For those who are apartment dwellers or live in any other small space, you have most likely experienced the downsides of having a tiny closet. It can be frustrating to try to fit everything into it and you may find yourself getting rid of clothes or stuffing them in other places more often than you would like. If you can relate to the above, take a look at the 10 tips below to help you get the most out of your small closet space.
1. Use Purses to Your Advantage
Purses are great storage opportunities that are often overlooked. Many people fill the inside of their purses with tissue or another kind of material to keep the purse’s shape. Instead of using tissue, fill the inside of the purse with scarves or another piece of clothing that has a light material. This will allow you to maintain the shape of your purse while making room for other clothes in your closet.
2. Vacuum Storage is Your Friend
When the hot or the cold seasons roll around, take the clothes that you won’t be using and place them into a vacuum storage bag. Storing clothes in a vacuum storage bag will get rid of the space problem by flattening the clothes that you don’t use and making them easy to store at the bottom of the closet or on a shelf. When you need those clothes, simply take them out and seal the clothes you won’t be using until next season.
3. Use the Back of the Closet Door
More often than not, people will use all of the space on the inside of the closet but forget that there is ample space on the back of the closet door. Use hanging racks or install hooks on the back of the closet door to give you extra hanging room. If clothing isn’t the reason that there is no space in your closet, install hanging shoe storage to store your shoes or other accessories that take up too much space.
4. The Sides of the Closet Are Additional Storage Space
The sides of the closet are great places to install extra rods or shelves. Depending on the size of your closet, you should be able to install at least 2 additional rods and a couple of shelves. Keep in mind that these extra shelves or rods should be installed perpendicular to the pre-installed rod and should be installed high enough to prevent the clothes from bunching up against each other.
5. Be Resourceful With Trash to Create Extra Space
Objects such as soda can tabs, paper clips, and chain connectors can be used to hang multiple shirts and pants on the same hanger. However, when you do this, make sure that the weight of the clothes that you are hanging are not too much for the first object to handle since the weight will gradually increase as you link more hangers. There are hangers on the market that will be able to hang multiple sets of clothes and perform this same function as well.
6. Use Boxes to Better Store and Organize Your Clothes
If your closet has drawers or shelves, you can use shoe boxes and other unused boxes to create more room. These boxes can be used to store jewelry or, if you need the extra space, you can fold clothes vertically into the box until it is full. Remember not to use too many boxes, however, or else you will end up with less space than you had before.
7. The Skinnier, the Better
The skinnier that your hangers are, the more that you are going to be able to fit into your closet. Instead of using bulky wooden hangers or large plastic hangers, seek out skinny wire hangers or velvet hangers. However, make sure that the hangers that you purchase are high quality or else you may end up having to spend more money down the road.
8. Do Get Rid of the Clothes You Don’t Plan on Wearing
Although it’s hard for most of us to admit, there are quite a few pieces of clothing that we don’t ever plan on wearing but that we keep around for years. Be honest with yourself. Are you going to wear it again? If not, you should throw it away or donate it if it is in good condition. Keeping unused clothes in your closet just makes it that much harder to find room for the clothes that you do plan on wearing.
9. Use Dividers to Maximize Shelf Space
If you store some of your clothing on shelves, use slim dividers to maximize the space that you have. These dividers will allow you to keep the clothing from bunching up against each other and from falling over. These dividers will also allow you to be more organized and separate different categories of clothing on a shelf, such as a pile of sweaters and a pile of shirts.
10. An Organized Closet Is an Aesthetically Pleasing Closet
Dimly lit closets that have few storage spaces and an ugly interior make it easier for you to give up on trying to organize your closet entirely. If you want to have a better closet, redecorate your closet and reorganize your clothes in a way that makes it visually appealing. This will give you more incentive to keep your closet well-organized rather than leaving it dingy and dull.
Although a small closet can be intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. Use the 10 tips above to transform your closet from overstuffed to something miraculous.
