27 Ways to Organize Your Small Closet for Maximum Storage

Use Shelf Dividers

Clear shelf dividers take up very little space, easily slide onto most standard shelves, and help keep stacks of clothing neat and organized. Instead of messy piles of sweaters cluttering your shelves and getting creased and wrinkled in the process, use these inexpensive dividers to keep items in place.

Divide garments by type, season, or color, so you can enjoy easy access to what you need and make your closet look like a department store at the same time.

Utilize Wall Space

If you have a limited number of shelves in your small closet, maximize space by utilizing the walls. Only use the shelves to hold items that cannot be stored another way, and hang things such as hats, bags, and jewelry on the wall. Not only will you gain valuable storage space, but they'll also serve double-duty as decor.

Store Shoes in Clear Boxes

Another way to prioritize closet shelf space is to store shoes in clear boxes. Stack the boxes on the top shelf or on the ground, so you can easily find your favorite pair thanks to the clear fronts. This shoe storage method also prevents damage and is a great way to put away out-of-season shoes to declutter your entryway.

Corral Accessories on a Tray

If your accessories, perfume collection, and clutch bags are taking over every surface in your home including your closet shelves, get organized with the help of a cute tray.

This decorative tool is as pretty as it is functional. Use smaller containers such as bows and boxes within the tray to sort items and easily move the tray from one spot to another instead of having to move each item individually.

Label Storage Baskets

Store seasonal accessories, socks, and even clothing in storage baskets and add labels so you can quickly find what you need and give your closet a professional, uniform look.

Hang a Shelf

Small closets often feature slanted walls that can make using every nook and cranny difficult. Maximize the limited wall space by hanging shorter length multi-purpose shelves that can hold boxes and stacks of clothes as well as hangers.

Use Wall Hooks

Wall hooks are one of the most valuable storage tools you can use in a small closet. They are inexpensive, can be hung anywhere you want, adds a decorative element, and can be used to hold a variety of items—from sun hats and crossbody bags to belts and bath robes.

Implement Storage Bins

If your small closet has cubbie-style shelves, use storage bins to take full advantage of them. Given their shape and size, items often fall and get stuck in the back of the shelf, creating messes and taking up more room than they should.

Using fabric, plastic, or woven storage bins eliminates this problem since you can pull the whole container out and quickly find what you need. Place bins with the most frequently used items within easiest reach, and those holding more seasonal and occasional things up higher or closer to the ground.

Hang an Over-the-Door Organizer

One of the best ways to add a significant amount of storage space to your small closet is with an inexpensive over-the-door organizer. It typically has clear plastic or fabric pockets that are arranged in a horizontal or vertical design. Use them to hold shoes, seasonal items such as scarves and gloves, or extra toiletries in a bathroom closet.

Go With Clear Plastic Containers

For a clean and contemporary look, you can't go wrong with clear acrylic storage containers. Visually, they keep a small closet open and airy, and practically, they make finding what you need quick and easy.

Store Bags on Hangers

Bags—whether they're totes, weekender travel bags, or occasional shoulder bags—tend to take up a lot of valuable closet real estate. When making the most of a small closet, instead of bags occupying a large portion of shelf and floor space, hang them on special hangers. Not only will this save you space (you can often hang multiple bags on one hanger), but it'll also get your bags off the ground to keep them in good condition.

Place Clutch Bags in Acrylic Dividers

Speaking of handbags, in addition to using acrylic dividers to separate stacks of clothes, they're also very useful for keeping clutch bags neatly in place. Especially those that don't have a firm base and always end up falling all over the place. This method will streamline your closet and keep each clutch safe in its own compartment.

Extend Shelves to the Ceiling

If you're remodeling a small closet and are trying to create as much storage space as possible, extend shelves all the way to the ceiling. Similar to kitchen cabinets, closet shelves often stop at an awkward height, allowing lots of valuable storage space to go to waste. If your ceilings are very tall, use the top shelves for less frequently used items and keep a small step stool or ladder tucked away in the closet so you can access them as needed.

