If you’re like most people, the rod in your closet is jammed with hangers, shoes are strewn across your closet floor and belongings you haven’t seen in years are hidden in the back where the light of day never touches. Sound familiar? If so, your closet is sorely in need of organization.
An organized closet is one of the most essential parts of a clutter-free bedroom. It allows you to find the clothing you’re looking for with ease, to maximize the items you can store within your closet and to free up some extra space around other parts of your bedroom. Plus, a better-organized closet and home can minimize stress levels.
Yet, whether your closets are large or small, you’ll likely need a few extra tools to take advantage of the best ways to organize a closet. You may also need one or two organizational hacks to keep your closet revamp within your budget. Before we discuss the actual hardware you’ll need to organize your closet, here are a few tips and tricks:
- As you take your clothes out of your closet, categorize them by season. This will help you keep the most useful clothes where you can see them.
- If your closet is too small for all your clothes, add extra levels. You can put moveable shelving units above or below the closet rod, or you can add another rod below the pre-existing one.
- Stack your shoes or keep one shoe pointing out and the next one pointing in to maximize the number of shoes you can store on the floor of your closet.
- Buy built-for-purpose hangers or customize your own (see numbers two and three below) for clothing that’s difficult to store, like scarves, belts and hats.
- Add baskets or dividers to the shelf in your closet to organize your small bits and bobs.
- Keep your most-used clothing at eye level.
- Your closet is an extension of your bedroom and should be decorated, too. Make sure any added shelves, hangers or baskets match the interior design of the room.
Once you have a feel for how you want your closet to look, you’ll need to invest in a few organizational aids to help achieve your vision. From tie racks to extra shelving, these 21 closet accessories can help you build the closet of their dreams.
1. Rubbermaid Configurations Custom Closet Organizer Kit
BEST OVERALL
If you need a full redo of your closet from top to bottom this organizer is a great way to go about it. It fits perfectly in walk-in closets that have at least one wall that’s 4′ 8” wide. It’s got telescoping rods for hanging and shelves that can adjust to add 22 feet of shelf space and an additional 12 feet of space for hanging items. In total, the kit includes seven 26″ shelves, two 48″ shelves, 19 brackets, five uprights, two upright extensions and two hanging rods. All of the mounting and installation hardware you need to set it up comes with, and it comes with instructions so it’s easy to put together.
Buy: Rubbermaid Deluxe Custom Closet Organizer $179.99
2. Heavy Duty S-Hooks
BEST BUDGET HACK
If you’re looking for a quick and cheap solution to eliminating some of the clutter in your closet, consider investing in a few S-hooks. These metal objects can be added to your closet rod or slipped through the underside of a wire shelf if you happen to have one in your closet. You can then hang belts, scarves, hats and any other such clothing, which would otherwise be difficult to place on normal hangers, on the other end of the “S.” At just under $6 for 10 hooks, you likely won’t find a cheaper organization solution for your closet.
3. Qulable 24pcs Shower Curtain Rings
BEST FOR SCARVES
Another hack to upgrade everyday hangers is to use show curtain rings. If you buy the type of rings that open and close around the rod, you can add them to a hanger or to your closet rod itself. Then, you can slip scarves or belts through the loops, eliminating the need to pile them one on top of another across the same or many hangers. These Qulable Shower Curtain Rings will do the trick thanks to their durable, plastic nature and slim opening. And, with 24 pieces in each pack, you’ll then have enough space to hang all your awkward clothing and more.
Buy: Qulable 24pcs Shower Curtain Rings $5.99
4. SimpleHouseware Over Door Pocket Organizer
BEST FOR KIDS’ ROOMS
Your master bedroom might be big enough to house an extensive wardrobe, but it’s likely that the smaller bedrooms in your home are quite a bit smaller. If that’s the case, you might consider using an over-the-door organizer to add some additional storage space to those closets. This SimpleHouseware Organizer adds an extra four shelves to the closet and comes in a wide array of colors, from turquoise to beige. Each shelf has a clear window so you can see exactly what has been stored inside.
Buy: SimpleHouseware Over Door Pocket Organizer $15.87
5. Simple Houseware Underwear Organizer
BEST FOR UNDERWEAR
If there’s no space for a dresser in your bedroom or your closet, you’ll have to store your underwear and other small pieces of clothing in your closet. Of course, this can be problematic as there isn’t a practical way to hang up your boxers. That’s where the Simple Houseware Underwear Organizer comes in. These boxes can be placed on shelves or used as drawer dividers. The boxes themselves are divided into small sections, allowing you to roll up your underwear and neatly store it inside each cubby. This pack comes with four different organizers of various sizes.
