One thing will always be a mystery: how your wardrobe manages to go from a carefully curated selection that fits neatly into the available storage to a wild collection of escaping articles seemingly overnight. It happens to the best of us, though, and no matter how much storage you think you have when you move into your home, in a few years’ time, you’ll wonder where to put everything.
Since it’s spring, it’s the perfect time to get that closet under control, and we’ve collected some great tips to help you get started:
- Start with the simplest organizational trick: take stock of what’s on hand, and if you have more than one of each item, pare down. You don’t need five pairs of black pants or 10 pairs of jeans! Donate your old stuff to charity, and you’ll feel even better about purging.
- Invest in hanging canvas or fabric shelves. They take up less space, are cheaper than constructing built-in shelves and are perfect for lightweight, year-round items.
- Large storage bins that fit under your bed are another great investment. They’re a great way to use this often-overlooked storage space and are perfect for storing large, bulky items only use seasonally.
- Purchase clear shoe boxes to store your shoes, which will keep your footwear scuff-free and allow you to find shoes much more easily!
- Invest in collapsible canvas storage boxes that can be stacked on shelves to hold items you use less frequently.
- Purchase sturdy padded, plastic or wooden hangers to use instead of the wire version. These types of hangers will help to preserve the shape of your clothes.
- Clear plastic drawer units are inexpensive and a great way to store small items like belts, scarves and accessories so that they’re easy to access and find. Choose lower units so you can place then under hanging areas for shirts and blouses.
- If your closet is fairly deep, you may be able to add another hanging rail, allowing you to double up on hanging clothes. Hang clothes for the current season in front and out-of-season items in back.
- Invest in acrylic shelf dividers that clip onto shelves. It will help to prevent piles of clothes from merging into one big mess.
- Get a folding template (or use a piece of stiff cardboard in an appropriate size. When you fold your clothes using a template, you’ll end up with uniform, easily stackable piles every time.
- Look for modern versions of your grandma’s shoe bag. They really are great for storing small items out of the way, behind a door or on an empty wall. Even if you don’t use them for shoes, they can be used for accessories, beauty products or other items.
Ideally, in a new construction home, you’ll get a dream walk-in closet with lots of space for all your clothes (and a little corner for your spouse’s stuff too). If that’s not the case in your home, however, you can still use tips like this to make the most of the space you have. A little organization goes a long way!