Ah, organizing your closet. You’ve always said you wanted to do it but you conveniently put it off for weekend brunch plans and Netflix binges. I mean, who wants to sit on the floor folding clothes when they could be sipping a mimosa or gazing into Noah Centineo’s eyes? Not me. But now that most of us are stuck in our houses for approximately 23.5 hours a day (save for a sanity walk around the block), you have literally no excuse. Sorry!
The first order of business? Getting rid of *the chair*. You know the one. It’s probably covered in a pile of tees, hoodies, and leggings as we speak and I’m willing to bet money that you’ve never actually sat in it. This tip comes straight from moi because I recently ditched my permanent pile of clothes, and while it’s been challenging (old habits die hard), my room looks 10 times cleaner already.
But you probably didn’t come here for my amateur organizational advice. If you’re looking to organize your closet—without becoming totally exhausted or losing your mind in the process—you’re gonna need real organizing experts. They’re the ones with tips for sorting through clothes (threadUP, here you come) and space-saving hacks—and I talked to four of them. You’re welcome.
Here, easy tips on how to organize your closet—even if you don’t really feel like doing it.
1. Don’t get too ambitious
Organizing your entire closet in one pass sounds like a great plan—until you’re five hours in and not even close to done. That’s why Jamie and Fillip Hord, professional organizers and founders of Horderly, recommend picking a small space or section of your closet to start so you don’t get overwhelmed. Another way to avoid a full-on breakdown? Try organizing in a few two- to three-hour windows a week until the job is done, says Wendy Silberstein, professional organizer and founder of The Aesthetic Organizer.
2. Empty. Everything.
This sounds truly terrifying, but it’s worth it. “Ideally, you want to empty the space so you can create a blank canvas for your new closet,” explains Ría Safford, celebrity organizer and founder of RíOrganize (she recently organized John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s pantry, no big deal).
3. Sort through your ish by category
Once your closet is empty, sort through each category of clothing separately (think tees, leggings, tanks) and toss anything that doesn’t fit right, you haven’t worn in years, or you’re just tired of, says Safford. And don’t even think about skipping this step, warn the Hords. If you want a ~pretty~ closet, you have to edit down its contents. P.S. Here’s some advice on how you can make a buck selling your rejects.
4. Make all your hangers match
Currently using a random assortment of hangers you’ve literally had since middle school? *raises hand* It’s time for an upgrade. Even if they’re all plastic, having hangers that are uniform is “an instant face-lift,” says Safford. That, my friends, is what we’re looking for here: minimum effort, maximum result. If you’re pressed for space, opt for slim hangers like these velvet ones.
5. Hang everything by category *and* color
The neat freak inside you (yeah, I’m convinced we all have one) is gonna love this tip. Rather than making one big rainbow color-coded closet, you’re much better off storing all your casual tees together, your work tops together, going-out tops together...you get the idea. That’s because when you’re picking out your outfit, you’re usually thinking about the style and occasion you’re dressing for first, not the color, says Safford.
6. Put things you wear on the reg front and center
If you reach for your tie-dye hoodies on a daily basis, it makes no sense to have them hanging in the back of your closet, duh. Bring those babies front and center where they’re easy to reach, in what the Hords call “prime real estate.” That maxi dress you wear only once a summer can go all the way in the back, thank you very much.
7. Learn how to file-fold
I’m pretty upset that I was today years old when I learned that file-folding was a thing. Like, just look how gorgina the leggings drawer in this TikTok looks when she’s done. All you have to do is fold your items and put them in a drawer standing crease up rather than stacked on top of each other. This way, you can actually see what you have, says Safford. Hit up YouTube for a file-folding tutorial if you need some assistance.
8. Take advantage of vertical space
Have three feet of empty space at the top of your closet? Yeah, you’re gonna want to add a shelf or two there, says Safford. All four experts mentioned taking advantage of vertical space, so it seems pretty important. If you already have a shelf but there’s a ton of empty space above your items, add another! The key here is to get maximum use out of the area you’re working with. Just be sure to measure before you hit the hardware store (or Amazon).
9. Bins and baskets are your best friends
Good news: You don’t have to get fancy built-ins just because you need more drawer space. Using bins on shelves is waaay cheaper and will work just as well, explain the Hords. Oh, and it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than just having random shit stacked on your shelves too.
10. Label, label, label
If you’re gonna take the time to sort stuff into bins and baskets, you want to make sure that you can, ya know, find what you need when you’re done. That means you’re gonna need to do some labeling. “Labeling will help you put those new habits in place and keep your closet looking beautiful,” say the Hords. Basically, labeling will keep you from backsliding into your naturally messy ways.
11. Make use of empty wall space
Even if you have a tiny closet, there’s probably a segment of wall somewhere that you are not using but should be. Safford recommends adding hooks to store things like purses, hats, and jewelry so they don’t take up valuable shelf space. If you do it right, it looks pretty cute too.
12. Use a hanging shoe organizer as shelves
This is Silberstein’s go-to trick when clients are looking for some extra space for folded items. You can use the compartments for everything from tees to jeans, she says, and you can get one for about $20. All you do is hook it over your clothing rod and you’re good to go.
13. Two words: drawer dividers
Get some adjustable drawer dividers and boom, even your half-assed folding looks neater. On a practical level, they can also help separate your stuff and keep it more organized, says Safford. If you want to get really fancy, file-fold your clothes on either side of the divider for a *chef’s kiss* look.
14. Get some clear shoeboxes
In a perfect world, we’d all be storing our shoes on a giant floor-to-ceiling display à la Kylie Jenner. But alas, most of us are stuck trying to make it work with a couple feet of closet space. Enter: clear shoeboxes. They’ll allow you to see your entire collection at once and fight that whole out of sight, out of mind phenomenon, says Safford.