When your walk-in closet or small wardrobe starts brimming with clothes, shoes, accessories and all of your everyday essentials, it can be stressful and hard to manage. The fix? These brilliant closet organization ideas that'll maximize your space, no matter the size (they're perfect if a built-in storage system isn't in your budget, by the way).
Of course, you'll first want to spend time editing your wardrobe. But once that's handled, check out our genius hacks to keep your remaining closet necessities in order (we've even included innovative organizing products from our 2022 Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards). Use drawers to store things like makeup, sunglasses, belts and hair clips. Hang your necklaces and hats from hooks for easy access. Build floating shelves to display your bag or shoe collection and label baskets to organize items you'd usually have a hard time keeping together (socks being just one example). Consider hanging curtains to conceal clothes and try color-coordinating containers for a cohesive look. What's more, some of the DIY closet organizers featured are handmade. There's everything from fabric bins and a scrapbook organizer to a framed sunglasses display and soda tab hangers.
With so many hacks to choose from, bringing order to a cluttered closet can be a breeze. And if you're worried about how chaotic your kids' spaces can get at times, many of our closet organization ideas work for adults and children alike. Happy organizing!
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1
Keep Small Accessories in Drawers
LA Closet Design
The small items you tend to misplace, like socks, sunglasses or hair accessories, can be neatly organized in drawers. This keeps your must-haves within reach, while freeing up much-needed counter space.
Blogger Karen decided to keep her sweaters in linen boxes with transparent fronts after noticing moths were damaging her clothes. They're especially great if you're not a fan of mothballs (Karen isn't either), and their drop-front openings make it easy to see pieces without pulling them out every time.
Let's face it: You're bound to miss a belt or two if you have a grand collection of similar designs. Keep them safely tucked away in drawers so you have a clear view to pick the one you want to wear on any given day.
Blogger Elsie turned her small floor-to-ceiling closet into a sleek display for shoes. If you have an ever-growing collection of boots, sneakers, heels and flats, with nowhere to put them, you can do the same. Keep the boots on the bottom and the lighter footwear at the top.
Lighting can work wonders in a compact space. Blogger Lauren placed a battery puck light inside a wall sconce and installed it above her makeshift vanity's mirror. The simple lighting solution is just what she needs to apply makeup without any issues.
A freestanding closet organizer is sleek, stylish and more budget-friendly than built-in systems. Plus, since it's portable, you can easily move it from room to room when necessary.
While in quarantine, blogger Elsie picked up a new hobby: collecting colorful headbands that gave her outfits a more polished and trendy look. She purchased an accessory holder to stack them on the top shelf of her walk-in closet. It's a simple idea that helps her keep track of the collection.
Use drawer organizers to group makeup products by type. Lipsticks, makeup brushes, foundations and concealers can have their own sections, so everything is easy to find when you create your look for the day.
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9
Use an Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer
Andrew McCaul
An over-the-door shoe rack is an effortless solution to keep your floor clutter-free, especially if you're not a fan of drilling holes into the walls for storage. Plus, they're typically sturdy enough to hold a decent amount of weight.
Caroline Lee for The Container Store Custom Closets
Keep bulky sweaters and shoes out in the open, so you can pull outfits together in an instant. Corral the rest of your accessories and off-season wear in designated baskets to give the shelving unit a cleaner look.
Pack a bar cart with your everyday shoes or fill the shelves with baskets to hold socks, scarves and smaller accessories. The best part: You can roll it out of your way when you need to access the rest of your closet.
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12
Use a Box System
Making it in the Mountains
Take wooden boxes in varying sizes and turn them into a functional display. Arrange them in a way that makes the most sense for your belongings: taller cubbies for structured totes, small cubes for flat shoes and so on.
Store your little fashionista's play clothes and everyday basics at eye level, whether tucked away in drawers or hanging on rods. Stash any delicate or meaningful items (like the sweater your mom knit) on higher shelves, so they can't reach them quite as easily.
Blogger Lauren used divider tags to separate her baby's clothing by month. Do the same by downloading and printing out her dividers on cardstock to tell you what's what.
If you're installing a shelving unit to your walk-in closet, consider adding a built-in hamper, so you can keep your floor free of clothes, towels and other linens.
Instead of devoting a hanger for each scarf (or worse, knotting multiples on one and causing major wrinkles), use shower rings to create individual holders for your entire collection.
In a shared closet, tie chalkboard labels onto bins, so everyone knows where their items belong. Unlike other labels, you can simply wet, wipe and reuse these to save time and money when sorting.
Hooks are your best friend when it comes to organizing hats, bags, and necklaces. Your favorite outfit makers also double as a decor moment when grouped together in neat rows.
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.