Anyone can have an organized closet, whether you’re an organized person or not. You just have to know how to keep your closet clean and organized with the right tools and know-how. There are a lot of benefits to having a clean and organized closet that exceed the little work it takes to get your closet organized. It will save you time when picking out the perfect outfit and free up space that you never knew you had. Your closet doesn’t have to be the size of a bedroom to be a well-kept closet. I’m showing you step-by-step below!

But before we dive into how to KEEP your closet clean and organized, I want to show you how to organize your clothes and closet if you’re not loving your organization systems right now. I break down how I organize by color and different supplies I use in order to do that. I also give other organization tips in THIS highlight on my Instagram page for a better visual.

How to Keep Your Closet Clean and Organized

Purge and Let Go

Like you’ll read in my other organizational post, purging any and all clothing items you no longer wear is probably the most important step. You want to make sure that you love every single piece of clothing in your closet. That way it’s easier to continue to stay organized and frees up storage space. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing for over a year, it’s probably time to part ways with it. That’s a good rule of thumb I try to stick to.

The easiest way to organize your clothes is to take everything out of your closet. I know, I know! But it really does make it easier to clean your closet out. Then access your wall space to see if you want to reconfigure your bedroom closet and add additional storage solutions. If you see your closet as a clean slate, it’s easier to come up with closet organization ideas versus when it’s full of clothes.

Maximize Storage Space

After everything is out of your closet, now is the time to strategize if you want to add additional shelving, drawers or even look into closet systems. For Josie’s nursery, we installed IKEA’s Pax system in her closet to maximize storage. As I’m sure you’re aware, some closet systems can become quite expensive real fast, so this was a more affordable way to get that custom look I was after without the custom price tag.

This closet system has the look of a custom closet system, but it’s actually a closet kit. So if you don’t want to go the IKEA route, this might be another great option to maximize storage space and keep the price tag lower.

The standard closet in many homes is a single shelf with a rod to hang clothing. However, I’ve noticed that there’s a significant amount of wall space between the top of the shelf and the ceiling most of the time. That space is usable space that could be used to store clothing, shoes and accessories. Why not hang another shelf above the original shelf? These closet maid shelves are an inexpensive shelving option. I keep an ottoman in my closet to reach higher shelving, and also use it to sit down and put on shoes. Keeping a stool or ottoman in your closet avoids you having to hunt down a step stool when the time comes.

Visibility Is Key

The phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind,” relates to a wardrobe well. For me, if I don’t see the item or know exactly where that item is, then I’ll never wear it and forget all about it. Your goal is to be able to see everything you own in some way or another.

To save on hanging space, I love using the same hanger for all of my clothes. I switched to these velvet hangers a while ago, and they help keep my clothes from slipping off and are thin to save on space too.

For my closet, I love having shoe racks to store all my shoes, so I can see them all at once. That way I’m wearing all my shoes I’ve purchased to get my money’s worth out of them. I recommend putting your shoe rack(s) under clothing that’s shorter like blouses and t-shirts. I stacked two of these on top of each other in my bedroom closet. If your love for shoes runs deep and want to get fancy with your shoe organization, this shoe wall organizer looks amazing. Here’s another shoe organization option that has 8-tiers for shoes.

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A sock and underwear drawer can become disastrous in a matter of a day or two. I love this honeycomb drawer organizer for smaller items like those. I also recommend tucking a matching pair of socks together to have the extra precaution that they won’t go missing from each other.

Utilize Dead Wall Space

Do you have a wall space in your closet that seems awkward and unusable? Just like there’s an app for everything, there’s also probably a space-saving solution too. If you have corners in your closet that seem like they’re just a waste of space, try using something like this corner shelf unit.

Is there a skinny strip of wall with nothing on it? Try putting Command hooks on the wall and store your hats along the wall or your robe. Do you need more drawers for storage? You can install drawers onto the wall with THESE or THIS. Whatever solution you’re after, chances are there’s something you can use for that so-called dead space.

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Organize Seasonal Clothing

If you find that’s it’s hard to fit all your clothing into your closet, then try organizing your closet seasonally. Around the springtime, you can add your spring and summer seasonal clothing to your closet and take out your winter and fall clothing. Then when summer ends, just do the opposite. The off-season clothing can be stored in another closet in the house or vacuum sealed into these large bags and kept under your bed or in storage bins.

Closet Organization Ideas

Steam Your Clothes Before You Put Them Away

Raise your hand if you’re not a fan of ironing. 😉 Steaming your clothes is a game-changer and so much easier than ironing in my opinion. What helps me stay organized is to steam my clothes before I put them back in my closet. If I wait until I’m ready to wear them, I’m likely not going to do it because I’m either short on time or don’t want to have to steam just one blouse etc. But if I batch my steaming process and do them after I do a couple loads of laundry, it doesn’t seem as daunting.

If you’re only doing a little bit of steaming each week, this portable one is very convenient to have. You can even travel with it so you don’t have to iron on your vacations. If you have a significant amount of steaming to do, then I’d suggest getting a larger one, so you don’t have to keep refilling the tank.

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Put Your Clothes Back Were They Go

Once you’re ready to put your clothes back into your closet after the laundry is finished, take those few extra seconds to put the clothes back where they belong. I know sometimes I’m in a huge hurry and just want to throw things where they’ll fit. But it saves you so much time in the long run to put each piece back where it belongs, so you’re not wrecking your hard work.

Fold Things That Don’t Wrinkle

We’ve talked a lot about organizing your closet, but there’s lot of potential to organize your dresser drawers too. I love using these drawer organizers to keep things in place. The Marie Kondo method works well for drawers. It basically means even in drawers, you can see every piece of clothing because they’re placed horizontally and not vertically. See this tutorial.

I typically prefer to fold things if they aren’t prone to wrinkles and to save hanging space. Usually, this includes chunkier fabrics like:

• sweaters
• thicker sweater dresses
• activewear
• pieces that are more likely to stretch out

My sweaters and sweater dresses are folded and stacked on top of each other on my highest shelf in my closet. I can still see each one and use my ottoman to reach them. It frees up a lot of drawer space and keeps their shape better by folding them instead of hanging them. These shelf dividers would be helpful for storing sweaters on top of shelving.

Hang Items Prone to Wrinkles

I hang as much as I can in my closet because it’s easier to find and use day to day. It also helps prevent wrinkles. Materials and textures that do better with hanging like linen, silk or flowy fabrics do better hung up in my experience. Here are a few things I usually always hang up:

• blouses
• dresses
• jackets
• bodysuits
• work pants

Some items do just fine if you decide to hang or fold due to the nature of the fabrics like:

• basic tees: I prefer to hang because mine easily wrinkle
• jeans: I prefer to fold

Utilize Small Storage Boxes

These small storage boxes are handy to use for storing smaller things in your closet. They’re inexpensive, and you can see the items because the box is clear. This makes it easy to find things and keep organized. Here is a list of items I put into different boxes:

• belts
• winter gloves
• winter scarfs
• filming equipment for YouTube
• headbands
• other closet essentials like my lent roller and fabric shaver

Do you have any organizational tips that you love using to keep your closet clean and organized? Let us know in the comments below!

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