Buy: Simple Houseware Underwear Organizer $14.97
6. DOIONOW Pants Hangers
BEST FOR PANTS
While you may store your jeans and casual pants in a drawer, slacks and dress pants need to be hung in order to preserve the creases. This, of course, takes closet space away from your shirts and other essentials. As a fix, invest in the DOIONOW Pants Hangers. These hangers are designed to hold five pairs of pants on a single hanger and feature non-slip covers to ensure your trousers stay where you want them, even when they must endure loads of closet shuffling. This set comes with five individual hangers, but other colors and combinations are available, too.
Buy: DOIONOW Pants Hangers $20.58
7. Wayfair Basics Folding Hanging Organizer
BEST FOR SHIRTS
You’ve probably seen something similar in an as-seen-on-TV commercial, but we’re here to tell you that the Wayfair Basics Over-the-Door Folding Hanging Organizer is one of the best ways to organize your closet and extra shirts. In fact, this is one of the best closet hacks, period. This device attaches to the door of your closet and allows you to place 10 hangers in the extended arm. After everything is in place, you simply fold the arm down, and your clothes will sit flush against the closet door, one layer on top of another. The shirts (or other clothing) on the hangers will then take up little to no room in your closet, leaving more space for other items.
8. Oceanstar 2-Tier Portable Closet Rod
BEST FOR SMALL CLOSETS
For people with small closets and tons of clothing, one of the best organizational solutions is a double hanging rod. These devices allow you to add a second tier of hanging space. This closet organizer hangs from the existing rod in your closet. In this way, you can double the capacity of the closet and prevent hanger jams. This double hang closet rod is height adjustable and expandable, and is designed to reduce closet clutter through creating more closet space. It’s great for children’s rooms as well since it lowers clothes down and makes them easier to reach. It’s also great for travel and creating more hanger space in small hotel or rental closets.
Buy: Oceanstar 2-Tier Portable Closet Rod $17.40
9. Whitmor Fabric Closet Organizer Shelving
BEST FOR LARGE CLOSETS
The Whitmor Four Section Fabric Closet Organizer Shelving provides an extra layer of organization for large closets. This hanger adds four additional shelves measuring 12 inches by 12 inches as well as an additional garment rod for hanging clothes at the bottom. Use this fabric organizer for storing casual pants, shirts and sweaters folded up. Furthermore, this organizer is made from grey cloth and chrome and matches other Whitmor closet accessories.
Buy: Whitmor Fabric Closet Organizer Shelving $30.84
10. Sharpty Black Plastic Hangers
BEST FOR APPEARANCES
While the Sharpty Black Plastic Hangers won’t help you fit more clothes into your closet, they will make it look nicer, especially if you’re using a mismatch of hangers at the moment. There’s just something refreshing about opening the closet and seeing your clothing lined up on matching hangers. This pack comes with 60 hangers, which should be enough to hang at least one season of your clothing, and the hangers are available in both black and white.
When you change all your clothes over to the new hangers, be sure to hang them backward in the closet. If you do wear an item of clothing, you can turn the hanger back around. That way, you’ll be able to see which clothes you wear and which you don’t after several months.
Buy: Sharpty Black Plastic Hangers $27.99
11. IKEA Billy Bookcase
BEST FOR ADDED STORAGE
IKEA’s Billy Bookcase is one of the most functional pieces of furniture around. Not only can it be used as a bookcase and added to other versions of itself to create a bigger piece of furniture, but it can also be used as a closet organization tool. Place one or more of these bookcases in your bedroom closet, and then use the shelves to store bags, shoes or hats. Alternatively, you can add bins to the shelves to create a cheap dresser. And, if you happen to upgrade your closet using a built-for-purpose organizer, you can always use this piece of furniture as an actual bookcase in the future.
12. Lynk Vela Shelf Dividers
BEST FOR TOWELS
One of the most basic ways to organize any closet is to use these Lynk Vela Shelf Dividers. Particularly effective at dividing the shelf at the top of your closet, these vertical metal and fabric sheets simply slide onto any shelf up to 7/8 inches in width. The result is the creation of shelving spaces for storing shirts, bags or other items of the same category. As an added bonus, this set of two dividers is available in four different color schemes.
Buy: Lynk Vela Shelf Dividers $14.96
13. Rev-A-Shelf Pull-Out Side Mount Belt Rack
BEST FOR BELTS
One of the most annoying clothing items to store is the belt. These must-have accessories take up too much space when rolled up and placed in a drawer, yet they’re too bulky to keep in the closet on a normal hanger. The solution is to buy a built-for-purpose belt rack. The Rev-A-Shelf Pull-Out Side Mount Belt Rack is a particularly innovative option as it allows you to keep your belts on the very edge of your wardrobe or closet. The rack can be screwed into any wall and pulls in and out for access to your belts.
