Do you have small closets and have they reached the point that they’re so overstuffed and unmanageable you end up having more lying around in, what you tell yourself, are “organized piles” than in the closets themselves?
Small closet space is definitely a challenge to work with, especially at the rate we acquire things these days. Having messy storage for your clothing, shoes, bags, and more can prove itself inconvenient, though, and can make day-to-day life unnecessarily stressful when it comes to things like losing your wallet, phone, purse, or keys constantly under piles of things. Having messes and clutter in your personal and work spaces can mentally throw your energy off, along with wasting brain and emotional energy on the distracting messes. It can also be a major source of frustration to others if you live with roommates or family. Learning how to organize the physical environment around you is a powerful skill to have that can overflow into other parts of your life in a positive way, keep your focus on the things that matter, and be visually pleasing to you and others that spend time in these every day spaces.
This is where the fun begins! I’ll set you down a good path learning how to declutter your closet spaces in this article. Start small and with something you care about and interact with every day, like your closet! Taking care of your personal space is a great place to start organizing and can give you motivation for tackling the wider home after you get to kick back and enjoy the results of your visually pleasing and uncluttered closet! Organizing your closet can provide some of the best Feng shui. Here are 3 little steadfast steps to get your closet organization game up to what you deserve!
Declutter your small closet to make more space
If you’re an overhauler extraordinaire, such as myself, you may decide to start organizing your closet by pulling out or closely examining each and every item hanger-by-hanger, shelf-by shelf, and drawer-by-drawer making sure no room is being wasted with an under or unused item. Asking yourself the following questions can help lead you to a “Yes” or “No” answer on whether or not you need to keep the object at hand, toss, or donate it. Here are a few helpful hints on how to help you declutter quickly:
Have you worn it in the last 12 months?
If you’ve gone through a full cycle of seasons: spring, winter, and fall, and you had no need or desire to wear the item during any of the 2-4 months in each season, than it’s probably a sure sign that you can get rid of the thing. You might even make some money off of the de-clutterization transformation by selling your clothes to a consignment or resale shop such as Plato’s Closet or donate it to a store like The Salvation Army that helps redistribute gently used items at a low cost in their local communities.
Do you love it?
Does it fit like a glove and makes you feel positive, energetic, and confident when you wear it? Do you wish you could wear it every single day? Does it give you confidence, make you feel like your vibrant and best self?
Is it practical?
Does it serve a very practical and specific purpose i.e a pair of Under Armour Women’s ColdGear Authentic or dependable rain boots? Was it expensive and therefore impractical if you didn’t put your hard-earned money into use wearing it?
Is it old or damaged?
One of the best and quickest ways to declutter is to “get rid” of dysfunctional items. This may have been your absolute favorite sweater at one time, but three years later it has now started to pill in the armpits, sides, and back. Unless you want to take to the time to gently de-pill your garment with an incredible machine, such as this Electric Sweater Shaver by House of Wonderful or the rechargeable Kooder Sweater Shaver and feel confident you’ll get results that the sweater is restored and practically back to looking brand new, you might as well toss it.
It just might make sense to finally toss your “hanging around the house” t-shirt from high school into a more “grown up” version like this Calvin Klein men’s comfy t-shirt that comes with two in a pack or the women’s version of the Classic Crew Neck Jersey t-shirt, both amazingly comfortable silky cotton soft lounge shirts.
Restructure your closet, making more room
Could raising the hanger bar 5 inches create space for you to hang dresses, suits, or long coats and jackets? Restructuring your space is one of the best ways you can create more room in your closet. Let your personal preference and style lead the process. You can decide whether your sweatshirts all need to be hung up, or do they lose form and are better off left neatly folded on a shelf; whether or not you’d prefer your socks and underwear in a drawer on the left or if they’re a closer reach during the morning dress routine on the right.
Could your shoe rack fit inside your closet instead? Or if you moved it outside of the closet where there’s more space, can you move something else inside of your closet?
3. Invest in new organizational items
Hangers
Durable, aesthetically-satisfying matching hangers can make all the difference when it comes to the look and organizational feel of your closet. There are a lot of fantastics tyles to choose from that fit your taste organization intuition the best.
Wooden hangers
Wooden hangers provide a classy, sophisticated, suave look to any closet and the items they hold.
For a sophisticated look try: Zober’s Solid Cherry Wood Suit Hangers (20-count, non-slip bar, 360 degree swivel chrome hook).
Durable for coats and pants: Clutter Mate Premium Finished Wooden Suit Hangers – Wide Wood Hanger for Coats and Pants
A black wooden, classic, minimal design like: Wood Hangers with Non-Slip Grooved Bar.
Plastic hangers
Sturdy white plastic classic hangers: Finnhomy Plastic Hangers, Durable Clothes Hangers with Non-slip Pads.
Your standard black, lightweight, plastic hangers: Black Plastic Tubular Light-Weight Plastic Hanger.
Boost your storage capacity in small closet spaces
Here are a couple of the best quick and easy fixes you can make to create more storage. You can boost your storage square footage with specially-made closet organizers for your scarves, socks, hats, ties, underwear, t-shirts, belts, and other miscellaneous, non-hanger items.
Closet door hook hangers
Coats and Towels
This five mount hook: Coat, Clothes, Towels, and Robe hook.
Space for bags and totes like: InterDesign Classico Over-the-Door Closet Organizer for Handbags, Backpacks, Totes.
Keep your hats stacked up all in one place with: Hat-Headz The Clip Hanger (holds up to 20 hats!).
These are the best tips on how to declutter, restructure, and boost storage space in your small closet space. These organizing tricks are tried and true organizational steps that will help get you get well on your way to a clean, functional, efficient, closet, no matter what the size! Cleaning fever can spread like wild fire, once you start reaping the benefits of one clean closet, you’re going to want to comb through every closet and cupboard in the house to maintain that feeling in your entire home. Happy organizing!