Organise Your Small Wardrobe: Simple Ideas for Big Results

When space is at a premium in your home, ensuring that you fully utilise every single inch of space is vital!

This is particularly true in a small wardrobe with lots of clothing to store, where proper organisation systems can mean the difference between a stressful morning routine and calm and pleasurable one.

Luckily we have some simple organisational tools and styling tricks that will help you to create extra storage in your small closet whilst ensuring it looks great too!

Are you ready to fall in love with your small wardrobe? Then let’s explore these organisation ideas!

Simple Ideas to Maximise Space in a Small Wardrobe

#1 Start by decluttering

Whether you’re organising a kitchen, bathroom, office or wardrobe, decluttering should always be the first step. This is the best way to ensure you are not wasting space storing items you no longer need or use.

Begin by removing all items from your wardrobe space and grouping them by category. As you group, let go of any items you no longer wear, adding them to a discard, donate or sell pile.

You’ll be amazed at how much more manageable your wardrobe seems after just this one task!

#2 Streamline your hangers

They might appear insignificant, but mismatched hangers can add a surprising amount of bulk to a small wardrobe, not to mention that varying colours, materials and sizes of hangers can make for a cluttered aesthetic.

Upgrading your hangers is an excellent way to help clothes hang straight and make the most of the space in your small wardrobe.

Slim velvet hangers take up significantly less space than wooden or plastic hangers and are far more visually appealing (you can even choose between a range of colours to match your interior aesthetic!).

Plus by adding matching mini connector hooks you can store two to three items together on one hanger.

#3 Make better use of vertical space

If your wardrobe is tall but slim, with lots of unutilised space at the top, consider adding shelving here to store items you use less frequently.

Contain items inside baskets that match your aesthetic (make sure they utilise the full depth of the shelves too!) so you can easily access them when needed by simply pulling the basket down.

#4 Start file-folding

If possible, try to incorporate drawers into your small wardrobe organisation system because file-folding items takes up far less space than hanging. If your hanging space is limited, you should only hang items that absolutely require it.

Folding items such as jeans, t-shirts and knitwear is much more space efficient. The file-fold is our favourite as it is space-saving, allowing items to be stored vertically rather than stacked; this makes it much easier to view and find exactly what you’re looking for.

If your wardrobe contains deep shelves, file-fold and store items inside baskets, which can act as drawers on shelves. If you’re file-folding inside drawers, adding drawer dividers or drawer organisers is a great way of maintaining order.

#5 Utilise the backs of doors

When space is at a premium in your wardrobe, every surface becomes a valuable storage solution! If possible, utilise the backs of doors to hang dressing gowns, scarves, hats, handbags etc.

Over the door hooks are excellent for larger items to maximise storage space and keep clothes and accessories off the floor.

Command hooks are a brilliant option to keep jewellery, belts and other smaller items organised and close-to-hand on the back of a wardrobe door, plus you can always add more as necessary.

#6 Store clothes by category

A great way to restore some order and arrange clothes in your small wardrobe is to group items by category. This will make it easier for you to find exactly what you’re looking for every time as well as ensuring your small wardrobe organisation is simple to maintain.

If hanging, start by hanging your clothes by garment type first; tops, blouses, cardigans, skirts, dresses, trousers, jackets, coats.

Then within each category, organise by length e.g. short sleeve, long sleeve.

Finally, sort by colour, starting with the lighter first. If your clothing collection contains mixed prints, you can either mix them in by their dominant colour or categorise them separately at the end of each clothing type.

#7 Use shelf dividers

If you have tried and failed to store knits and sweaters neatly on the shelves of your small wardrobe, shelf-dividers may be the answer you’re looking for. Simply slide them onto the shelf to act as a barrier between your stack of clothing.

They can be placed as close together or as far apart as you need which is especially useful when dealing with items of clothing of differing widths and allows you to utilise every piece of shelf space in your wardrobe!

#8 Seek alternative storage under the bed

If you’re really struggling with space in your small wardrobe it may be time to think outside the box. An excellent place to store out-of-season or lesser worn clothes, shoes and accessories is under the bed!

Under bed storage boxes come in a variety of shapes and designs meaning you’ll be able to find ones that match with the aesthetic of your bedroom.

However, it is worth remembering that it can get dusty under there so ensure your storage boxes have lids and pull out boxes every now and then to dust.

#9 Double up hanging space

If you use your wardrobe space mostly for hanging blouses, skirts and jackets, then you likely have a good amount of space available beneath your standard clothing rail that is not being fully maximised for clothing storage.

You can make the most of the extra room by adding an adjustable tension rod which will provide a whole other layer of hanging space in your small closet, allowing you to store more items or simply spread out your current items for a calmer, less cluttered feel.

#10 Vacuum seal out of season clothes

Small wardrobe owners know better than any the effort that comes with switching out their wardrobe seasonally.

It’s an annoying but necessary task when your wardrobe space is limited, but having the right organising products such as vacuum seal bags on hand can make it whole lot easier and help to protect your clothes in the long run too!

Select vacuum seal bags that can hold two or three times their volume - waterproof or bug-proof designs are an added bonus!

#11 Find another home for shoes

Storing your shoe collection within your wardrobe can easily take up a lot of precious space so why not consider designating a separate storage area for them in another part of your home.

You could incorporate shelving into a bench in your hallway or repurpose a linen closet by adding shoe racks.

Don’t forget that how you arrange your shoes can also save space. You’ll be able to fit more pairs on a shelf when you position each shoe facing the opposite direction!

#12 Keep a donation bin nearby

Often, maintaining organisation in a small wardrobe comes from holding onto items that are no longer used or no longer serve you. Clutter can build back up and take over quickly if it’s not kept on top of, especially in smaller spaces.

To help keep on top of items you find yourself not wearing, place a small basket somewhere in your wardrobe (or nearby) so that you can set them aside the moment you’re ready to move on.

As the basket becomes full you can discard, donate or sell the items within and maybe even treat yourself to a new piece of clothing you’ve had your eye on!

How will you organise your small wardrobe?

So there you have it - lots of storage ideas for small wardrobes to maximise the space you have!

The key is to try and think about every part of the wardrobe that you can maximise and you’ll find that you have more space than you ever thought possible. We hope we’ve inspired you to try out a few ideas in your wardrobe!

If you’d like to get even more advice on organising your clothes from industry experts, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at Homefulness!