Organizing a Small Closet on a Budget

Do you have a small closet that’s a huge mess? Follow these tips on organizing a small closet and get your closet back in shape fast!

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Is your tiny closet a huge mess?

Do you have stuff stored in your closet that you haven’t seen in months?

Our small bedroom only has one closet and it belongs to my husband. (My closet is an old TV cabinet that I found at a thrift sale for really cheap. I took out the shelves and added a hanging rod and turned it into a closet.)

Needless to say, my husband isn’t very organized. Although, I do have to admit that everything on the top shelf of the closet is mine. And what takes up the most space is a huge bag full of smaller bags.

You know us girls and their bags!

I decided it was time to get the closet organized. It was really getting on my nerves. After cleaning my bedroom and organizing under my bed, organizing the closet was next on the list.

The only thing I bought for the closet was a shoe rack (similar here) and 3 small plastic storage bins (similar here). I purchased these items from Walmart and it cost me less than $20 to organize the entire closet.

Be sure to check out the DIY hanging sachet I made so you can make one for your own closet! It smells amazing!!

Organizing a Small Closet

Here’s a before picture of the closet. It may look somewhat organized, but it’s packed with a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Whenever I try to get anything off the top shelf, more stuff falls. Super annoying!

Step 1 – Remove everything

The first step in organizing a small closet is to remove everything in the closet. Everything!

As you are removing things start placing them into three piles – to keep, to donate/sell and throw away.

It’s also a good idea to keep a basket or box nearby to toss things in that don’t belong in the closet. You can put these away in their proper place later.

While everything is out of the closet, dust off the shelves, wipe down the walls and baseboards and sweep or vacuum the floor.

See also: how to have a clutter-free bedroom quickly!

Step 3 – Organize

Since my husband doesn’t have drawers for his t-shirts, underwear, and socks, I rolled them up and neatly put them into the plastic bins. I also rolled up his ties and belts and placed them neatly in a bin.

If you don’t have plastic bins, use anything around your house. Think baskets, or boxes. You can always dress up a box with fabric, rope, or paper.

Then I placed the bins on the top shelf of the closet.

Next, I put together the shoe rack and placed it in the closet. Then I put my husband’s shoes on the shelves, which saved a lot of space because I could take the shoe organizer off the door.

After putting in the bins and shoe rack, I started putting the clothes back in the closet. I kept like items together with the system that works for us: t-shirts together, long sleeve shirts together and pants together.

After the closet was all clean and organized, I hung the hanging sachet I made in it so it would smell nice!

Tips for making more usable closet space

• If you have a typical closet with a hanging rod and shelf on top, consider adding more shelves all the way to the ceiling. Then you can keep items separated and allow you to get to things easier. And your boxes won’t be stacked on top of each other.
• For items that need to be folded, consider hanging cubbies. These are nice if you don’t have room for another set of dresser drawers.
• Install cedar panels on each side of the closet and attach hooks for hanging items such as belts or necklaces. Not only will your items be organized, but your closet will be free of insects and smell great.

Common small closet organizing mistakes

• Not decluttering: With small closets, you have less space to work with, therefore you can’t keep every piece of clothing you’ve ever bought. Go through the clothes and get rid of anything you haven’t worn in the past year.
• Cramming all your clothes in the closet: There’s no reason to keep all your clothes in the closet year-round. Try switching them out with the seasons. Place them under the bed or store them in storage bags or bins in the top of your closet. If you have space, store them in the attic or basement.
• Using the wrong hangers: The hangers do not have to match (although it does look better), but they should at least be the same size and shape. Large shirts hung over small hangers will wrinkle easily. Hangers with different heights will make it harder to get your clothes. out.
• Not having a system: Clothes can get easily lost even in a small closet. As mentioned above, the system that works best for us is to hang like items together. For example, hang clothes together by type then by color within the type. Use whatever works best for you.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful and are now motivated to organize! It’s not difficult to organize a small closet on a budget. It just takes time and patience.