How to Organize a Closet: Tips & Tricks From Our Storage Experts

The closet: it’s there to make your life easier, but it’s so often a source of stress. If you’re dealing with one that’s too full, too messy, or just too difficult to organize, we’re here to help. In this guide, our storage experts here at Stor-It provide several closet organization ideas to help you make the most of your dedicated at-home storage space.

From small closet organization ideas to tips for optimizing storage elsewhere, we’re here to make your closet the best it can be.

Tip #1: Before All Else, Empty Your Closet

Sometimes, the hardest part of closet organization is knowing where to start. We like to think of cluttered closets as puzzles—and puzzles don’t get solved with pieces in the box. That’s why the first item on our list of closet organization tips is emptying the closet. That’s right: take everything out. Put it on the floor or your bed. If you have a big closet (or a particularly packed one), you may need to clean your room first.

Emptying your closet will allow you to clearly see what’s been lurking inside. It will also give you a better view of your closet itself. From there, you can start sorting. You can create piles, throw things away, and slowly put things back into your closet without navigating a dense jungle of clutter.

Tip #2: Get Rid of What You Don’t Need

Now comes the hard part: deciding what goes and what stays. If you’re like most of us, your closet is probably home to a few things you’ve forgotten about. Sometimes those things are worth keeping; sometimes, they’re not. Don’t be afraid to throw out or donate items. This will not only create more space in your closet—it may lead to freed up space elsewhere in your home, too, since you’ll now be able to store more things inside your closet.

You may even find several items that you’d like to store elsewhere. Leave those in a pile to the side for now. We’ll address them in a tip later on.

Tip #3: Think Vertically

As your sorting begins to take shape, it’s time to take a look at your closet. Like your room itself, your closet likely has significant space above your head. Don’t neglect this space. It may require a stretch (or a step stool), but it’s still prime real estate for closet storage. It’s a great place for lesser-used essentials like niche appliances, special occasion shoes, old memorabilia, and more. We recommend installing a shelf just above head level (if there isn’t one already) to help you get the most out of this space. Just don’t fill it with heavy items; you’ll have a tough time getting them down.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, look at space down by the floor. While it may require bending over, it’s also another great place to store things. We recommend putting your big stuff here: filled storage bins, vacuums, and other heavy belongings. For simplicity’s sake, the floor space is also a good area to store your go-to shoes. One of the best bedroom closet organization ideas is a simple shoe rack that fits on your closet floor or sits on the back of your closet door.

With the floor and ceiling accounted for, we’re now left with the middle. This is a great place to hang clothes of all kinds. If your closet doesn’t have a rod or bar for hangers, install a heavy-duty one to hold a lot of weight. If you’ve chosen to omit clothes from your closet, you can use this middle space for extra belongings stacked on top of those on the floor.

Tip #4: Create Sections That Make Sense

So, you’ve analyzed your closet vertically and you’re ready to start putting things back in. We encourage you to take an extra moment to think harder about each vertical section. If you shelve everything from electronics to spare toiletries in the same spot, it can be difficult to remember what’s where several months down the road. This tactic can also quickly cause clutter. Take a deep breath and think before you store.

We recommend going with thematic sections. Choose up to three different themes for each vertical slice of your closet—and try to make sure they’re related. Up top, try something like fancy shoes, electronics, and gifts. They all probably still have the boxes they came in. This makes the section cohesive (and easy to stack). Next, hang your clothes according to season or color, and try to put items back in the same spot after wearing them. Finally, on the floor, put your most-used items on top of your less-used items. You’re welcome to place possessions on top of boxes; just try to keep your stacks neat.

Tip #5: Don’t Cram

As your closet fills up, you may be tempted to stuff it with as many possessions as possible. Resist the temptation. A closet that’s crammed full is a source of clutter and stress. You won’t want to open it, and you’ll have trouble finding things when you do. Learning how to organize a small closet (or a big one) is sometimes an exercise in restraint. Leave some space in your closet for your belongings (especially your clothes) to breathe. Trust us, it will make your life easier. You may even find that you’ve gotten rid of enough stuff to yield a much emptier closet. If that’s the case, great. If not, don’t despair. Odds are, you can find other places to put your leftover stuff.

Tip #6: Search for Other Storage Around Your Home

Sometimes, organizing a closet isn’t about the closet at all. It’s about the rest of your home and its ability to store your stuff. If you’re dealing with spillover from your newly-organized closet, take a quick spin around your house or apartment. Your newly trained eye will likely find a few more spots to store these belongings. Some great storage hotspots include under beds, on the backs of doors, and areas around entryways.

In many cases, you may want to consider investing in new storage infrastructure to simplify storage in other parts of your home. We suggest looking into door racks, floating shelves, end tables and dressers, simple wall hangers, and pull-out box drawers for the undersides of beds and coffee tables. Need more ideas? Tour of some of your friends’ houses to see how they’re doing things, or read up on organization tips online. There’s a treasure trove of creative advice out there.

Tip #7: Consider Self Storage

You’ve searched “how to organize my bedroom closet.” You’ve searched for extra storage spots around your home or apartment. You still have stuff everywhere. This situation isn’t uncommon, and you can solve it with a little outside help.

That’s right: we’re talking about self storage. Self storage is the ultimate off-site solution for stuff you want to keep but don’t have room for. A self-storage unit is like an extra apartment for your belongings. It can be the size of your closet, much larger, or anything in between. Research self-storage providers in your area to find a size and price that’s right for you.

Get More Closet Organization Ideas and Shop Self Storage Here at Stor-It

Searching for more ways to organize your closet? Our storage experts have the solutions and expertise to help. Check out our Storage Tips and Blog pages for in-depth resources on storage of all sorts. You can also contact us to speak with a member of our team directly.

Ready to free up space with self storage? You’re in the right place. We’re Idaho’s oldest and largest self-storage providers, and we’ve got the best storage options anywhere in the Gem State. Head over to our Locations page, where you’ll find an extensive range of storage units at each of our 16 Idaho locations. You’ll also find more info on our great amenities, like FREE locks for new tenants, flexible and affordable month-to-month leases, climate-controlled storage options, and packing and moving supplies available for sale on site. Click the links above to learn more, reserve your storage space, and store with our team today!