My Inexpensive Clothes Closet Organizing Ideas
What’s behind your clothes closet door? Are there neat piles of folded sweaters and orderly rows of shoes? Or do you have a single, straining closet rod filled with smashed together clothing and one long shelf filled with toppling stacks of sweaters and t-shirts?
Most of us like the sound of the first scenario, but live with the second.
I love the above quote and try to keep the contents of my closet in tune with it by seasonally editing what is in my closet and keeping it organized. Doing this not only keeps the space uncluttered, but also lets me find what I want right away.
I did one of these “clothes closet editing sessions” recently when waiting for the paint to dry when making over my primary bathroom.
I had gotten lazy and was just leaving my shoes on the floor when there are shelves for them and not keeping my clothes organized by the season.
I like my walk-in closet. It isn’t huge or fancy with wallpapered walls, a chandelier and center island like you see closets have on Instagram, but it is all mine. It was one of the selling features of the house that I liked.
When Ed and I were touring the house with the real estate agent 9 years ago, after seeing the view of the lake from the house and then walking into the bedroom and saw the two “his and hers” walk-in closets, I turned to the agent and said, “Where do we sign?” :-)
Before having a closet to myself, I have always shared my clothes closet with my sisters growing up and then Ed. In college I had a tiny little space with a folding door to hide it.
Cleaning Out My Clothes Closet
I did a thorough clean-out of every item in the closet – contents of the drawers, what was hanging on the rods and stored in boxes on the shelves. I found I didn’t need the pink boxes and their contents anymore so out they went with a big pile of clothes that I no longer wear, like or that don’t fit anymore.
The leopard print shoes were hard to let go, but I can’t wear flats anymore. I have high arches on my feet and need to wear shoes that support them so I don’t get a flare up of plantar fasciitis.
The pink boxes fold flat so I will keep them to use somewhere else in my house. I took the clothes to my local thrift shop.
Here are all all the empty hangers that were holding the clothes I took to the thrift shop. I moved them into Ed’s closet where he has an empty closet rod on one side.
See the mirror leaning on the wall? That is one of the two that were above the sink vanity in the bathroom that I no longer needed.
Once I had cleaned out the closet and reorganized everything, I put the mirrors to use again by hanging them on the back wall of the closet.
Having mirrors on the walls makes the space look bigger and brighter. My closet also has a floor to ceiling wall of mirror tiles which make it easy to see if I like an outfit or not when getting dressed.
Now I have all my clothes organized once again by the season. Winter to the left and summer to the right.
I need to wear hats with wide brims whenever I am outside to protect the white vitiligo patches on my face. Since it is a must, I have tried to embrace it and have collected a few hats that look nice and have wide brims. I can easily grab one now right off the closet shelf.
I spray painted the hatbox navy blue for a new look. It had a black and white pattern on it before.
I made new labels for the baskets that I made lids for. I add lids so I can easily stack the baskets. To find out how to make the lids, check out this post: How to Make Lids for Storage Baskets.
To learn how I make the storage basket labels, see this post: Decorative Free Printable Labels for Organizing
My shoes are all where they should be now.
As are my totes…
…jeans, and folded clothes on the shelves and in the drawers.
Picking out what to wear and getting dressed is once again easy to do now that I have cleaned out and organized my clothes closet.
If you haven’t cleaned out and reorganized your closet recently, I highly recommend it. It feels so good to now like everything I see in my closet just as the quote at the beginning of the post stated.
Inexpensive Closet Organizing Ideas
Here are a few inexpensive closet organizing ideas that may help you create a clothes closet you enjoy going into every day.
With so many affordable closet organizing solutions and options nowadays, it is easier than you think to upgrade your closet no matter the closet size or your budget.
Install a Closet System
Inexpensive closet organizing systems are made for every size closet from small to a large walk-in closet.
I refitted my closet in my previous house with a DIY closet system called Easy Track. It was affordable and easy to install in an afternoon. If this doesn’t fit your needs, look into Easy Closets or closet and shelving units from IKEA that will allow you to design just what you need while keeping the cost down.
Add A Double Rod
I have a double rod system in this closet, but you don’t need a closet organizing system to have a double rod or any DIY skills.
Home stores sell affordable hanging rods like these that fit over existing rods so you can create a double rod… literally in an instant. They are ingenious.
Use Better Hangers
There is a reason wire hangers are free… they are not made to hang clothes for a long time. If you want to prolong the life of your clothes, don’t keep your clothes on wire hangers. Use more substantial hangers that will maintain the shape of your garments.
- I use the clear style hangers that retail stores use to hang clothes on the racks. When I buy clothes I always ask to keep the hanger.
- I use clip-on skirt hangers for jeans and skirts
- I use padded hangers for my sweaters and a few plastic hangers to which I add pipe cleaners to stop silky tops from slipping off. Learn how I make them in minutes: How to Keep Clothes From Slipping Off Hangers
Label Storage Boxes and Baskets
As I mentioned above, I add labels to storage boxes for smaller items like scarves, handbags, and other items I don’t use frequently.
Labeling each box helps me know what I have at a glance.
Adding labels also keeps me organized for the long run since I know exactly where to find or place everything after I wear it.
- How to make the labels: Decorative Free Printable Labels
- For more free and easy label ideas, check out all the Free Printable Labels in my Project Gallery
My motto…. “If I have to hunt for it, I will probably never wear it.“
Stacking shoe racks can be bought at stores like Target and Walmart. The stacking shelves fit nicely under clothes hanging from the rod above. The plastic shoe containers are from the dollar store.
I like using see-through storage containers for my shoes so that I can see what I have at a glance. I label each with a description of the shoes that are inside. This keeps them organized so I will be a “shoe-placer” not a “shoe-tosser-to-the-floor” kind of girl :-)
More Clothes Closet Organizing Ideas:
- Replace the light bulb in the closet light fixture. See how a simple light bulb switch can remove the color cast it gives clothes hanging in the closet in this clothes closet lighting post.
- Use matching hangers so the rod looks visually appealing – just like your favorite clothing boutique.
- Treat your closet like your favorite clothes shop. Keep items categorized on rods – shirts, pants, skirts, jackets, and by the season.
- Keep items visible. If you don’t see it, you won’t wear it.
- If your closet is small, make more room by storing out-of-season clothes in boxes, under the bed or in another room and make sure to label each.
- Organize in a way that works for you and your budget. The dollar store has many budget-friendly closet organizers.
- If you have the room, consider adding a chest of drawers to the closet. so that all your clothes are in one place.
- Hang a mirror on a nearby door or wall.
And lastly, if you enjoy your clothes and want to maximize the ways you can coordinate and accessorize them to come up with new outfits consider hanging a Fashion Coordinating Idea Board in your closet.
Having one will help you save ideas you find in magazines or catalogs to coordinate your clothes into many different looks.
By tacking a piece of paper and hanging a pencil from ribbon using a push pin or thumbtack will help you take note to write down outfit combinations you created and liked. Doing this will end the standing in front of your clothes and thinking you have nothing to wear syndrome.
Ultimately when your closet is well organized and your clothes are in sync with your personal style, you should be able to walk into your closet blindfolded and pull out any shirt, pant, jacket, and shoes and walk out looking and feeling great!
And remember….
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