20 Small Closet Organization Ideas to Maximise Your Wardrobe Space

No matter how many Marie Kondo books you read, you might still struggle to have enough space for your most prized possessions. It might even get to the point where you’re scared to open your wardrobe for fear of clothing, shoes, and accessories falling down around you.

And while it might feel like there’s no way you could organize your messy closet, you can. You just need to try a few of these clever organization ideas.

Mount a pegboard on the inside of your closet door

There’s so much wasted space on the inside of the average closet door. Why not make use of it? Mount a pegboard onto the inside and use it for all those small essentials like jewelry, scarves, belts, fashion accessories, and even shoes!

Everything can have its place, and you never have to worry about digging through the dark depths of your closet to find what you need. You’ll also be pleased to know that most pegboards are affordable to buy and easy to install – even if you don’t have a single DIY bone in your body. Pictured: Skådis pegboard from IKEA

Make More Room In Your Closet by Storing Seasonal Clothes in the Attic or Basement

Sometimes, not even the best closet organizer can make a difference to your overcrowded closet. In that case, why not make use of your attic or basement? Sure, your clothing might have to share a room with the Christmas decorations, but it can be a practical solution for clearing space in your closet.

Purchase transparent plastic storage bins, organize your seasonal clothing, extra blankets duvets, pillows, etc., into piles based on what they are, and label the containers accordingly. Pictured: SAMLA containers from IKEA

Create More Storage in Your Closet With Cascading Hangers

Not every clothes rack will have enough space to accommodate your expansive wardrobe. If you lack hanging space due to too many coat hangers, consider purchasing cascading hangers.

These hangers allow you to hang multiple garments from a single hook, which immediately saves up to 80% of your available space. Cascading hangers are also affordable, require no installation, unlike the average clothes rack, and can give you easier access to your everyday clothing. They are an excellent solution for small closets. Pictured: Cascading hangers from Amazon

Save Space in Your Closet by Storing Shoes Under the Bed

Rather than storing piles of winter bedding, clothing, and shoes in your closet, taking up valuable space, why not keep them under your bed? You can purchase beds with in-built storage or buy storage bins to organize items into and slide underneath your bedframe. Alternatively, you can even use a flat board, attach wheels to it, and put your seasonal attire and footwear on top. As a nice bonus, you can get rid of that ‘shoe smell’ from your closet. Pictured: Veddinge Door with castors from IKEA

If Your Closet Lacks Shelving, Opt for a Hanging Organizer

Not everyone is blessed to have in-closet shelving. In fact, you might barely have enough space for hanging clothes, let alone additional shelves. Never fear, because you can enjoy much more space than you thought possible by purchasing a hanging organizer.

Hanging organizers secure onto your closet rod and have cubby spaces and side pockets for shoes, shirts, purses, and other items. You might have a tiny closet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be an organized one!

Top tip: Before buying a new hanging organizer, measure the distance between the floor and the closet rod to ensure you buy one that will fit within the required space. Pictured: Hanging organizer from Amazon

Showcase Your Accessories on the Wall and Save Closet Space

Whether you have a closet or dressing room, you can’t look past hooks and rails to provide you with that extra storage space you need. Enjoy having an easy-to-access storage solution for necklaces, handbags, hats, scarves, and even shoes. All you need is some wall space or a free closet wall, and you can immediately enjoy a clutter-free closet.

However, unlike other storage solution options like hanging cubbies, some handy skills might be required. Most rails and hooks need to be drilled into walls to ensure they’re as strong as possible. Photo: IKEA

Use S-Hangers for Your Pants

Many people lacking dresser space hang their pants in their wardrobes. Everything from leggings, trousers, and jeans to dress slacks and even towels can end up hung up on closet rods and even stacked away in piles in the average closet. You deserve a more organized space, so why not try out S-hangers?

