How to Maximize Small Closet Space

Clean and well-organized closet space can make your whole life much easier and significantly reduce the amount of daily stress.

However, achieving this can be kind of tricky, especially if you only have limited space available.

Still, while it’s challenging, maximizing the space even in the tiniest closet can be done with a bit of creativity and organization.

By implementing some structure, you’ll be able to create much more room for all your favorite clothing items and save yourself some time each day that you would otherwise spend rummaging through the closet to find what you want to wear.

Below, I’ll share some tips on how to maximize small closet space and efficiently use every part of your clothing storage unit.

How to Maximize Small Closet Space

Maximizing the available closet space doesn’t imply simply cramming all your clothes inside, so they can fit.

With small closets, things can easily get out of control, leaving you with a messy and overcrowded space and creating trouble when you need to store or find something.

So, the items you keep in your closet also should be well-organized and easily accessible whenever you need them.

You should be less concerned with space limitations and more with what you’re going to do with that space.

Regardless of the closet size or the number of clothing items you own, a few smart storage ideas can go a long way in helping you keep everything properly stored, tidy, and organized.

Getting Started

The first step to organizing your closet is taking everything out of it.

This will help you clean out the closet and freshen up the space, but also categorize your clothing and determine the priorities.

Most likely, you don’t need everything you currently have stored in the closet.

Decluttering the closet space before moving on to organizing will help you get rid of any unnecessary and unwanted clothing items, shoes, bags, belts, accessories, and anything else taking up valuable room.

When taking stuff out, you can create separate piles.

One will contain things to keep, the other with seasonal items, the third with stuff you may want to donate or sell, and the fourth with items to throw in the garbage.

Doing this will reduce the amount of stuff you need to fit in the closet and give you a clearer picture of what of how to organize everything.

Utilize Vertical Space

When dealing with smaller closets, you can’t afford to let any space go to waste.

Typically, closets will have more vertical than horizontal space, which means that it’s a good idea to make the most of it.

Often, everything above eye level gets overlooked, but this area can be very useful, especially for storing items you won’t use that often.

This way, things such as swimsuits, winter boots, suitcases, or any other seasonal clothing won’t take up any of the premium space in the closet, but will still be available and at your disposal when needed.

You can further maximize the top part of the closet by storing using labeled bins or stacking drawers and shelves.

Furthermore, if you have enough vertical room, you can install an extra closet rod, doubling the number of clothing items you can hang.

Don’t Forget About the Floor

The space below the hanging clothes is another part of the closet that rarely gets much attention but can be very valuable in your effort to maximize the available space.

The floor of the closet is often used just to dump shoes or other items you don’t currently need.

Of course, this is the easiest way to make them hard to find or even forget about them.

You can keep things much more organized by using shoe racks or shoe cubbies, which will help you fit all the shoes more easily, but still keep them accessible and visible.

Also, the bottom part of the closet can be made even more useful by adding boxes for smaller items, including belts, scarves, ties, or hats.

Make sure to use open boxes, so you can quickly glance over these when getting dressed and easily decide which item to use with your outfit.

Make Use of The Doors and Walls

Utilizing closet doors and walls is another way to add more storage space.

You can use the doors to install shoe racks or mount the organizers, where you can put various accessories, such as jewelry, or even hang backpacks or bags.

If you opt for hook racks, you can utilize them by hanging everything that can be hung, from belts and scarves to hats.

Hooks can also help you make use of any available wall space and not let it go to waste.

Adhesive hooks are particularly practical as you won’t need to drill, screw, or nail anything that will become a permanent wall fixture.

Choose the Right Hangers

People rarely think about the hangers they use in the closets, but picking the right type will provide another avenue for maximizing the scarce closet space.

Hangers are very useful as they can be used for all kinds of clothing items and accessories but can also take up plenty of space if they’re bulky and feature different shapes and sizes.

Therefore, look to find thinner hangers and make sure to get a matching set.

This will not only make the closet more visually appealing but as the matching hangers will align better, it will provide more space and help you to hang clothes more evenly.

For even more space savings, you can opt for cascading hangers that allow you to hang multiple pieces of clothing on the same hook.

Conclusion

While you may feel discouraged by the small closet space, you can still find a way to make more room and fit most of your essential clothing items.

However, it will require some careful planning, good organization, and willingness to get rid of everything that’s not necessary.

Once you properly evaluate your needs, you can work on maximizing the closet space by implementing several methods, including utilizing doors and walls, using vertical space, or picking slim and matching hangers.

Once you do all this, you may be surprised to see how much extra space you’ve managed to create and how much better and more organized your closet looks.