8 Tips To A Cleaner Closet

By Nancy Mattia

If you’ve already decluttered the closets but everything is still in disarray, check out these organizational tricks to get your closets in tiptop shape.

1. Use matching hangers.

Using hangers that are identical helps remove visual clutter from your closet, says Jeffrey Phillip, a professional organizer in New York City. Want to eke out some extra space? Use slim-line hangers to make more room for clothing.

2. Install a light.

If you can see everything inside the closet, you’ll not only have an easier time finding what you need, but you might be motivated to keep the closet tidy.

3. Store off-season clothes in under-bed boxes.

Why clutter up your closet with shorts and flip-flops when it’s 20 degrees outside? Under-bed boxes let you store out-of-season clothing away from view. “Make sure what you’re storing is clean and that you’re using sealed bins to keep out dust, moths, and critters,” says Phillip.

4. Fill a donate bag.

If an item doesn’t work for you anymore, you can immediately toss it in the handy bag rather than in the back of the closet.

5. Stuff things in a shoe organizer.

An over-the-door shoe organizer creates storage you didn’t know you had. Use the pockets for everything from toiletries to craft supplies.

6. Keep a basket handy.

Phillip says a basket is perfect for an entryway closet — rather than a clothing closet, which mainly holds larger items — and can be used for storing smaller things like hats, gloves, and scarves.

7. Keep sweaters in sight.

“Folding sweaters on a closet shelf works very well,” says Phillip, “but if you have extra hanging space, you can also store sweaters over pants hangers,” similarly to the way pants come back from the dry cleaners. “It’ll be easier to see a whole sweater versus a small part of a stacked sweater.”

8. Organize towels and linens.

Store sheets together by set. “I fold every piece of a sheet set to a specific size and then fold them into the flat sheet like a taco,” says Phillip. “This looks neater than storing the set in a pillowcase, which is usually too big and can appear sloppy.” As for towels, store them in piles by size (face cloth, hand, and bath).