It sounds dreamy to have a streamlined closet with a beautiful display of perfectly neat clothes – and it's not impossible to achieve this. The most organized people have a few staples in theirs to keep things neat tidy year-round.
Whether your closest is a large walk-in design or tiny and awkwardly shaped, our professional organizers have seven transformative items (and tasks) to help whip yours into shape.
Learn to organize your closet like a pro with these smart methods and storage heroes.
1. Start by decluttering
The first port of call is to declutter your closet. Go through your clothes, footwear and accessories and if you haven't worn them in the last 6-12 months, it's time to say goodbye.
If you've been hanging on to items for years, hoping for an opportunity to wear them again, it time to declutter the items your fantasy self holds onto. Be realistic about whether these items are really ever going to see the light of day again.
It might be that you find pieces you haven't worn for months tucked away in the back of your closet and if you didn't know you had them, or had forgotten about them altogether, consider donating, selling or recycling them.
Check your accessories too – if things don't match up, are no longer to your taste or were an unwanted gift, be ruthless and get rid of these.
Minimize the storage space needed for out of season clothes or extra bedding by vacuum packing. This will shrink clothing, including coats and jumpers down into much smaller packages that can be easily stored.
2. Choose the right hangers
Using the right hangers can bring an instant functional and visual impact. Tina Priestly, founder of Ready, Set, Refresh explains, 'Uniform, slimline hangers not only save space but create a visually streamlined look, which can make your closet feel organized instantly.'
Avoid wire hangers as these can damage your clothing.
Melissa Park, founder of With Arla shares, 'Hanging as many pieces of clothing as possible is key to maintaining an organized closet – plus, it’s easier to see what you own. My go-to tools include slim velvet hangers [such as sturdy velvet hangers from Walmart] to save space and shelf dividers to keep items tidy and upright.'
It's a perfect start for small closets with lots of clothes and can help dial down the visual noise in large walk ins.
Slimline with a 360 degree rotation, these hangers are ideal for shirts, blouses, coats and pants. The velvet finish stops delicate fabrics from slipping. Available in packs of 30-100.
3. Use tiered shoe racks
According to Tina, the most valuable space-saving option for footwear is tiered shelving (available at Walmart).
'Tiered racks for shoes are fabulous for utilizing floor space, while over-the-door organizers work well in smaller closets. They can carry anything from shoes to scarves.'
You can have them incorporated into your closet design, or buy them separately. Check the dimensions before purchasing to make sure they do not obstruct doors or snag on long clothing.
Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden tried the stackable premium Joseph Joseph shoe storage boxes which slide out, available at Amazon, and found them to be sturdy. She says, 'You can configure them in a single column, two at a time or whichever format suits your space best. My husband wears a size 14 (US) and there is plenty of room for his footwear, which can be a snag for other enclosed shoe organizers that come up too short in length for bigger feet.'
What's great about this shoe rack is that it's portable, it can fit within your closet or be used in an entryway or boot room. It stores up to 24 pairs of shoes across six tiers and will hold everything from ballet pumps to stilettos. Each cube has a partition so you can move a layer to fit in taller boots.
As well as storing shoes, this handy fabric shoe organizer can be used for bags and scarves, too. When not in use, fold up and store flat. There's a hook for easy hanging in your closet.
Each has 24 breathable mesh pockets and can holds up to 40 Ibs overall. There are seven other colors to choose from including black, white, pink, turquoise and beige. Use these on the inside of closet doors to make use of wasted space.
4. Draw dividers are essential
Once you've got your closet more streamlined and working efficiently, it's time to look at the smaller details that can make all the difference to how well it all functions.
Tina Priestly, founder of Ready, Set, Refresh explains, 'Dividers in drawers and shelves can help keep small things like socks, ties, or belts nicely separated. That allows you to find what you need more quickly.'
Crucially, it's smaller details such as drawer dividers, available at Amazon, that will make it easier to keep your newfound closet storage ideas streamlined moving forward.
Brunson agrees, 'Drawer dividers are a godsend, look for adjustable fabric or bamboo options to make it easy to customize your drawers, so every piece has its place. You’ll never have to dig through a pile of mismatched socks again.'
We love Amazon's Criusia 3-pack sock underwear organizer dividers as you get 64 fabric cells to keep your socks, underwear, belts and tidy.
Head of Solved, Punteha, tried the Nate Berkus sock drawer organizing hack and found it to be effective and easy to maintain ever since.
5. Make sure you remove seasonal items
Keeping a closet organized when you don't have seasonal storage can be really challenging. Professional organizers always remove out of season items and store them elsewhere until the season rolls around again.
Brunson Sayes, cleaning expert and founder of Breathe Maids says, 'Organized closets aren’t static. Seasonal rotation is a hallmark of tidy spaces. Twice a year, swap out summer clothes for winter ones and vice versa. Use labeled bins for the off-season and keep them on the highest shelves or under the bed.
'Ziploc vacuum-sealed bags (check out Walmart's vacuum storage bags with electric pump) or storage boxes are great for out-of-season items and give you extra room for the pieces you’re wearing,' suggests Tina Priestly.
If you have an ottoman bed, use the space underneath to store out of season clothing. This way it's still in a climate controlled space and you won't risk mold or mildew for the months they're not in use.
6. Look after your jewelry
We often forget about organizing jewelry, but it's very much a part of a bespoke closet and can be stored within it.
Tina says, 'For your jewelry and accessories, think velvet trays or hooks inside the closet door. These keep things untangled and within reach.'
Having dedicated storage for jewelry will stop it from tarnishing, breaking, or getting lost.
Brunson adds, 'A slim rolling cart tucked into a corner or under a hanging rod can hold anything from workout gear to extra toiletries and jewelry. Look for one with mesh baskets so you can easily see the contents. The best part? It’s portable, so you can roll it out when you need it and tuck it away when you don’t.'
This tactile velvet tray will keep your rings, bracelets and ear rings in perfect order. You can fit in in a closet drawer, or on top of a shelf. The trays are stackable to you can add as many as like and store them in a basket if you have a large collection.
The beauty of this rolling cart is that it's slim enough to fit into a closet. The translucent drawers will keep your valuables organized and dust free. The wheels lock so you can keep it in place wherever you want it and it has a gold effect finish.
Organize your main collection in this large jewelry box and keep this in your closet. Use a smaller jewelry box, such as a travel case, also available from Amazon on your vanity for most worn daily items.
7. Invest in good lighting
Closet lighting is a real essential and something we often forget to consider. It's an integral part of the overall closet, and invaluable when the mornings are dark. If you don't have electrical outlets in or nearby, learn how to light a closet without wiring.
There are several types of lighting option to consider, Tina explains, 'Good lighting can make your closet. LED strip lights or motion-sensor options make sure you can illuminate everything, even the darkest corners.'
Track lighting is a great option as you can adjust the heads to illuminate particular sections. It tends to be flat so takes up less space and is quick to install.
Try Wayfair's Shura 2-light integrated LED track light with rotatable heads which combines track lighting and LED for optimal functionality.
No need for wiring, simply apply the adhesive magnetic strips to your closet surface and the back of these 13-inch lights and clip into place. Remove the light to easily recharge with any USB-C cable.
Meet our experts
There you have it – these are the fabulous things the most organized people have in their closets closet to ensure the space works efficiently and is clutter free.
'The secret to a brilliantly organized closet isn’t about having the largest space or the fanciest tools; it’s about creating a system that works for you,' says Brunson.
Next, learn the best ways to organize deep drawers so you can make use of the full height.
