Professional Organizers Swear by These Closet Organizing Tips

Cleaning out a messy closet may be the least desirable task on your to-do list. Who wants to spend a day sorting through clothes and boxes? But when the closets that hold wardrobes, linens, board games, and more become unmanageable, it can become more stressful to continuously dig through clutter than to combat it head-on. Here’s how to reclaim your home’s storage space and keep it organized with tips that professionals swear by.

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Remove Everything From the Closet

While not everything has to go permanently, emptying your closet of all its contents is the first step to tackling clutter. Pulling every item out of storage allows you to see what’s really been packed away and gives you room to deep clean and work. Plus, getting an unencumbered view of your closet can help you plan exactly where you want items to go or make any modifications, like adding new racks or a shelving system.

Deep Clean Your Empty Space

An empty closet is a clean slate, so spruce it up by clearing away any accumulated dust bunnies. Wipe down shelves and racks, sweep or vacuum the floor, and wipe down light switches and fixtures. Musty smells haunt closets thanks to too much moisture and a lack of airflow. You can combat this issue by planning for more space between objects for air to circulate, adding a moisture absorber, and keeping the area fresh by hanging cedar wood planks or placing blocks on the floor or shelves, repelling moths and other pests.

Create “Keep,” “Toss,” and “Donate” Piles

The hardest part of organizing any space may be the tedious work of sorting. This is the time for scrutiny. Items that are broken, missing pieces, or worn out beyond use should be recycled or tossed. Other items that rarely see use and take up precious closet space can be given away, donated, or even sold. Clothing is often the most mentally taxing area to sort through, but remember the “20-80” rule — we tend to wear just 20% of our clothing 80% of the time, so keep only the items you love and wear regularly.

Organize What’s Left by Category

Grouping similar items is one of the best ways to evaluate your remaining belongings, and can help you catch duplicates. Sorting and storing similar items like tools, linens, or shoes is also about efficiency. When stored together in the same spot, your belongings become more accessible and faster to find, saving you time and frustration.

Designate a Spot for Every Item

Regardless of your closet’s contents, assign a specific spot for each item. Analyze how your belongings should be stored — a shoe rack or shoe boxes can keep an extensive footwear collection organized, while sweater bins or storage drawers may come in handy if bulky knits are a large part of your wardrobe. Storage bins, baskets, and totes can hold similar hobby items or tools together in one spot (labeling these containers also keeps boxes looking tidy and makes them easier to find). When it comes to hanging garments, small changes like upgrading a collection of hodgepodge hangers to a streamlined set of matching ones can give your closet a cleaner appearance and make hanging laundry a slightly more enjoyable chore. (Pro tip: Slim hangers also save space, allowing you to hang more.)

Tidy Regularly

Proactive tidying maintains all your hard closet organizing work and keeps clutter from piling back up. Frequently opened closets can get a daily spot-clean to keep them in check. Linen closets and less frequently used storage spaces can get worked into your normal cleaning routine — giving them a few minutes of attention once a month can keep them tidy without considerable time investment.

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