S-hangers are hangers with an ‘S’ component that takes up as much space as a single coat hanger. However, they can provide hanging space for up to five garments. It’s like magic! Whether you need space for your scarf collection or need to organize your work pants a little better, you’ll surely find that an S-hanger ticks all the right boxes. You can then free up your beautiful wooden or velvet hangers for dresses, sweaters, and other garments. Pictured: Pant hangers from Amazon

Add an Extra Garment Rod to Your Closet

We acquire a lot of clothing over time, like dressers, trousers, sweaters, and shirts. Invest in an extra garment rod if you can’t bear to part with anything to free up closet space. These attach to your existing rod and provide an additional rack for your favorite pieces. Such a storage solution can be ideal for closets with a lot of wasted vertical space.

While you can add extra garment rods to your closet, you can also install them on free-standing clothes racks if you don’t have a wardrobe or storage cabinet. Enjoy twice as much storage space without needing to actually use any more of your valuable space. Pictured: Hanging closet rod from Amazon

Don’t Forget the Top of Your Closets

Want to know one of the best tips and tricks for storing those bulky boxes, baskets, and seasonal items? Pop on the top of your closet. If you have a free-standing cabinet, take a look at how much space you have between the ceiling and the top of it.

If there’s a large enough gap, you can use the free space for bulky items you don’t want to have taking up valuable space within the closet itself. You might even like to measure the distance between the top of the closet and the ceiling, as well as the width, to purchase storage boxes to fit neatly along the top. Pictured: FLÅDIS Baskets from IKEA

Mount Straps With Hooks on Closet Doors

Performing closet makeovers can seem exhausting, but gaining extra storage space and a sense of order can be as easy as mounting straps inside your closet doors with hooks. You don’t always have to go ‘all out’ with storage shelves, new racks, and in-built cabinetry.

Closet door straps can simply attach to the tops and bottoms of your doors and feature hooks for accessories like bags, hats, coats, towels, and scarves. Out of all small closet ideas, this would have to be one of the most straightforward and less invasive options.

If there ever comes a time when you no longer need as much space, you can simply unhook the straps and store them away. It’s genuinely that easy. Pictured: Over-door-strap from Walmart

Store Shoes on Top of Each Other

Many of us love purchasing shoes to match each outfit we own, but we can end up with far more shoes than space. Solve that issue with shoe organizers. There are many different options on the market, but many people prefer the brilliance of shoe organizers that let you stack pairs on top of each other.

Whether you have shoes or sandals, you can use up to half as much space with one simple purchase. Shoe organizers can also fit neatly within the average shelf divider, which means they can take up even less space. While you might not be able to use stacking shoe organizers for boots and large shoes, they are bound to be more than suitable for sandals, ballet flats, and sneakers. Pictured: MURVEL Shoe organizer from IKEA

Get Your Clutter Under Control With Compartment Drawer Organizers

Little things get lost. Everyone has at least one necklace or scarf they can’t find in their drawers or wardrobe, and it’s probably the very one you want to wear when you’re in a hurry to get dressed. Compartment drawer organizers might be able to help.

These organizers can take pride of place in the average chest of drawers or wardrobes and have space for all those little easy-to-lose items. Whether you need easier access to your socks or a better storage solution for underwear, jewelry, scarves, or ties, you’re bound to find that drawer organizers tick all the right boxes. Pictured: SKUBB boxes from IKEA

Light Up Your Closet

You can’t use what you can’t see, which is why so many people love the idea of tap lights in closet nooks and crannies. Whether you have goods stored in stacks on shelves or utilized every inch of wall space with containers, you’ll be able to see what you have.

This excellent closet idea doesn’t even require an electrician’s assistance. Some of the best in-closet lights come with 3M tape, magnets, and rechargeable batteries. Once you’ve chosen the lights you need, you can install them at regular interviews throughout your closet until there are no dark or poorly lit spots. Now, you’ll have no qualms about using those hard-to-see top shelves hidden in the dark depths of your wardrobe. Pictured: Closet lights from Amazon 

Use a Hanging Organizer With Cubbies and a Garment Rod

A hanging organizer with cubbies and a garment rod is one of the most practical small closet organization ideas we can offer. If you don’t have extra space on either side of your closet rod but plenty of vertical space due to a tall ceiling, you can install this organizer and enjoy more storage space in the same narrow closet.

