Unique Ways to Declutter Your Closet and Make the Most of Your Space
Updated on January 27, 2016
The new year is a great time for clearing out the old to make way for the new. This applies to all aspects of life, including your space at home. Clearing out clothes, shoes, scarves, and bags that you don’t wear anymore is a great way to refresh your room. While you’re at it, why not take a look at how your closets and storage are organized? Could you be using your space more efficiently and storing things in a way that makes room for new things?
Check out these DIY closet solutions that will help you get things up off the floor and out of random piles!
1. Flip flop hangers
Shoes are one of the biggest clutterers in any closet. Get them up off the floor by making these easy flip flop hangers! Sure, they work best for sandals, but they’ll hold your flats and slippers too!(Photo source: EPBOT)
2. Chain link hangers
If your closet is anything like ours, then you probably have too many hangers to even fit on the rod! Free up some space for other clothes by “stacking” your hangers using an S hook and a chain! You’ll get to hang more hangers but they’ll take up much less space.(Photo source: Instructables)
3. Shoe box drawer organizers
Free up space in your closet by taking better advantage of your drawers and moving some garments there. Folding your shirts into small rectangles and placing them inside shoe boxes, then place the shoe boxes inside your drawer to keep everything neat and contained.(Photo source: I Heart Organizing)
4. Shower ring hangers
Shower rings strung onto hangers are a great solution for storing scarves. Simply slide the scarves through the rings and let them hang! This solution is also great for tank tops (loop the ring through the straps and let them hang) and belts.(Photo source: From the Desk)
5. Closet door shelves
If your closet is big enough, screwing a simple wooden shelving unit to the inside of the door can completely transform your storage! Whether you use them for clothing, shoes, or other objects, those shelves will give you all the extra storage space you need!(Photo source: Ana White)
6. End rods
If your closet is the kind that doesn’t use the space all the way to the ends, there’s a way to fix that! Try putting two tension rods in each end, one at the top and one half way down. You’ll be able to hang two to four extra rows of clothing!(Photo source: 320 Sycamore)
7. Drawer handles
Repurpose the drawer handles from an old dresser to make hangers for small items! Screw them to the wall or the closet door and loop things like scarves, ties, or pairs of tights through them.(Photo source: BHG)
8. Clothes pin tights
Use velcro strips to stick clothing pins in a row along the back of your closet or on the inside of the door. Pin pairs of tights or leggings by the waistband and let them hang to save space!(Photo source: Lana Red)
9. Stacked hanging bras
Using storage bins and drawers isn’t the most space efficient option when it comes to storing your bras. Instead, consider using the blank space inside the closet door to stack hangers and hang your bras vertically!
10. Shelving units
Sometimes a small closet just needs a complete overhaul. Consider whether your clothes, bags, scarves, and shoes might actually fit better on a shelving unit that has a bit of hanging space, rather than wasting hanging space you don’t need. Purchase some simple shelves and mounts and customize the unit according to what you need the most storage space for!(Photo source: BHG)
11. Bags on hooks
Storing your bags on shelves or in baskets works, but it also takes up a lot of room. Using simple S hooks on the curtain rod to hang your bags alongside your clothing frees up space elsewhere in the closet!(Photo source: Real Simple)
12. Repurposed shoe organizers
Hang a shoe organizer on the back of the door and use it for anything you need! The pockets make a great storage solution for scarves, underwear, socks, and small tank tops.
13. Shower hook jeans
Shower curtain rings that have a big hook on top and a small hook at the bottom are perfect for hanging jeans in your closet. They take up less space than hangers and they let the jeans hang at an angle so the fit better side by side. Look the smaller hook at the bottom of each shower ring through the belt loop of the jeans.(Photo source: Trusper)
14. Jewelry frames
Unused wall space in your closer can be maximized too! Try using them to hang jewelry that would otherwise be cluttering the top of your dresser or your bathroom counter. In a large picture frame, place a piece of window screen. Hook dangling earrings through the screen and use paper clips to hook other pieces of jewelry like bracelets and necklaces.
15. Ladder closet
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just need a little extra storage than what your closet offers. If extra hanging space is what you really need, solve the problem by upcycling an old ladder. Paint it a colour you like, build simple angled brackets from wood for support, and screw it horizontally to the wall. The rungs of the ladder give you extra hanging space and large boxes can be easily stored on top!(Photo source: Interiorholic)
Did you find other DIY storage and organization solutions when you were de-cluttering? Tell us about how you made better use of your space in the comments!