12 Easy Tips to Organize Your Closet in an Afternoon

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

One of the messiest and disorganized areas to tackle, in any house, has got to be the closet. Right? So, I thought I would put together some tips to whip any (clothes)  closet into shape. And since I recently completed an entire bedroom makeover for a friend, including the closet, I thought I would share some of the after photos from the closet portion of the makeover in this post as well. Here are my top 12 tips for organizing your closet in an afternoon.   

Don’t stop at the closet! Check out these six simple steps to organizing your desk

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

1. Declutter. The first tip to closet organization is getting rid of things that you don’t wear. This might mean storing off-season clothes in a different closet until they’re back in season or donating clothes, shoes, and accessories that you’ll probably never wear again.

Once those extra pieces are out of your closet, you’ll have more room for the items you love and actually wear.

2. Remove items that don’t belong. And along those same lines, be sure to remove any items that simply don’t belong in your closet. For example, if you have kid’s toys in your master bedroom closet, for some reason, remove them and put them in their proper home. We all have a misplaced item or two in the closet. So find those pieces and remove them to free up more space for the things that are supposed to be in there.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

3. Let there be light. Most closets aren’t exactly bright. So, add a light to your closet if you don’t already have one. This will help you find items more easily because you can actually see everything.

You can use something as simple as these battery operated stick-on LED lights, so you don’t have to worry about getting an electrician to come in.

4. Come up with a system. Whether you like to color code your clothes or group like items together (sleeveless shirts here, long sleeves there, etc), if you have a system in place, it will be a lot easier to find what you are looking for.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

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5. All about eye level. I hear this tip all the time, but have only recently implemented it myself. And it works! Store your most used / loved clothing items at eye level, when possible. You’ll have easy access to the things you use most and will always know exactly where your favorite pair of jeans are.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

6. Use one style of hangers throughout. This might seem like a silly tip, but your closet will look so much more put-together if you have matching hangers. I promise. And they’re a pretty affordable fix as well. The wood hangers I used for this closet makeover are from IKEA, but these sleek stainless steel ones are great too.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

7. Line things up in rows. If you don’t have a shoes rack, for example, line up shoes in today rows instead, so it’s easy to find your favorite pair of sandals or boots in a hurry.

8. Use every inch. This is especially true if you have a small closet. You’ll want to use every square inch of space, which may mean adding overhead shelving, shoe boxes, wall hangers for belts and purses, etc.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

9. Add drawers. There are certain clothing pieces that you may not want to hang, for whatever reason. Maybe a hanger makes the shoulders of your favorite blouse poke out abnormally, etc. So, be sure to have some way to store folded items in a drawer, whether that’s in a small dresser or hanging closet organizer.

10. Add matching boxes. Again, with the matching thing. I know, I know. Your closet will look more organized if boxes have (relatively) the same look though. And you can store items that you don’t use quite as much there, like scarves.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

11. Label things when possible. If you plan to store rarely used or worn items in boxes or drawers in the closet, be sure to label the outside with what is inside. This will save you from having to search through five drawers to try to find XYZ.

12. Take pictures. If you don’t feel like labeling drawers in boxes, take pictures instead. Polaroids work great in this instance because a photo will print immediately, and you attach it to the box or drawer then and there.

Photo by Sarahdipity Photos

Well that was fun. When you’re done admiring your spiffy new closet, check out these 10 Super Clever Home Organizing Hacks.

Thank you to Sarah Eddy of Sarahdipity Photos for taking all of the photos you see here and to Jordan Brantley for letting me makeover her space (and posing for a few photos).

All photos by Sarahdipity Photos, text and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff, for Curbly.com