Tips for Organizing a Small Closet

Dave Kushner • Nov 14, 2019

If you have small closets, you know the challenges that come along with them. It can be difficult to find enough space to store items, you might have a hard time accessing the items you are storing, and you might even feel that it’s not worth putting too much time, energy, or money into such a tiny space. We’ve got some great tips on getting small storage spaces whipped into shape, so read on!

Group Items by Type

No matter what you are storing in the closet, getting it all grouped together by type will help you not only organize the items but also access them when you need them. It’s always helpful when you know exactly where to look, and this is vital when you are dealing with a small space that can get messy quickly.

If you are working with a small bedroom closet, try to hang all of the tops together, all of the bottoms together, and so on. You might try organizing them by color to make it easier to find what you are looking for. Another option is to put outfits together before you hang items in the closet; you can then simply pull out what you are going to wear without rummaging around for each piece. This is a great strategy to use in children’s closets.

In a linen closet, stack all of the towels on one shelf, all of the sheets on another, and keep toiletries in their own location within the closet. In a hall closet that holds many different types of items, try to group like items together. This might mean adding shelving or putting in a small chest of drawers to keep items contained.

Use the Vertical Space in the Closet

Many times, homeowners will look at the horizontal space in the closet and conclude that they simply do not have enough room. Shelving might be sparse in a small closet, and you might have room for only one short hanging rod. But there is also vertical space in the closet that can be used for storage.

The wall space should be looked at as a potential goldmine of storage space. What about installing hooks or nails and hanging baskets from them? You can use this to store anything from socks or hair accessories in a bedroom closet to small toiletries or washcloths in a bathroom linen closet.

You can also mount a hanging rod on the wall of a closet. These generally stick out several inches and give you room to hang items from hangers or simply drape them over the rod itself. This would open up hanging space for smaller items like a sweater or jacket for a young child, ties or belts in a small master bedroom closet, or hand towels in a linen closet.

Another place to use vertical storage is behind the closet door. If you have a regular slab door (as opposed to an accordion-style door or a pocket door), you can use the back of that space to hang anything you desire. Hang up an over-the-door rack to hold small items, use it as a bulletin board, or, if the door is solid wood, install hooks on it to hold items that won’t fall off when you open and close the door.

Use Containers to Keep Items Neat

In a small bedroom closet, not everything has to be hung. Instead, you can use bins or baskets on shelves to keep items corralled. This can apply to nearly anything. For example, you can keep sheets in a large basket (such as a laundry basket) on a shelf. This is a great tip if you have a good number of, say, twin-sized sheets because you have several children. Rather than trying to keep fitted sheets in a stack, simply fold them and put them in a basket. They will stay neat and it won’t matter if they’re not perfectly square.

Children’s closets often do well with bins on shelves rather than hangers on a hanging rod. Children can often at least roughly fold their clothing before they’re tall enough to hang it properly on a hanger. You won’t want to use this option with clothing that needs to be ironed, but knit shirts, sweaters, jeans, leggings, and other clothes that many children wear around the house don’t need to be hung. These types of items can also be stored this way in your own closet!

Consider Calling in a Professional Closet Designer

You might worry that investing in a custom closet system for a small closet isn’t worth it, but we think that it is. At Closet Decor & More, we can help you get your Ft. Lauderdale closets into the neat and tidy condition you might have been dreaming of. Even small spaces can benefit... and smaller closets cost less to customize, so you would be saving money if you chose to focus on optimizing the small storage areas in your home.

Contact us to schedule your free in-home design appointment. We can show you what a difference it can make to have professional custom closets installed.

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