Q&A: How I Organize My Small Closet
I will admit, like many others, living in an apartment can be the pits. Not only are loud neighbors a problem, but the small closet space often leaves much to be desired. My current apartment is a bit older so they weren’t exactly fans of walk in closets. I’m stuck with condensed space, two sliding doors, and giant mirrors. Oh, those huge mirrors…a blessing and a curse. Now, I don’t want to hate on my little closet too much. For an apartment it does have quite a bit of usable space. Enough space for me and all of my stuff anyway. It even has a built in set of shelves that can store linens and other things.
I’m quite organized in general. To a fault really. So organizing my closet just seems natural to me. I get far more use out of my clothes, accessories, and shoes when I can actually see them. Plus, the out of reach shelves often become areas where I keep things that I find are worth keeping long term. Memory boxes, important papers, photos, etc. Keeping a small space organized is actually not as easy as one would believe. It’s really easy to just toss everything in and whatever happens…happens. And, to remain transparent, even my own closet gets out of control from time to time. My laundry tends to just…take over.
Matching Hangers
I’ll admit it took me far too long into adulthood to get matching hangers. Not even just matching hangers but better quality hangers. Trust me, I have been known to grab those plastic hanger bundles from Target while doing my yearly spring clean out. Yet, somehow, I never ended up buying the same color twice. So I ended up with everything grey to mint green (probably to break up the monochrome of my clothes). This year I decided enough is enough and I went and bought a full set of wood hangers. Of course, knowing just how many hangers you need is really overwhelming. I bought one box of 24 and an extra mini set and still didn’t have enough. It made me reconsider just how much I was planning to donate. Maybe I wasn’t giving enough. Matching hangers just makes the closet look better even if you do use plastic ones. But I won’t even lie. I am obsessed with my new hangers and will just consider it part of the universes’ grand plan that I waited so long to get budget friendly but quality hangers.
Baskets + Boxes
Let’s talk about baskets and boxes. They are a blessing. I’m not a fan of accessory hangers (yes, those exist) so I use baskets, boxes, and bins instead. It saves valuable hanging space which is essential when the closet is small. There are so many different types of bins and boxes meaning most times you don’t even have to worry about the contents being seen (should you use them for more…intimate things). One thing I really love using smaller baskets for is collecting random items. I’m talking about the items I try on and can’t bother to hang back up or put away. This happens a lot more in the summer with thinner clothes, but happens pretty frequently with accessories. Then when I put my clean laundry away I simply clean out the basket. Plus, when an item is missing, I know just where to look. Most times anyway….My closet has mainly metal milk crates. They are sturdy, durable, and I just like the way they look when I leave the door open. One mainstay of my closet are tiered drawers. Yes, the ones you used in college. This is mainly because I don’t have build in drawers which I would love. So many tiny items and seasonal items get stuffed in these drawers for safe keeping.
Grab a Shoe Rack
For the longest time I just dumped my shoes on the floor and hoped for the best. I don’t know, to this day, how I managed it. It makes me anxious just thinking about it. I love shoes, but I am a sensible girl who really only keeps the amount I need. So my shoe rack is on the smaller side. It holds my sneakers, boots, and sandals with ease. Shoe racks, depending on what size you need, can easily fit on the bottom of the closet. I like having an extra space under the rack (as seen above) so that I can dump shoes I don’t frequently wear. As much as I love struggling to find what I’m looking for on the floor, it’s just better that way. And if you don’t have these less loved pairs of shoes, it leaves space for other things you may need to store. For example, more important shoes stored in boxes for safe keeping.
Hooks Are Your Friend
When space is limited hooks are your friend. Whether you get ones to install, hanging ones, or just simple Command hooks, you can hang literally anything from belts to purses. I use hooks for a few things. I am lucky to not share my closet with anyone else so all the space is my own. One side features multiple shelves and spaces to hang things (a picture would be useful, dang). I use Made By Design (shocking I know) hooks to hang my essentials for the week on. What does that mean? Whether it’s sports bras and tanks for the gym or some kind of accessory, I hang it on the hook. The unfortunate part is the hooks come in 4 so by Friday I’m having to refill them. I evolved this system from my weekly wardrobe system where I hang my prospective outfits in one area of my closet to make my life easier when getting dressed. It cuts down on the amount of time I’m struggling to find what I need or want to wear. Plus, it makes the closet look better. Using an accessories hanger you tend to just shove stuff on there and it can become way too cluttered. Work smarter not harder.
Cube Storage Can Help
I’ve said before my closet has quite a bit of shelving space. As I write this I feel a little fortunate to have so much built in space. But when you don’t, cube storage is your friend. It acts like a built in and it doesn’t even have to be very large to have an effect. It easily holds baskets and bins. The biggest complaint you’ll hear on home design shows is the lack of storage and since we all can’t hire the Property Brothers, cube storage is the best friend we have.
