Closet organization is one of those areas of home improvement that gets put on the back burner. However, an overstuffed, cluttered closet is a major source of stress and wasted time in your daily routine.

The good news is that with some simple adjustments, you can turn that mess into an oasis of order and space efficiency. Let’s dive into some easy ways to maximize your closet space.

1. The First Step: Ruthless Purging

Before you buy a single closet organizer or rearrange anything, you need to do a comprehensive purge. Go through every piece of clothing and every accessory and make three piles — keep, donate/sell, and trash.

Be ruthless and get rid of anything you haven’t worn in over a year, is out of style, stained or damaged, or doesn’t fit properly. This initial purging will provide you with a clean slate to work from.

2. Install Professional Organizational Systems

Once you’ve cleared out the excess, it’s time to install a proper closet organization system. There are both pre-made kits you can buy off-the-shelf as well as fully custom walk in closet systems designed for your exact closet measurements.

These consist of shelves, double-hanging rods, shoe racks, drawers for folded items, and more. Having a well-designed system in place with proper separators and categorizations for each type of item is key to preventing clutter from reforming.

A professional closet company can measure your dimensions and work with you to design a fully customized system tailored to your wardrobe, budget, and organization needs. This often involves an investment of $1,000-$3,000 or more for an average-sized closet space when you include materials and installation costs.

But it could be well worth it for the time and headache it saves you. If that’s outside your budget, look for pre-made kits that can be installed yourself.

3. Vertical vs. Horizontal Organization

As a general rule, organizing vertically by adding extra shelving and hanging space is more space-efficient than stacking things horizontally. Some helpful vertical storage items for Closet Organization include:

• Over-the-door hanging shoe racks
• Multi-tier hanging shelves for folded clothes
• Floor-to-ceiling shelving units for off-season items
• Hanging double closet rods for doubled-up hanging space.

The upside is maximizing every square inch from floor to ceiling. The downside is everything is a bit less accessible compared to shelving at eye level. Use higher vertical areas for off-season and less frequently used items.

4. Invest in Quality Hangers and Organizers

Ditch those old bulky hangers from the dry cleaner in favor of slim, velvet-lined hangers that take up much less space. Add hanger organizers to bunch clothes together by type — long sleeves, short sleeves, skirts, etc for Closet Organization.

Use boxes or fabric bins on shelves to store items like shoes, hats, and accessories neatly. Label everything clearly for easy accessibility.

Pro Tip: Look for thin profile, huggable hangers that grip clothes tightly, which allows you to fit 25-50% more items per rod compared to those wide, bulky hangers.

5. Roll Up and File-Fold Clothes

For items like shirts, pants, undergarments, and other thin clothing, the file folding or roll/bundle wrapping methods will save tons of space compared to stacking garments flat.

With file folding, you fold clothes compactly like filing them vertically in a drawer or shelf cubby. With the bundle method, you roll or stuff the item into a tight sausage-like roll.

File folding is best suited for dressers and shelves while bundle rolling works great for drawers or boxes. These methods create a uniform, efficient stacking that fits way more clothing into the same footprint than conventional folding. They also make everything easy to scan and access quickly.

6. Make Use of Doors and Walls

Never overlook the back of doors and open wall space as prime closet real estate. Use an over-the-door shoe organizer or rack. Hang storage shelves on the walls. Mount hooks, poles, and rods for hanging items too.

Get creative and utilize every nook and cranny. That space just inside the closet doorway is perfect for a row of hooks for bathrobes, jackets, and other grab-and-go items.

7. Organize by Season or Frequency of Use

Finally, arrange the clothing and items in your closet by season or frequency of use. This means keeping your most-used day-to-day items at eye level and easy to access. Stash the off-season and special occasion items up higher on top shelves or in the back corners. The high-efficiency areas should be reserved for your most used items.

For most people, this means the prime territory between eye and shoulder level gets dedicated to everyday work clothes or casual attire. Low shelves can hold shoes and drawers for undergarments. The upper shelves are for bulky sweaters, jackets, and off-season storage. Use bins or racking for special occasion wear like suits and formal dresses.

Unlock Extra Space with Smart Closet Organization

With some time invested upfront in decluttering, upgrading your closet storage system, and implementing smart vertical organization, you’ll be amazed at how much extra space you can unlock in that closet. Use our tips to streamline your morning routine and enjoy the benefits of a more space-efficient closet.