Ultimate Tips for Closet Organization

Today we are talking about the best tips for Closet Organization. Learn how to utilize every inch of closet space in your home. This post is the seventh installment of the Clear the Clutter Challenge.  If you are new to the Clear the Clutter Eight Week Challenge, you will want to start here. 

This post was originally published on January 15th, 2018 but I have updated it with new information. 

Clear the Clutter Challenge Week 7: Closet Organization

If you have not already joined the Clear the Clutter Challenge, be sure to sign up HERE so that you can receive all the latest decluttering tips! Do not worry if you have not been able to keep up with every week of the Clear the Clutter Challenge. You can join at any time.

Also, consider purchasing the Ultimate Decluttering Guide for an entire detailed program to declutter your home. There are declutter checklists for every room of the house.

Now, It’s time to talk about how I tackled the closets in my house. I focused on three closets that were in need of the most improvement!  If you have multiple closets in your home, you will want to make  a plan with all of your spaces before you start to declutter. More on that in a minute…

CLEAR THE CLUTTER CHALLENGE WEEK-BY-WEEK

So far we have decluttered and organized three spaces in our homes! See the different spaces below.

• The Kitchen
• Organizing the Family Room
• The Master Bedroom
• The Bathrooms
• Office and Paperwork
• Kid Spaces

Ultimate Tips for Closet Organization

Are you struggling with keeping your closets organized? I am not just talking about your bedroom closets but, we are tackling the hall and linen closets this week!

Whether you have one general use closet or many, you still need to figure out how to maximize every inch of your closet space.

Here are some tips for closet organization:

1. Decide on how you want to use each closet.

Do you have one closet or many closets? Take an assessment of what you are currently storing in each closet. Decide what you really want to keep in each closet. Is one closet for cleaning supplies and one closet for linens?

For each closet ask yourself these questions:

• What is my end goal with the space? Do you want it to be a coat closet, linen closet or a combination of a few things?
• What is working in the space? 
• What is NOT working in the space? Is it always messy? Do you have a hard time finding anything?

By defining the purpose of each of your closets, it will make it a lot easier to maximize the space in each closet.

2. Take Everything Out of the Closets

Now, it is time to actually declutter and organize your closets. Since you already decided how to use each closet, you will not feel as overwhelmed with taking everything out.  When you take everything out of the closet, you are forced to touch the item and decide if it is something you truly want to keep.

3. Get Rid of Unwanted Items

There is no holding back when you are decluttering. Have an honest conversation with yourself about whether you need each item. If it is something you have not touched in months or years, you most likely do not need it.
Of course, there are exceptions and sometimes you kick yourself for getting rid of something. But in most cases, that is the exception and you will not miss the item you got rid of.

4. Group Similar Items Together

Once you have paired down all of your stuff, it is time to get it all organized. Do you have piles of towels or toiletries from each closet? Group similar items together and store them all together. When you bring like items together, you will most likely find out you have more than you thought.

For instance, you might find a bunch of unused toiletries that can all be stored together.

Tip: If you have more unused toiletries than you need, consider donating them to a local charity or shelter!

5. Clean Your Closets

Before you start to put things back into your closets, give them a good cleaning. Wipe down all of the shelves, door and handles.

6. Get the Right Organization Supplies

A few good organization containers can make all of the difference in an organized closet. Baskets like these can come in handy for folded towels and sheets.

Clear containers are good for storing make up and extra toiletries. I have one large container that stores all of our extra toiletries. Before I buy anything new, I check in this container to see if we have a replacement.

We have one of these first aid containers that we keep in our bathroom closet.

Utilize every inch of closet space by putting hooks on the back of closet doors.

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7. Maintain an Organized Space

The key to an organized closet is to keep it tidy. Make it a weekly or monthly practice to tidy up all of your closets. If you find that it is hard to maintain the closet, something might not be working with the space.

So, be willing to change things up if a system is not working.

Closet Organization: Before and Afters

Now that I have shared tips for closet organization, I want to share some before and after closet pictures.

My first closet isn’t a “true” closet but more of a mudroom area! A few years ago we took the doors off of the this traditional hallway closet and added a bench and hooks. I really love the function of this space but it can be a bit of an eyesore, especially after the kids come home from school!

Seagrass Baskets

First, I gathered up all of the bins and baskets and threw out or donated all of our old items. I got rid of mittens without their matches and hats that no one wears anymore! I then organized the gray bins by kids (one bin for my daughter and one bin for both boys). The third bin is used for hair supplies and dog bags! I designated the upper shelve bins for my husband and me and some seasonal items that are rarely worn this time of year (like baseball hats and sun hats).

Next, I removed all shoes and coats that aren’t worn on a daily basis and put in the proper family member’s own closet! I put back all the coats and snow pants that are necessary for this time of year.

The kids can not reach the hooks without stepping on the bench, which they will rarely take the effort to do! So, I didn’t really solve that dilemma. A friend of mine suggesting adding lower hooks which is something I might consider. For now though, I am happy that everyone can put all of the gear in the right spot and I can quickly hang up their coats when they get home!

Next, I organized our first floor bathroom closet! This space wasn’t TOO bad but we had a lot of things in there that didn’t belong.

There wasn’t anything particular not working in this space, it was just messy and unorganized. So I took everything out and sorted through all of the bins. It is amazing how much I was able to throw away (outdated medicines) and donate (extra toiletries). I used some of the shoebox storage containers. These containers can be used EVERYWHERE and you can usually find them at the Dollar Store or Walmart.

One thing that really works for this space is that I keep our bathroom cleaning supplies in it! It is so convenient to have all of the cleaning products in one spot and to just take the bucket to all the bathrooms. Bonus: The big kids can easily get to it and take it to their bathrooms. #momwin

Finally, the last space I focused on was the 2nd floor linen/bathroom closet! This closet is right next to my daughter’s bathroom but it serves as a linen closet for all of the kids bedrooms on the second floor. So, I really wanted to organize this closet in a way that can maximize its functionality. As always, I took everything off all of the shelves and cleared out anything we no longer needed. This was a tough one as I struggle with wanting to keep old sheets (you never know when you might need them) with being realistic about how many sheets we do actually need.

I was able to eliminate two very old sheet sets and a few other items as well. I rearranged the space so that the things the kids use most are at eye level. The bottom level of the closet is linens for our house guests. I decided to put all of these linens in one spot, so when we need to make the bed for guests it easy to do! P.S. If you know how to fold fitted sheets, let me know! I can’t fold them for the life of me!

The closet is so much more functional now.

Be sure to head over to Keri’s post today for tips on organizing your entry way closets!

Are you ready to organize your closets?

Now that we have tackled tips for closet organization, we will be back next week to work on the final Clear the Clutter Challenge. Join us next week to get tips on garage and car organization.