Store hats, toys, accessories, and footwear, in the top component, and hang your clothes as usual underneath. With this tiny spaces solution, you can have your wardrobe mess cleared in no time. Pictured: Hanging organizer from Amazon

Store Shoes on the Doors

If you don’t have space for a shoe rack in your overcrowded closet, purchase a shoe organizer for your door. These innovative storage solutions hang over the top of bedroom and closet doors and require no installation tools or DIY skills.

Take note of your current shoe collection and browse the available shoe organizer options. You’re bound to find one that has enough space for your shoes, sandals, ballet flats, and other footwear. All that’s left to do is organize your favorite shoes, and you can enjoy easy access whenever you need it. Pictured: Shoe organizer from Amazon

Store Seasonal Clothes Under the Bed

Winter clothing can be bulky. While you need that bulk to stay warm, stuffing them into your dresser drawers or finding space on your hanging rods can be frustrating. It’s likely just a small walk from your wardrobe to the bed, so purchase shallow boxes or drawers with wheels and store them under your bed.

Underbed storage can be suitable for everything from shoes, blankets, and towels to seasonal garments, jackets, and books. Just don’t forget to rotate your clothing with the changing of the seasons and wash anything that has spent a little too much time under there. Pictured: LYCKSELE Storage box from IKEA

Line Up Your Boots

Boots can sometimes be frustrating to store in a wardrobe. Not only do they look untidy, but they take up a significant amount of space. Solve that problem with a vertical hanging boot rack. Boot hangers hang off the average closet rod and have room for all manner of boots, like ankle boots, midi boots, tall and knee-high boots, and even the more extravagant over-the-knee boots.

Simply clip your footwear in place and hang them with your clothing. If you have an expansive collection of boots, you might even like to purchase multiple hanging boot racks and organize your boots by style to make them easier to find. When the job is done, you’ll be amazed by how much floor space you can free up in your closet or dressing room. Pictured: Boot hangers from Amazon

Store Bras and Tops on a Tank Top Hanger for Easy Access

There are only so many garments you can stuff away in dresser drawers until they’re fit to burst. And it’s your clothes paying the price since they can often wrinkle and crush from your efforts to force them in there.

If you have a collection of tank tops and bras you use often and want to easily access, purchase a tank top hanger. You can store multiple tops on a single hanger and have it only take up as much space as a single coat hanger.

These storage solutions are perfect for small closets, school dormitories, and simple clothes racks. Even people with limited space deserve to have a clutter and mess-free bedroom, and this hanger can help. Pictured: Tank top hangers from Amazon

Use Transparent Storage Solutions

There’ll be no need to call in professional organizers if you invest in transparent storage solutions. Rather than piling clothes in your wardrobe, where they can get dusty and dirty, you can store them in transparent containers.

Such containers can be ideal for items you don’t often use, such as bedding, seasonal attire, and extra blankets. However, instead of having to unzip each bag and create a giant mess just to see what’s stored inside, you can view the contents through the transparent panels. Give your closet the makeover it deserves with these clever storage solutions. Pictured: Transparent containers from Amazon

A Garment Rod and Inexpensive Shoe Cabinets Make for a Low-Cost Wardrobe Solution

Some people think they have problems when they lack shelf space in their closets, but imagine not having a wardrobe at all. Fortunately, you can still enjoy a storage solution that keeps your bedroom clutter-free.

Purchase a garment rod, install it on your wall, and pair it with a shoe cabinet underneath. Just make sure you install the clothing rod high enough to avoid clothes draping over the cabinet below. Some people might like to take this idea one step further by installing corner rails around the top and adding curtains for privacy. Pictured: TRONES Shoe cabinet from IKEA

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