8 Tips for Maximizing Space in a Small Closet

Adam Bender | Mar 23, 2022

Closets are one of the trickiest places in a home to keep organized, and a small closet can lead to significant challenges if you’re not well organized.

By adding structure to your small closet, you’ll create more space for your most cherished items, have your lesser-used items in their own distinct spots, and most importantly, you’ll save time when getting ready for the day.

Here are 8 helpful ways to get the most use out of a tiny closet so your cramped space feels larger.

1. Purge and Declutter Your Small Closet

You’ll be surprised by how much extra closet space there becomes by editing down your wardrobe. First, it’s important to declutter your closet before you do anything else to remove unwanted and unnecessary clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories. This is especially important if you have a smaller home.

There’s a lot of truth to the statistic that you wear 10% of your clothes 90% of the time. Getting rid of the excess 90% creates additional space. It’s easy to fill up garbage bags and either donate or toss them, as experts from 21 Oak share, allowing ample space for everyday essentials and special items worth keeping.

Another choice is to have your small closet fully customized by an outside company. However, you must always consider the cost factors involved, including those outlined by Clever Closets in 5 Factors to Consider When Purchasing Custom Closets.

2. Use Door Space

Traditional doors offer an array of possibilities for extra storage in a tight closet. Real Simple suggests using hanging hooks, bins, or baskets on the back of doors to store belts, jewelry, scarves, or bags. It’s easy to find mirrors that double as storage, so items are hidden inside and serve a dual purpose. Over-the-door shoe racks are another great way to minimize clutter in a small space while showcasing your footwear in a simple, streamlined way for easy access and visibility.

3. Organize by Season

When you have a small closet, it’s hard to have four seasons’ worth of clothes and shoes front-and-center at all times. Rotating your wardrobe by season offers an ideal way to see only one season’s worth of items at a time while using your full closet.

Store non-seasonal clothes and shoes under your bed or in another area of your home, so you have more space to better organize your clothes. This method also allows you to edit your wardrobe season-by-season and easily donate certain pieces to charity or give them to a friend.

4. Fold for Space and Appeal

Using effective folding techniques is a lifesaver for creating more space. By adopting Marie Kondo’s famous folding style, as explained by Reader’s Digest, your clothes will transform into neat bundles that can stand up on their own.

Once finished, your shirts, sweaters, shorts, pants, and even socks and hoodies will be so visible and organized that you’ll save time picking out your morning wardrobe each day. Organizing your folded clothes by color is also helpful and visual appealing. It may even help you weed out multiples of the same piece.

5. Use Ceiling Height

It’s easy to forget about space above eye level, but it does serve a purpose for maintaining your lesser-used items. Standard closets often come with a single long shelf above the top hanging bar, and anything above the shelf is usally forgotten.

By keeping things that are used less frequently, like winter boots, hats, swimsuits, or holiday décor, you have them at your disposal when needed, but they aren’t taking up prime real estate in your closet. Another option offered by Oprah Daily is to raise the top rod "above standard height to free up usable space below." You won’t be reaching much higher than before, and the space it creates for everyday items makes all the difference!

6. Take Advantage of The Floor

A closet floor is the last place you think of to maximize space, and it’s easy for the floor to turn into a burial ground when you’re rushing and don’t know where to put something. You can pave a path for massive storage options such as shoe cubbies or shoe racks when you clear it out.

Floor space can also house large boxes for smaller items such as scarves, belts, bags, and hats. Keep the boxes open so they’re visible when getting dressed, and quickly pull them out to take a quick peek if something goes with your outfit.

7. Add a Donation Bin

Everyone is guilty, yourself included, of picking an outfit for the day and trying on four-to-five tops before landing on the best one. If you’re not going to wear those four tops, put them in a donation bin and replace the four with one new favorite you will wear frequently. Once the container is full, take a trip to a local charity and know that these garments will make someone else happy.

8. Sell Quality Pieces You Don’t Wear

Along with a donation bin, add a consignment bin for items in good condition that you can sell. Clothing consignment stores will give you cash or store credit for good-quality clothes, shoes, and accessories. Once the bin is full, head to your local consignment store and pick up a new piece or two while you wait for them to evaluate your items. It’s a less expensive way to buy new-to-you garments while recycling your unused ones.

Conclusion

Organizing a small space doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you purge and declutter, and effectively use door and floor space. It’s also helpful to create a plan for organizing your wardrobe by season and add bins for donations and consignment to maximize space. Once you put the initial time into your small closet transformation, you will save time and energy when finding all of your belongings going forward.