Looking for easy closet organizing ideas? I’m here to help. Here are some of my favorite simple organization ideas.

The closet is one of the most forgotten about spaces in the house, and it’s so easy to forget about. But the closet plays a huge role in life, as well as finding a place for everything and keeping everything in its place. Here are some easy closet organizing ideas.

Utilizing closet organizing ideas

Ideas for fun when you miss your kids who just went back to college and you are full of broccoli and cucumbers and all your New Year’s resolutions:

1.  Dress up in a velvet sweatsuit and re-watch an entire season of Gilmore Girls.

2.  Cheer enthusiastically when you see the sun after all the cloudy days.

3.  Make your 347th cup of sugar-free hot chocolate.

4.  Play games and talk on the phone to your mother and make smoothies and think up ways to wear a banana clip and paint a dresser….

….and decide make-up is totally over-rated.

5.  And when all else fails….

…organize your closet.

There’s something about an organized closet that makes the day a little brighter.

Here are seven easy closet organizing ideas (including a GREAT space-saving tool I just used to organize my closet).

There are actually three closets in our bedroom.

Now don’t get too excited.

None of them would win a closet blue ribbon. Our house is 110 years old and the closets are so tiny I think they grew up in New York City.

There’s a closet off the bathroom that my husband uses and then there are two closets on this side of the room that are mine with these amazing doors we updated with trim and this simple DIY.

Last year we made over the bedroom and added cabinets along one wall to hold dresses and out-of-season clothes.

Constructed closet organizing ideas

7 Easy Closet Organizing Ideas

1. Add space-saving hanger hooks for easy closet organizing

Here’s what the dress closet looked like this morning.

It was FULL.

With extra full on top.

I needed more space so I decided to try these.

They are these little hooks that allow you to double up the clothes hangers.

You just hook one over the edge of the hanger.

Then you hang two hangers together.

They are kind of genius.

Here’s a before and after from today so you can see the difference.

I sorted out some of the dresses and hung the other dresses two together.

Look at ALL THAT SPACE.

You can see the hanger hooks here.

closet organizing coat hangers

2. Don’t forget velvet hangers

Here’s another space saver. If you’ve ever used velvet hangers before, you are nodding.

They are a game-changer. They are so narrow, so you can hang more clothes in a closet and maximize space.

But my best velvet hanger advice? They are not created all the same. I ordered some and they weren’t sturdy enough and broke easily (especially under the weight of heavy coat).

You also want hangers that have a pants hanger at the bottom so you can hang up an outfit or pants in addition to tops.

These are my favorite ones I’ve used. They come in a set of 50 and they are SO STURDY.

closet organizing close up view of a drawer

3. Add expandable drawer organizers

My challenge with this space is that I had these large drawers.

And large drawers?

They have a tendency to get jumbled.

So I found these expandable drawer organizers on Amazon.

They come in a set of four in different colors (I ordered them in white) and they stretch between the sides of the drawer and snap into place.

They really do stay in place and they create compartments for socks and pajamas and other items.

You can see them here.

closet organizing bags hanging on hooks

4. Add shoe organization

Here’s the overview of the other closet.

It’s super narrow and I knew I couldn’t add closet rods to both sides or I would end up like Lucy in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

I maximized the closet area by putting the majority of the closet organization on one side with floor-to-ceiling shoe racks like these.  It freed up a lot of space and made the closet feel much more spacious and cleared out room in case I wanted to find that lamp-post in Narnia.

closet organizing shoes on shelf

There are rows and rows and rows for heels and flats and tennis shoes.

In Imelda Marcos news?

They can hold up to 36 pairs of shoes.

And they’re full.

I also love these shoe storage containers and have them in another closet for scarves and socks and miscellaneous stuff.

They have doors that open and there’s so much affordable storage.

You can see them here.

shoes and boxes on shelves

5. Add storage boxes

I cannot tell you how much I love these organizers.

They look like Grace Kelly on Oscar night.

I ordered they are so sturdy and have lids and use them to store everything from socks to tights.

Every little cubby has a purpose.

miscellaneous bobbles in a tray

6. Easy jewelry organization

I love these plastic dividers.

I have everything grouped in different sections of the drawer. You can arrange them to fit any jewelry (or anything else you need to organize).

You can see them here.

For example, these are my cheer earrings. Perfect for a Friday night football game.

Closet organizing ideas with jewelry trays

7. Use jewelry organizers

The smaller bracelets, rings, and earrings are stored in the pull-out drawer at the top of the drawers in the closet.

It’s lined with velvet and has sections for jewelry.

If you don’t have space for a drawer like this you can always use stackable jewelry organizers like these.

And can you see my sewing machine tucked away at the bottom of the top section?

A sewing machine.

Just sitting there.

I know….right?

I never dreamed that I’d have a closet so organized that I’d have a place for my sewing machine….

…..maybe now there’s space for all that unused make-up. 🙂

PS  I have tons more organizing ideas on Pinterest here!

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Comments

  1. Image for Bonnie Bonnie

    When you "sorted out some of the dresses" before showing us the after photo, you actually had fewer dresses in your closet so it really wasn't a very accurate account of how the hanger hooks saved space in your closet.

    1. Image for KariAnne Wood KariAnne Wood

      LOL! I took out about five dresses that were longer to give to my mom! Even with those five dresses back in the closet there was extra space! :)

  2. Image for Jodena Beale Jodena Beale

    Im just getting to my walkin closet. Its a stuffed mess. Once I go thru the keep, donate and discards I can figure out what I need. Thank you for some great suggestions.

    1. Image for KariAnne Wood KariAnne Wood

      You GOT THIS!!!! You kind of forget about the closet until you open it up and remember it's organized! It's amazing!

  3. Image for Kim Kim

    Thank you for the great suggestions! My closet is a challenge: it has to accommodate HVAC ducts and the ceiling slopes from 8' to a wonky 7' high. Still, have managed to fit in an Ikea system, but was looking to maximize the space further so am ordering those hanger extenders. Couldn't find the hangers you described with the pants hanger at the bottom but wanted to add that a valet hook or rod is very helpful in stacking up several days worth of outfits. I can style outfits in advance that include accessories like scarves, jewelry, etc. It all goes on the hanger. Saves time and I don't feel rushed.

    1. Image for KariAnne Wood KariAnne Wood

      I wish I could help with that! Those organizers were there when we bought the house back! I think they got them at the Container Store or IKEA!

  4. Image for jodie filogomo jodie filogomo

    I have also found that storing shoes with one facing front and one facing the back gives you a tad more space. Besides, then you can see the heel better in case you need to. XOXO Jodie www.jtouchofstyle.com

  5. Image for Nancy Nancy

    Hi Karianne! Could you please tell me what hangers you used with the extensions as pictured? The top hanger is the velvet covered sturdy flat hanger you recommended. Then the extension piece and another hanger hanging off the extension. It doesn't look like it's the same velvet hanger. I want to purchase everything & implement it in my closet. Just wanting to get it right from the very start. Thanks for your help. You suggestions are very useful. Many Thanks for a great Blog! ;)

  6. Image for Jolyn Jolyn

    Love these! I've found that it I put one shoe facing you and one shoe facing the back, you can usually add one more pair to each row!

  7. Image for Diane Himnant Diane Himnant

    KariAnne, thanks for the great organization tips! I think I must have one of the smallest “step-in” closets known to man … that my husband and I share!! I think we might be able to use a free standing closet in our master bedroom and would love to know if yours is custom built or purchased somewhere (if the latter, can you share that info?). Thanks, again.

Comments are closed.