9 Wardrobe Hacks for Organizing Your Space

Be careful before you stuff another item in your overstuffed closet. A closet-organizing company conducted a survey and found that nearly 1 out of 4 women believed their closets were messy. Nearly half said they couldn’t find items in their closet at all.

Shaniece Jones is founder and chief organizing officer of One Woman Army Management. “The closet should be the first and last place that you go in your day,” she says. “If you can’t find anything in your closet, you are wasting your time and your brain is sending out a signal that Chaos is coming on.”

These nine hacks can help you make more space, no matter how small your closet is. Get organized with your clothes, shoes, and accessories. Finally, get rid of all the clutter in your closet.

1. CLEAR THE CLUTTER

Do your closet a thorough clean before you purchase a single shoe rack, drawer divider, or basket.

Jamie Hord, cofounder and CEO of Horderly Professional Organizing says that organizing your belongings is key to success.

It may surprise you to find an old sweater, dress, or pair of shoes. Unworn pieces with tags still attached, and pieces that don’t fit or have been fashionable since Friends aired new episodes will also be likely to be found.

Stain, ill-fitting, or out of date articles should be thrown out. Reorganize your closet with clothes and accessories that you love and wear.

2. SWAP YOUR HANGERS

Joan Crawford isn’t the only one who banishes wire hangers. She recommends that both wire and plastic hangers be replaced. She insists that velvet hangers should be the first choice. The velvet type is slimmer and can save a lot of space. Also, the fabric keeps clothes dry so you don’t end up with your silk shirt laying on the ground. However, velvet hangers can’t be used for heavier items such as blazers. Jones recommends using wooden hangers for heavier clothing.

3. DOUBLE UP ON HANGERS

Instead of hanging a blazer, skirt, or jacket and pants on separate hangers hang them together with clips. You can attach clips (even cheap wooden clothespins) to attach the skirt or pants to your hanger and then place the jacket or blazer on top. One hanger is more space-efficient and will keep your items together.

Sweats are more comfortable than suits. You can pair your favorite sweats and your zip-front hoodie in the same way.

4. TOSS THE SHOEBOXES

Don’t keep shoeboxes stacked on your closet floor. These shoeboxes will eventually lose their shape and make it difficult to identify which shoes are in them. Jones warns that the whole stack could be thrown if you put the shoes in the box at bottom. Clear drop-front containers are a better choice. They can be securely stacked inside the closet. You can also see your shoes through the front panel and pull them out to replace them.

5. DO NOT OVERLOOK YOUR STORAGE OUT-SIDE-THE-DOOR

The closet door’s back is often neglected. Hord says that you can use an over-the-door organizer to store shoes, handbags accessories, scarves, gloves and other items.

Clear plastic organizers or mesh organizers are best to make it easy to see what you have placed in each compartment.

6. HANG YOUR HAT

Jeni Aron, professional organizer and founder Clutter Cowgirl, says that removable self-adhesive hooks can be used to hang items such as bags, belts, and caps. To create instant space, hooks can be installed on the back of closet doors or on walls in walk-in closets.

7. RAISE THE BAR

A basic closet may only have one shelf and one rod. Jones states that this setup doesn’t make use of all the closet space. Jones says that if you stuff the closet you don’t have enough space and can’t organize things.

An adjustable closet rod is a simple way to improve your space. You can double the organizing space by hanging your shirts on the top and your pants or skirts on bottom.

8. BRING THE BASKETS

Baskets can be used to conceal or corral small items. You can store underwear, bags, scarves and makeup in them. But resist the temptation to stuff baskets with disparate accessories and use them as a catchall.

Aron suggests that you create themes to avoid losing stuff. “Label each basket to let you know what’s in it.”

9. STEP IN STYLE

A stepladder should be a part of every closet to reach out-of-the way items. Aron states that accessibility is the key to success. Keep a stepladder handy in your closet if you are unable to reach the top shelf. This will prevent you from being tempted to put clothes on the floor because it is too difficult to reach the top shelf.