14. Honey Can Do Battery Powered Tie Hanging Organizer
BEST FOR TIES
Much like belts, ties present a unique problem for organizing men’s closets. They’re too small to have their own hangers, but they get bulky when you store more than a few on a single hanger. They’re also prone to slipping off hangers and falling on the floor. That’s why every man should have a specialty tie rack. Some are simple hangers designed with smaller hooks, and others, like this Honey Can Do Battery Powered Tie Hanging Organizer, have more advanced features. The Honey Can Do version features a motorized turning mechanism, allowing you to easily access all your ties, even those hanging at the back.
15. Wall Control Beige Metal Pegboard
BEST HANDYMAN SOLUTION
You may be more accustomed to seeing pegboards in your local stores than in a closet, but this wall addition is incredibly useful. With a bit of handiwork, you can line your closet walls with pegboards. Then, all you need to do is to add a few hooks in order to be able to store a multitude of small items, like watches, bags or hats on the walls and out of the way. This Wall Control pegboard is available in a variety of sizes and 10 different colors, ensuring there’s an option to match your bedroom/closet decor if that’s important to you.
Buy: Wall Control Beige Metal Pegboard $44.99
16. Rebrilliant Elginpark Cap Rack
BEST FOR HATS
Hat wearers know that staying fashionable on top requires a lot of closet space, especially if you want to keep your caps in top condition. If you like a good hat, free up some precious room with the YYST Closet Hanging Cap Keeper. It can fit 16 different caps and is designed to keep them clean and neatly organized while also freeing up space in your closet. Each hat attaches via a sturdy stainless steel clip that’s designed to not leave a mark and keep them from falling if you adjust or bump into the rack while retrieving other clothes.
Buy: YYST Closet Hanging Cap Organizer $10.99
17. West Elm Extended Shoe Rack
BEST FOR SHOES
Stop piling your shoes at the bottom of your closet and invest in a shoe rack to organize and display your kicks. Not only will you be able to find your favorite pairs more quickly, but a shoe rack will also allow you to store more shoes in your closet as they usually have more than one level. For instance, the West Elm Extended Shoe Rack features three shelves, allowing for storage of up to 16 pairs of shoes. It’s made from solid ash wood and is available in either white or black. Plus, this rack can extend to the length you need.
18. West Elm Bamboo Shelves With Drawers
BEST SPLURGE
One of the easiest ways to tidy up a closet is to add a small set of drawers in any empty floor space. This allows you to hide away smaller items in drawers while leaving larger clothing hung up on the garment rod. The West Elm Bamboo Shelves With Drawers is a great example of this method in action. This piece features three drawers and measures approximately 36 inches high and 19 inches wide. Plus, it’s made from natural bamboo to give it a chic, minimalist appearance.
19. George Oliver Black 48″ Clothes Rack
MOST STYLISH
You don’t even need an actual closet to have a stylish wardrobe space with this clothes rack from George Oliver. It’s a free-standing wardrobe you can set up anywhere, and it includes space for hanging and shelves for storage. It’s got capacity for 48 regular hangers or 19 suit hangers. It’s crafted from a mix of a metal frame and wooden shelves, for a modern and industrial feel. The closet rods have a black finish and the open shelves display your clothes so you can easily see and plan what you want to wear that day. There’s also a bottom shelf for your extensive shoe collection.
20. SONGMICS 4-Tier Storage Dresser
BEST DRESSER
One of the best ways to organize a closet is to put in a set of dresser drawers that can hold all the bits and bobs, sweaters and t-shirts, and make it easy to retrieve exactly what you need at a moment’s notice. This set comes with eight spacious drawers and a rigid metal frame that supports it all. The fabric drawers are safer for kids in the house since they’re less likely to pinch fingers and the set has rounded corners and anti-tip straps so the design is safer overall. This dresser is also narrow enough to fit inside most closets and is lightweight enough to move around easily if need be.
Buy: SONGMICS 4-Tier Storage Dresser $62.99
21. Beaverve Hanging Jewelry Organizer
BEST FOR JEWELRY
If you’ve got an extensive jewelry collection you’ll want to keep it organized, not only to preserve the pieces themselves but to make it easier for you to wear them. This jewelry organizer has 40 pockets and 20 magic tape hooks for storing earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories. The whole organizer includes a hanger at the top so you can hang it alongside your other clothes in your closet. The organizer is also made of PVC material that’s firm, durable, non-woven and waterproof so your jewelry stays protected.
Buy: Beaverve Hanging Jewelry Organizer $10.99
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