23 Smart Ways to Organize Your Bedroom Closet

Are you a little obsessed with organizing? We are too. With spring cleaning in full swing and the Great Clothing Transition of winter to summer apparel commencing, you’re probably thinking about how to best organize your closet (whatever that means for you). To get you inspired, we’ve rounded up this super helpful list of bedroom closet organization ideas. Whether you have a walk-in closet or strategically-placed clothing rack, we have a little bit of something for everyone.

The main goal of closet organization is to be able to find your possessions when you need them. Keeping your clothing color-coded, like @my_philocaly has done can help minimize forgetting about or misplacing a particular item of clothing. 

Marie Kondo’s famous folding technique, the KonMari, helps maximize drawer space and allows you to see exactly what’s in each drawer. Learning the fold is the easy part, thanks to this YouTube tutorial. Keeping your drawers this well organized, well, that’s the hard part! Instagrammer @well_arranged_home displays the technique here. 

Another option when it comes to keeping clothing organized in your closet is to group it by type, like @abundanceorganizing has done. Imagine how much easier this closet organization idea could make getting ready in the morning.

If you don’t have any real closets in your home, integrate storage into another room (as Darla did above). Wall racks and hangers are easy to install, and there are plenty of closet systems to choose from—including The Container Store’s Elfa System, seen above.

Aside from Marie Kondo‘s strategies, check out Discardian’s Closet Trick to get rid of clothes you don’t wear. Here’s how it works: Turn around all the hangers in your closet so the hooks are pointing towards you, and when you wear something, put it back with the hook the normal way. In six months, donate any item still hanging on a hook facing the wrong way.

Store your most-used items at eye level, less-used items below, and least-used items up high.

Combine them to fit your different needs: drawers for folded items, hangers for dresses and suits, and boxes for odds and ends. You can create your own drawers using a closet system, and hangers and storage boxes are easy to find. To get you started, Amazon sells a 50-pack of velvet hangers for $25.

For a clean look that will care for your clothes and help you stay organized. Wooden hangers are a more sophisticated alternative to the flimsier plastic hangers—some of our favorites include this 20-pack from Amazon Basics for under $30 or this on-sale 6-pack from The Container Store.

Don’t forget to make use of floor space (if you’re lucky enough to have some). Get creative and use an umbrella stand or a large wicker basket to hold odd items like yoga mats—we love this wicker two-pack from Wayfair.

And actually use it. Boxes, cubbies, tiered shelves, and hanging organizers are all good options, and to make things easier we have a guide to the best shoe storage solutions out there.

If you have shelves, keep them tidy with shelf dividers. Even if you’re an expert folder (as shown in the image above), keeping your piles of clothes or towels separated goes a long way in helping them remain folded. You can find super inexpensive shelf dividers in a couple places, like these acrylic dividers from Amazon.

Use vertical space (both above and below the closet rod) to store more. If you don’t have built-in shelves, you can easily install them yourself (The Container Store and Home Depot have a ton of options). To make the most of your space, use boxes or containers to keep the clutter to a minimum.

Add lights in your closet so you can see (and use!) what’s in there. Have fun with chandeliers if you’ve got enough space (Wayfair has a ton that are small space-friendly), or go for some classic string lights (like this budget-friendly set from Amazon)—anything that’ll add brightness will do.

Replace traditional closet doors with curtains or hanging screens. Aside from adding some aesthetic appeal, it makes your closet more functional for a small space, since the doors won’t swing out. Or, if you have an open closet it’s a good way to hide the clutter.

For optimal functionality, use stackable laundry baskets rather than a hamper. Not only will this make sorting easier, but it also means you can carry your dirty clothes to the laundry room without struggling with a bag or flimsy handles. Some good options include this $10 find from The Container Store and this inexpensive pick from Target.

If you have empty wall space, hooks are a great way to create extra storage for coats, bags, or towels. Even if you don’t have room in your closet, you can always add hooks to your walls or on the back of your door. Command hooks are always a good idea, but don’t forget to check out Anthropologie and Schoolhouse Electric for more stylish but equally functional hooks.

Treat your closet like a small room, not a throwaway space. Pay attention to lighting, wall color, and floor coverings, and you’ll be more inclined to keep it looking tidy.

Make more room in your closet by storing out-of-season clothes in boxes up high or, even better, out of sight under the bed. Storage beds are small-space saviors, but you can make do with smart under bed storage, like this $16 storage bag from Amazon.

Color coding your wardrobe is a small habit that makes finding things easier. Another method is sorting your clothes by weight or sleeve length—for example, keep all the short-sleeved t-shirts and long-sleeved sweaters separated.

Invest in your closet by using good-looking storage solutions. They don’t have to be expensive, just uniform and fitting in with your personal style. It could be something as simple as sticking with one pattern (like these canvas quilted bins), or a more elaborate closet system.

For something totally different, a rolling cart can be pulled in or out of the closet and used for clothing or miscellaneous storage. IKEA’s RÅSKOG cart started this trend (you can truly use it anywhere in your home), but there are plenty of similar models out there if the RÅSKOG isn’t quite right.

Suitcases taking up too much space? Take advantage of bulky luggage and use them to store out-of-season linens, blankets, or sweaters. You can store them in your closet, under the bed—or utilize them elsewhere as decor.

Try repurposing standard storage pieces. Taryn and Sanford used a trunk to store clothing in their closet, with a cushion on top for seating (and then baskets on top of that for even more storage).