17 Genius Ways To Store All Your Bags, According to Pros

updated Mar 27, 2024
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If your purses typically end up cluttering your entryway or the floor, it might be time to consider a storage solution specifically for all your totes and bags. Whether you have just a few purses or 100, you’ll want to keep them all properly organized to extend their life. Plus, it’ll mean you can actually see what you have.

Luckily, purse storage ideas just keep getting more creative, and there are a variety of ways to take care of your most prized possessions and enhance your closet organization at the same time. 

How Can I Protect My Purses While They’re Stored?

Depending if you prefer to keep your purses tucked away or out on display, you have a few options for keeping them protected. For purses being stored in baskets or storage cubes, dust bags are a good way to keep out pests and well, dust. Purses on shelves or hung up in closets would need a good wipe down every so often, so if you’d really like to protect them, clear display cases are available specifically for this purpose and are great for showing your style, too.

But no matter how you store them, it’s also important to maintain your purses’ shape. You’ll need something to stuff inside of its interior, like special pillow inserts or even a rolled up towel, prevent your bags from becoming shapeless over time. 

Ahead, you’ll find some of our favorite purse organization ideas, from over-the-door hooks and acrylic dividers to glass-door cabinets. Discover the multiple ways there are to stow and store all of your favorite handbags.

1. Add a purse cabinet.

If you’re looking for a luxe purse storage solution and have the budget, try adding a purse cabinet to your closet. It doesn’t have to be quite as big as the one shown above; any cabinet will do, really. But a glass-front cabinet makes a great purse storage option since it keeps your bags protected and makes it easy to grab the one you want each day. 

2. Try special purse hooks.

Similar to what @held_together_dfw has in the closet, you can purchase special purse hooks that will help you keep your favorite bags on full display and spaced out as close or as far as you’d like. We love these full grain leather-wrapped hooks because they won’t leave dents in purse handles.

3. Use a hanging purse organizer.

These hanging purse organizers from Amazon and shown above are a genius way to add some organization to your closet. Made with PVC plastic, they’re see-through so you can easily choose your purse du jour, and they provide just the right amount of dust protection for your favorite bags. 

4. Store purses behind your door.

Using the back of your doors for purse storage is so smart, especially if you don’t have extra room in your closet. This set up from luxury organizer and closet designer Ashley Jones Hatcher shows how easy it is to make extra space without needing to build out bulky shelves by using door hooks. We love these chic adhesive hooks from Command because they come in three finishes to match your aesthetic.

5. Use over-the-door wire baskets.

Lauren of Wellesley & King shows another example of just how how useful doors can be when it comes to purse storage. The Container Store’s Elfa wire racks hang all the way down the length of the door, which gives plenty of extra space for your favorite purses. This isn’t just reserved for accessories in your closet though; this method can be used in a variety of other spaces around your home.

6. Work in acrylic dividers.

Clear acrylic dividers that you’d normally use for clothes can also keep your purses evenly spaced out on a shelf and prevent them from being shoved in the back of the closet. This image from Teresa Dinneen shows how quickly these racks can maintain tidiness with little effort. These translucent dividers from The Container Store have a nice, minimal aspect, and a valet hook on the end (that can also hold more purses).

Credit: Target

7. Stack your bags vertically.

A six-section cube organizer is great for mini clutches and smaller handbags. It’s a particularly smart solution if you’re using it in an entryway or bedroom where you might need the other cubbies for different accessories. The classic IKEA KALLAX reigns supreme here, no wonder it’s a winner in our inaugural Organization Awards.

Credit: The Container Store

8. Use purse storage bins.

Another way to organize purses and keep them from flopping all over each other is with a purse storage bin like this one. It keeps things upright and tidy, and of course, you can use multiple bins if needed to house your collection.

Credit: Urban Outfitters

9. Mount a hook to the wall.

If your closet is just too full, it may be time to look for storage outside the closet. The easiest way? Hooks. This Urban Outfitters strawberry hook is perfect for holding the handles of a bag, and it looks so cute, too!

10. Divide and conquer.

Storing shoes next to purses might sound like an odd method of organization, but Sophie from Sophisticated Organization proves how flawlessly it works. You can maximize storage with a hanging organizer with see-through panels so different types of accessories can share spaces, and the end result still looks impeccably tidy.

11. Store purses in baskets.

Something as simple as plastic storage baskets, like what Emma Greenberg uses here, can make organizing your bags and clutches super easy. Bags that don’t have a stiff structure can be lined up and hidden out of sight.

12. Dedicate a wall to purse storage.

This fun organization grid shot by Stacey and Ashlee of The Go 2 Girls LA doubles as a statement wall. If your handbags are something you’d like to draw attention to, this is a fabulous method that also encourages you to be intentional with your collection.

Credit: Lisa Jacobs

13. Elevate purse storage with wire baskets.

Wire baskets offer a sharp way to keep things contained. Place your smaller clutches and wallets in these and use any leftover space between the baskets for other purses, which Lisa Jacobs of Imagine It Done shows here. She also recommends showcasing your purses rather than keeping them hidden away. “Remove those dust bags and display your favorite handbags. Stuff with the silky inserts like those from Fabrinique and separate with acrylic shelf dividers,” she says.

14. Test alternate storage locations.

Closets aren’t the only spaces you can use for storing purses. Mudrooms or entryways like the one seen in this eclectic home offer a refreshing and creative option for storing a handful of purses.

Credit: Holly Blakey

15. Style pull-out linen drawers.

The soft linen baskets up above from Holly Blakey of Breathing Room Organization provide an almost camouflaged form of storage. It’s enough to keep them up and out of the way, but still slightly visible so you don’t forget where you’ve put them.

Credit: Minette Hand

16. Use overlooked spaces.

Using the side of a closet or storage unit is a clever way to max out a small space. The renters of this cozy Brooklyn apartment used hooks all down the side of their closet unit to. hang purses.

17. Utilize hooks and shoe racks.

Placing your prettiest purses on a coat hook can make for statement decor and give you your top options before you run out the door. Similar to this chic Los Angeles home, you can play around with your bags to get a look you love.

Re-edited from a post originally published January 3, 2017.