20 Ideas for Closet Storage: How to Organize a Closet of Any Size
Published · 9 min read
The best ideas for closet storage aren't about buying more organizers. Most closets are full of clothes that don't fit, don't suit the season or haven't been worn in two years, and the clothes you do wear get squeezed between them. Clear those out, use the height you have, and a small closet holds more than you'd think.
This guide covers how to organize a closet in an afternoon, 20 closet storage ideas for rods, shelves, the floor and the door, how to organize a small closet, under-bed storage for the overflow, and how to swap summer and winter clothes without losing track of either.
How to organize a closet
- Take everything out. All of it, onto the bed. You'll see how much there is, and you can wipe the shelves and vacuum the floor while they're empty.
- Sort into keep, donate, sell and toss. Keep what fits, what you've worn in the last year and what you'd buy again. Anything stained, stretched or "for when I lose five pounds" goes. Declutter and sell has a routine for the sell pile.
- Take out what's out of season. Winter coats in July and swimsuits in January don't need prime space. They go in a bin on the top shelf or under the bed (more on that below).
- Group what's left by type, then by color. Shirts with shirts, pants with pants. Within a group, light to dark. It's quicker to see what you have, and quicker to put things back.
- Put things back by how often you wear them. Everyday clothes at eye and arm height, going-out clothes to the side, once-a-year things up high.
- Number the bins and list what's in them. A bin on the top shelf is out of sight, so it needs a label. The last part of this guide shows how to keep the list.
20 ideas for closet storage
Hanging space
- Matching slim hangers. Thin, non-slip hangers all the same take noticeably less rod space than a mix of bulky ones, and clothes stop sliding off.
- A second rod below the first. Shirts, skirts and folded pants only need half the height. A hanging rod that hooks over the top one doubles the space for short clothes.
- Long clothes at one end. Dresses and coats together at one end of the rod, so the space under the short clothes stays free for the second rod or shelves.
- Turn the hangers backwards. Hang everything with the hook facing you. When you wear something, turn its hanger the right way. After six months, the backwards hangers are clothes you don't wear.
- Cascading hooks for scarves and belts. A hanger with loops or a row of hooks keeps them flat and in sight instead of in a knot in a drawer.
Shelves
- Folded stacks of no more than about 30 cm, 12 inches. Taller stacks topple and you pull from the bottom.
- Shelf dividers. Clip-on dividers keep sweater stacks from leaning into each other.
- Fold knits, hang wovens. Sweaters stretch on hangers. Shirts and blouses crease when folded.
- Lidded bins on the top shelf. The shelf above the rod is the closet's attic. Use it for out-of-season clothes, keepsakes and spare bedding, in same-size bins so they stack.
- Fabric bins for small things. Swimwear, workout clothes, hats and gloves each get one bin, so they don't spread across a shelf.
The floor and the door
- A shoe rack or shoe shelf. Two tiers of shoes on the floor take the space of one row. For more, see shoe storage ideas.
- A small chest of drawers inside the closet. If the closet is deep enough, a low dresser under the short clothes frees the bedroom for other furniture.
- A laundry hamper with a lid. Dirty clothes stop landing on the floor.
- Hooks on the inside of the door. Tomorrow's outfit, a robe, a bag. Over-the-door hooks need no drilling.
- An over-the-door organizer. Clear pockets for shoes, or for socks, belts and accessories.
- A hook for the step stool. The top shelf is only useful if you can reach it. A folding step stool hung on the wall or the door is always there.
Making it easier to keep
- A light inside. A battery light with a motion sensor shows the back corners of a dark closet.
- A "donate" bag on a hook. When something doesn't fit, it goes straight in the bag. When the bag is full, it goes to the car.
- One in, one out. A new sweater means an old one goes. The closet stays the size it is.
- Kids' outgrown clothes in bins by size. "Boys, 3 to 4 years", "Girls, size 6". When the next child or the next cousin fits them, you know which bin to bring down.