Keep Jewelry Safe in Stacking Boxes

If you want to store jewelry in your closet, do so in a space-saving way by using clear stacking boxes to maximize vertical space. Divide jewelry by type—necklaces, earrings, and bracelets—store each in a different drawer for an easy-to-maintain organizational system.

Repurpose Trays for Wall Storage

For jewelry that you wear regularly or larger pieces that would take up too much room in a jewelry box, go the DIY route and repurpose a decorative tray as a wall jewelry hanger. Your favorite pieces will adorn the wall, always be on hand, and you save shelf space for other items.

Fold Clothes Properly

Saving space in your closet isn't just about the way you store clothes, it begins with how you fold them. Properly folding shirts, sweaters, or pants don't just minimize wrinkling and help keep clothes in good condition, it also makes a huge difference in how many items you can fit on a shelf. While rolling can be a great method for drawer storage, using a folding board can help you neatly fold tops so they take up as little room as possible.

Put Shoes in a Basket

For those pairs of shoes that don't need to be carefully stored in shoe boxes, such as casual sneakers or flip-flops, a wicker basket is a great solution. Place it in the corner of your closet or by the door to easily grab a pair when you're headed out the door.

Save Space With Drawer Dividers

If your small closet has built-in drawers or a dresser, keep them neatly organized using flexible dividers for items such as socks, underwear, scarves, and even rolled t-shirts or camis. Using collapsible dividers made from fabric gives you more flexibility as they can stretch and bend to accommodate more items, unlike plastic or wood ones.

Make Use of Closet Doors

If your closet shelves, drawers, walls, and rails are bursting at the seams, there's another storage avenue for you to utilize—your closet doors! Hang an over-the-door organizer to hold shoes and seasonal accessories and coat hooks to store bags, belts, and other bulkier items.

Hang a Mirror on the Door

Another way to make use of a closet door is to hang a mirror on it. If your small closet doesn't have a spare wall to hang a mirror for you to try on your outfits, a door offers just enough vertical space to do so.

Roll Clothes to Maximize Space

The way you fold your clothes makes a world of difference when it comes to how many items you can fit inside a drawer. The rolling method became especially popular thanks to organizational expert Marie Kondo, because it minimizes wrinkling, keeps drawers neat, and maximizes space.

Install Rails at Different Heights

Squeeze as much hanging space out of your small closet by installing hanging rails at different heights. This can literally double the amount of clothing you can hang up and allow you to divide items by type—for example, keep all bottoms hung on the bottom rail and tops on the top rail.

Use Wire Baskets for Small Items

Wire baskets add a nice textural element while providing a contained way to store accessories such as hats, scarves, and even socks. You can easily pull out the whole basket to find what you need instead of having to rummage through a drawer, saving you lots of time each morning.

Add Freestanding Shelves

Size isn't the only problem when it comes to small closets, they are usually not built to maximize every square inch of space. If you're in a rental or don't want to invest a large amount of money into a customized built-in storage system, bring in free-standing shelves that extend to the ceiling. Make sure the shelves are adjustable so that you can customize the space between them to accommodate clothes, shoes, and bags.

Bring in a Rolling Rack

Another alternative to add function to a small closet without a functional storage system is to bring in a rolling rack. It typically features a top rail for hangers and one or two shelves on the bottom for folded clothes, baskets, or shoes.

Organize Shoes by Designer

Keep your favorite splurge-worthy or occasionally worn shoes in clear shoe boxes and label them by designer. Using stacking boxes allows you to utilize vertical space whether on a top shelf or on the floor.

Mount Shelves

Mounting floating shelves gives you complete flexibility and is a great solution to getting the most out of your small closet as you can hang them at whatever height you choose. Install as many as you need and make use of awkward spaces such as those behind a door, under a window, or slanted ceiling.