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10 hacks that will help you organize your closets once and for all 

Have you never quite gotten your closet just right? These 10 closet hacks will help you finally get your closet in easy-to-maintain organization.

1. Choose hangers purposefully, not passively 

Matching hangers are the key to making any closet look pulled-together, but it’s not just a looks thing. Employing the right hangers will also make your closets function well. For example: Wood hangers are ideal for coat closets, where they hold even your heaviest outerwear without buckling—plus, keep the space looking polished for guests. On the flip side, wood hangers will feel clunky and take up much-needed space in a bedroom closet that’s packed full. There, the best pick are non-slip velvet hangers, which are ultra-slim yet won’t warp, and have a flocked texture that prevents even the slinkiest sundresses and silkiest tops from sliding off. Oh, and while you’re evaluating your hangers, consider adding a smart holder for hangers that aren’t in use, so they don’t rattle around on your closet bar and clutter things up. (Or end up in a tangled heap on the floor.)

2. Double down on hanging space

If you have extra room beneath rows of hanging sweaters or shirts (one reason it pays to organize clothes by length), you can add another level of hanging garments—without drilling holes in the wall to install another rod. Just hang an adjustable hanging rod extender on your existing rod and witness your closet’s capacity expanding massively. Once you have extra storage space, put some thought into how you’ll use it. For example, you might keep off-season items on the lower bar, so when the weather changes, you can rotate your wardrobe super-easily. Alternatively, if what you really need is more storage space for shoes, you could use this extra space for low stackable shelves instead of a hanging bar.

3. Use the viral trick that’ll change your relationship with jeans 

If you still haven’t found a great way to organize your denim, here’s the viral closet organization idea that you’ll want to implement: Buy a pack of $5 shower curtain hooks and use them as tiny hangers for jeans, looping the hooks through the belt loops (or looped brand tags). Metal S hooks (which come in black, silver and gold) work, too. To free up even more closet space, hang a towel bar behind a door or in an unused bedroom nook and make it a dedicated jeans rack.

4. Keep stacked sweaters on the up and up

Every time you re-fold them, you swear you’ll keep your stacks of sweaters neat this time. If that hasn’t gone well in the past, slide in some acrylic shelf dividers. Yes, it’s really been that easy the whole time. Or, try this trick: Place folding storage cubes sideways on your shelf and stack folded sweaters or shirts inside. Then, you can grab the handles and bring the whole cube down so you can look through items more easily. An open-front felt bin works well too.

5. Prevent tall boots from falling like dominoes 

Of course there’s a brilliant TikTok hack for this closet-organization challenge: Buy foam pool noodles from the dollar store and custom-cut lengths to fit inside your boots. No more toppled piles of misshapen boots—just neat, neat rows.

6. Spot-hang small items

Quick-release sticky pegs and hooks let you hang a wide-brimmed hat or woven shopping tote on any unused stretch of wall. Because they’re easily removable, you can choose the most convenient spot and not worry if you want to switch things up later.

7. Put your capsule collection front and center

Instead of treating your closet as a museum of nice things you once wore or aspirational items you wish you’d wear, treat it as a functional workspace that helps you visualize outfit combinations and easily access what you actually wear. Too often, those items (jeans, yoga pants, favorite tees) are stuffed into drawers, while seldom-worn special occasion items are displayed more prominently in our closet. Begin to rethink this by claiming a prime closet-bar zone for the things you wear most—think of it as your current capsule collection—so you’ll be inspired to mix-and-match and be able to identify what might add to the mix.

8. Open up room for shoes 

One organizing product that’s come a long way since your college days: back-of-door shoe storage. No longer must you embrace the aesthetics of crackling plastic pouches in order to take advantage of all that vertical real estate. Now you can opt for a sleek and sturdy rack; there are so many variations to choose from.

9. Use this hack to track what you wear

A classic trick that organizers love: Flip all of your hangers backward, then when you wear an item, put it back with the hanger facing the correct way. Over the course of a year, you’ll get a very clear view of which items you never touch.

10. Put a donation bin right in your closet 

On that note: Keep a hamper in your closet that’s dedicated to collecting clothing items that make you say “meh.” When it’s full, donate—and celebrate all the closet space you’ve freed up.

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