How to organize a small closet
In a small closet every idea above still works, but the order matters. Start by being strict: a small closet holds the clothes you wear this season, not everything you own. Then go up, with a second rod, a hanging shelf organizer and bins to the ceiling. Use the door with hooks or a pocket organizer. And move everything out of season out of the closet altogether, to the top shelf, a shelf in the hall or under the bed.
A few small closet tricks:
- Swap hinged doors for a curtain if the door swing gets in the way of the bed or the dresser.
- Use the side walls. A narrow wall beside the rod takes hooks for bags or a slim shelf for folded things.
- Hang pants by the waist on a multi-tier hanger. Five pairs take the rod space of one.
- Keep the floor clear. A small closet feels full fast when the floor is a pile.
Under bed storage ideas
Under-bed storage is the overflow for a small bedroom closet. It's where the winter sweaters go in summer, and the beach towels in winter.
- Low lidded bins. Plastic bins about 15 cm, 6 inches, tall slide under most beds. Lids keep dust out.
- Bins on wheels. Rolling bins come out with one pull, so you actually use them.
- Drawers built into the bed. If you're buying a bed anyway, one with drawers is the neatest under-bed storage.
- Bed risers. Lifting the bed a few inches makes room for taller bins.
- Fabric bags for bedding and bulky knits. A zip bag with a window for spare duvets and blankets.
- One category per bin. "Winter sweaters", "Spare bedding", "Wrapping paper". And a number on the end that faces out.
Swapping summer and winter clothes
Twice a year, the season changes and so does the closet. Make it a habit: wash or clean everything before it goes away, because moths and stains like dirty clothes. Fold knits rather than hanging them, and put cedar blocks or lavender sachets in the bins. Then bring the other season's bins down and put that bin's clothes on the rod.
Long-term, some things shouldn't go in airtight plastic: leather and fur need to breathe, so store them in cotton or fabric bags. Down jackets and duvets keep their loft better hanging or loosely folded than squeezed flat in a vacuum bag for months.
Keep track of what's in your closet bins
Bins on the top shelf and under the bed are easy to forget. That's what Hoardo is for: a free app where every bin, shelf and suitcase is a numbered box with a list of what's inside.
- Make a room for the closet in Hoardo, and one for under the bed if you use it.
- Add each bin as a numbered box, with the number you wrote on it. The suitcase on the top shelf is a box too, and so is the bin of outgrown clothes in size 4.
- List what's inside. Type it, say it, or snap a photo of the open bin and let Hoardo list what it sees.
- Print QR labels on plain paper, sticker sheets or a label printer. Scanning one with your phone's camera opens that bin's list, so you know which one has the ski socks without lifting it down.
When the season changes, you swap whole bins: summer into #10, winter out. When a child needs the next size up, a search for "size 4" shows which bin and where it is. It works in the rest of the house too, and you can share the room with your family so everyone can look it up. For more, see storage bin labels and storage ideas for every room.
Questions about closet storage
How do I organize my closet?
Take everything out, keep what fits and what you've worn in the last year, and move out-of-season clothes somewhere else. Group what's left by type and color, then put it back with everyday clothes at eye height and rarely worn things up high.
How do I organize a small closet?
Keep only this season's clothes in it, then go up: a second hanging rod, a hanging shelf organizer and lidded bins to the ceiling. Use the door for hooks or a pocket organizer, and keep the floor clear.
What are good under bed storage ideas?
Low lidded bins, bins on wheels or drawers built into the bed, with bed risers if you need more height. Keep one category per bin, like winter sweaters or spare bedding, and put a number on the end that faces out.
How should I store out-of-season clothes?
Wash or clean them first, fold knits rather than hanging them, and store them in lidded bins with cedar or lavender. Leather and fur need breathable fabric bags rather than airtight plastic.
How do I remember what's in each closet bin?
Number every bin and keep a list of what's inside. In Hoardo the closet is a room and every bin or suitcase a numbered box with its contents listed. A QR label on the bin opens the list on your phone, and search finds the ski socks without lifting anything down.
Is Hoardo free?
Yes. Hoardo is free, with every feature included: rooms, numbered boxes, QR labels, search and sharing with your family. There's no paid plan.