Whether you’re a neat freak or a pack rat, the one part of the house that you will find very difficult to organize is your closet. Be it a walk-in closet, an old chest or a huge drawer where the linens are stored, it is a challenge to keep the items inside organized. Check out these affordable ways to organize your closet!
Let’s say that you are entertaining guests. You didn’t have enough time to clean the house so you just do a haphazard job of it, stowing everything out of sight. Or maybe it’s already nearing winter but your summer clothes are still in an accessible area in your closet because you didn’t have time to organize.
The stuff that you bought from a previous shopping spree are all still there, merged with the still-new items that you own so everything’s one huge mess.
The good news is that you can actually do a good job of organizing your closet. The bonus is that you don’t even have to pay for the services of a professional organizer, or spend a fortune on expensive storage products. There are plenty of simple, affordable ways for you to organize your closet without having to spend too much.
Top 10 Affordable Tips for Organizing Your Closet
Even a professional organizer will probably tell you that there is no right or wrong way to organize a closet. Although some techniques work better than others, it’s all a matter of personal preference and lifestyle.
Let’s say that you are an office worker. You can organize your closet based on the outfits that you will wear every day for a week. Or, you can organize your clothes based on type: suits, skirts, pants, jackets, tops, etc.
There are also those who opt to organize their closets by color. No matter which technique you end up using, what’s important is to have a closet with organized content, and with the storage space maximized.
To get you started, here is our top ten affordable tips on how you can organize your closet:
1. Conduct an inventory of everything that you have.
Clutter is the number one culprit in a disorganized closet. If you’re organizing clothes in your bedroom closet, conduct an inventory of everything that you own. Remove all the items that do not belong in the clothes drawer: books, stuffed toys, sports equipment, and photo albums.
Put together all the accessories so that you can use a suitable storage space for them later on. If you don’t have the time to work on the entire closet, organize it one drawer at a time.
For the clothes, here are a few quick organizational tips:
- Purge the items that you don’t wear or do not need anymore.
- If you’re still wearing an item but there are problems with the fit, take it to the tailor for alterations.
- Sell or trade the clothes with the tags still on them that you haven’t worn in the past year. If you have not found the occasion to wear the garment, you probably won’t ever wear it.
- Get rid of the clothing items which are beyond repair – like a torn college jersey or a childhood blanket that you just can’t bear to part with.
- Get rid of the items which are out of style or which you simply do not wear anymore.
After organizing your clothes, you can sell the good quality items which still look like new. The ones which are still wearable but you don’t want anymore can go towards the donation pile. Finally, the items which are beyond repair should go to the recycling bin.
2. Know how to use empty walls or door spaces wisely.
The back of the door and the empty sections of the walls inside your closet can be used for storage. You can stick dowels and hooks at the back of your closet door, which you can use to hang belts, sunglasses, scarves, hats, and other accessories.
For heavier items that you would like to hang, you can use towel bars or sturdy curtain rods which are affixed to the door of your closet. When using the hanging technique in organizing your closet, just make sure that the rod or hook is sturdy enough to support the weight of the item.
3. Light it up.
If you have a walk-in closet, you can up the wow factor in your wardrobe by adding a small chandelier or pendant light.
Of course, you should have a full length mirror so that you can make sure that you don’t look like a walking fashion disaster once you step out of your home. The mirror should be well-lit so that you can also check that your appearance and wardrobe is flawless.
For normal-sized closets, a low-voltage lighting solution works best.
4. Organize by color!
Before organizing your clothes by color, you first need to corral similar items together. Similar to how you would usually organize desk files by size, you should put together all the folded shirts, underwear, pants, shorts, and similar items together.
For clothes which are kept in a hanger, store them according to color to make your closet look more organized. Not only that, but it will also make it easier for you to decide what to wear in case you’re dressing up to go out.
5. Invest in good quality hangers.
If you have mismatched hangers, your closet will definitely look disorganized. Cheap plastic ones can even damage the shoulder part of your clothes if they are hung improperly. Invest in good quality hangers that match and have widths that are long enough to hang even big winter jackets.
6. Use the entire upper part of the closet shelves.
The one part of your closet that you are most probably not using is the upper part. If it’s too high for you to reach, all you have to do is buy a small stool or ladder.
If it’s summer and you would like to keep your winter clothes out of sight, you can store them in the upper part of the closet shelves. You can also use the space for shoes, belts, and other accessories.
7. Use clear plastic drawers for easy organization.
If you don’t have that much closet space, buy clear plastic drawers and stack them one on top of the other. The fact that they’re clear will make it easier for you to recognize what’s inside.
You can use these drawers for clothes, accessories, towels, linens, shoes, as well as all the other odds and ends of your wardrobe.
8. Utilize floor space.
What’s usually kept at the floor or the bottom of the closet? Shoes!
If you want, you can purchase those slim shoe containers with a clear surface to prevent dust from accumulating on the footwear. Line them up at the bottom of your closet. You can do the same thing with hair accessories, ties, belts, scarves – they can be kept inside a clear box at the bottom of the closet.
Just make sure that everything inside is neatly folded or rolled to maximize space.
9. Organize your accessories.
Women are bound to have more accessories than men, thus the need to organize this aspect of your wardrobe. Look for storage solutions that will allow you to store accessories in an organized manner.
If you have a collection of sunglasses, for instance, you can keep them in similar-shaped plastic containers alongside your jewelry box.
The same thing holds true for men’s watches, cufflinks, ties, and scarves. Belts can be hung on hooks or rolled and kept inside a box or drawer. Caps can be hung on hooks or stacked one on top of the other.
If you are using boxes to organize your accessories, don’t stack more than two boxes high so that it will be easier for you to get to the items inside.
10. Look for products that create additional storage.
If there are still a lot more knickknacks that you need to organize, shop for suitable storage solutions. There are inexpensive customizable storage systems that you can use to increase the storage space for your closet.
Portable closets also come in freestanding units, which you can get from commercial shops or online. A closet rod creates additional hanging space, while hanging compartments do the same thing with some more storage area.
Hanging shoe bags make for an excellent shoe organizer without taking up so much space. For heavier, sturdier items, there are modular or cubby-style storage systems that you can purchase from hardware stores.
One more thing: to prevent mildrew, mold, and nasty smells from permeating the clothes in your closet, purchase all-natural aroma balls. Before putting your just-worn shoes back in the closet, make sure to air them out first.
As your wardrobe changes, you can reorganize your clothes in such a way that everything you usually wear is easily accessible, and all the items are kept in a neat, organized manner.
