet and Storage Concepts of North Carolina, most people wear only 20% of their clothing.

What good is the other 80% doing if you aren’t wearing what you paid hard-earned money for?

Not only is a messy closet a nightmare, but stress triggers often occur in everyday life.

A study done by Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin Board found women who described their homes as cluttered or unorganized were more prone to being depressed, tired, and had higher cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

On the other hand, women who considered themselves tidy and organized were more relaxed and experienced less stress.

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Closet Organization Tips and Tricks

These ideas will help you improve your clothes organization to create a closet that feels tidy and easy to manage.

1. Always Declutter First

Start by taking everything out of your closet so you can clearly see what you actually wear.

This makes it much easier to declutter your closet and get rid of items that no longer fit, are damaged, or that you haven’t worn in a long time.

Once you’ve kept only the pieces you truly use, sort the remaining clothes by season.

If you have a small closet, store off-season items in labeled storage bins, vacuum bags, or under-bed containers to free up space.

Rotating your wardrobe this way keeps your closet lighter, easier to organize, and makes it much simpler to see the clothes you can actually wear right now.

2. Color Coding

Color-coding is one of the best ways to organize your wardrobe.

Organize your clothes by whites, lights, neutrals, and darks.

If you dress according to your mood, it’s easy to lean toward lighter or darker colors when they are organized this way.

If you are looking for “that blouse” that would be just right for “that wedding” you have in an hour, color-coding is a great way to organize and easily find what you need.

3. Organize by Seasons

Not only should you color-code for easy finding, but if you have enough space in your closet, organizing clothing by seasons is also widely beneficial.

Long sleeves, thick sweaters, and jeans should be organized for the fall and winter months.
Short sleeves, tank tops, and shorts would, of course, make sense for spring and summer months.
Depending on the time of year, organize these items for easy reach rather than what you won’t need for the next few months.
If you are hunkering down for the colder season, move your spring and summer clothing to top racks, hooks, and shelves. You will need those thick sweaters at eye level so they are easy to find, and to keep you warm when the temperature drops.

4. Categorize Further

You can also organize items by occasion, work, or casual clothing (again, if you have enough closet space).

For example, start your workday off right by finding “that” tailored suit, “those shined shoes”, or any other accessory by including a work category in your wardrobe. Your morning routine will thank you for it.

5. Hang Accessories

Hats, scarves, and handbags can easily get lost or scrambled in a jumbled mess if you do not have an efficient organizational system.

Consider hanging hooks on your closet walls if you have space.

Or, you could use this hanger organizer with hooks, perfect for hanging ties, belts, scarves, or hats.

When you are adding the final touches to an outfit, you’ll be able to find that matching scarf in a much quicker amount of time than if you stuffed it in a box somewhere.

6. Hang Jeans Using S Hooks

Instead of folding jeans on shelves or hanging them over bulky hangers, you can use metal S hooks on your closet rod.

Simply hook the S hook over the rod and hang the jeans by one belt loop.

This allows several pairs of jeans to hang vertically in a row without taking up much space.

It keeps jeans visible, prevents messy piles on shelves, and frees up room for other clothes in the closet.

This hack works especially well in small closets where shelf space is limited.

7. Use Shower Curtain Rings to Store Tank Tops

Clip several shower curtain rings onto one hanger and slide the straps of your tank tops or camisoles through the rings.

This lets you store many tops on a single hanger while keeping them easy to see and grab.

It saves space and keeps small items from slipping off regular hangers, which helps your closet stay tidy.

If you don’t have shower curtain rings, you can use several other small items that work the same way, like key rings, binder rings, or S-hooks

8. Use Over-the-Door Organizers

Over-the-door organizers are brilliant when you are short on space in your home and your closet.

Hang one of these organizers over the door of your closet or on the rod if you have space.

They are great for keeping shoes, underwear, gloves, hats, scarves, makeup, small toiletries, medicines, baby stuff, and more.

9. Use Shelf Dividers to Create Vertical Sections

Closet shelves often become messy because folded clothes slide into each other and lose their shape.

shelf divider to organize closet clothes

A simple hack is to add shelf dividers to separate stacks of clothing.

These dividers create small vertical sections so sweaters, jeans, or t-shirts stay neatly in place instead of collapsing into a pile.

This makes it much easier to see everything at a glance and keeps the shelf looking tidy even when you remove one item.

If you are looking for shelf dividers, check out this selection.

10. Use Magazine Holders for Clutches and Small Bags

Magazine holders are a simple way to organize small handbags, clutches, purses, belts, and even shoes.

Stand a few magazine holders upright on a closet shelf and place items inside.

This keeps accessories separated, easy to see, and prevents them from piling up.

It also makes use of narrow shelf space that often goes unused.

Double Clothes Rack on Wheels

11. Hang Shelves from Your Closet

Hanging shelves help save space in a closet because they use the vertical area that often goes unused.

Instead of stacking clothes in large piles on one shelf, the organizer creates several smaller compartments where items can be folded and separated.

This makes it possible to store more clothing in the same space while keeping everything visible and easy to reach, preventing messy stacks from taking over the closet.

12. Use Soda Cans, Tension Rods, and cardboard tubes

a) Use Soda Can Tabs to Double Your Hanger Space
Hook a soda can tab over the top of a hanger and hang another hanger from the second hole. This lets you stack two garments vertically and instantly maximize closet space.

b) Use Tension Rods for Clutches and Small Bags
Place a small tension rod between two closet walls or shelves and hook handbags over it. This keeps them visible and prevents them from piling up on shelves.

c) Store Boots Upright with Pool Noodles
Cut pool noodles to the height of your boots and place them inside the shafts. They keep boots standing upright and prevent creasing while keeping your closet looking tidy.

Stacking vs. Hanging

Stacking is most efficient for thicker clothing, such as bulky sweaters.

These are less likely to wrinkle due to the material.

Roll or fold your thicker items and stack them.

Hanging clothing such as blazers, coats, skirts, and dresses is best for keeping their shape.

Closet and organization-related articles you might like:

Closet organization hacks and storage ideas

Tidy Closet, Happy Lives

With a few simple closet organization hacks, you can transform a chaotic bundle of messy clothes and accessories into a tidy place where you can find anything.

For example, according to Organized Interiors, “Three in 10 women from that OnePoll survey believe that having an organized closet would make their mornings less stressful.”

Life is made easier when your closet does not look like a tornado tore through it.

What are your favorite closet organization hacks?