Tips & Tricks in Mastering Reach-In Closet Organization

Assessing and Decluttering

The Importance of Decluttering

Decluttering is a crucial first step when organizing your reach-in closet because it forces you to take a look at everything you have. It also gives you a fresh start; you’ll have an empty space to start putting your most useful belongings back into. Here are some of the benefits of decluttering:

• Less stress: It will be less of a hassle to find what you need each day when there’s no clutter and disorganization
• Saves time: You won’t waste time rummaging through items you don’t even really use anymore
• Better functionality: Your closet will be more functional when everything is visible and accessible

Tips for Decluttering

• Sort items into categories: Take everything out of your closet and, as you remove items, quickly sort them into categories. Put all of your tops together, all of your bottoms, all of your dresses, all of your shoes, and so on. This will help you see how much you have, whether it matches anything else, and what you may need either more or less of.
• Use the three-box method: Get three bins, and label them “somewhere else,” “donate,” and “trash.” Here’s what you’ll put in each bin, as suggested by April Perry on Learn Do Become:
• Somewhere else: Items that belong elsewhere in your home. If you’re storing bed linens or seasonal decorations in your closet, you’ll be relocating them to a different area.
• Donate: These are items that you’ll be donating to a thrift store or to a family member or friend who would appreciate them.
• Trash: If you have items that are clearly past their prime and have holes or stains you can’t remove, put them in the trash bin.
• Ask yourself questions: Really think about what you’re putting back in your closet. Consider the following:
• Have I worn this in the past season?
• Does it still fit me?
• Do I feel good when I wear it?
• Is it in good condition?
• Does it fit in with my style?
• Be realistic: You can’t keep everything you currently have stuffed into your closet, so if something doesn’t make you say “yes” to all of the questions, put it into one of the bins that will be leaving your home. 
• Be just a little sentimental: You will probably have a few sentimental items that you want to hold onto. Just limit it to a few items, such as a shawl your grandmother knitted or your baby’s going-home-from-the-hospital outfit.

Maximizing Space

Your small closet might be short on square footage, but all hope is not lost – it still has plenty of vertical space. It’s important to make good use of the height of your closet, as this will boost your storage capacity and improve your overall organization. Here are some solutions to consider:

• Install additional shelves: Your closet likely comes with one standard shelf over the hanging rod. Adding additional shelves above or below the existing one can give you the space to store shoes, folded clothes, or accessories.
• Use stackable bins: Stackable bins are great for small items, such as scarves, belts, and hats. You can stack them on the shelves or even on the closet floor.
• Add hooks: Installing hooks on the closet walls or door gives you a handy place to stash purses, jewelry, scarves, or other accessories. The hooks will keep the items from falling to the floor, and they’re easy to grab when you need them.

Another option to consider is double hanging rods. These can be a game-changer because they have the potential of doubling your hanging capacity, which makes it easier to store items without having them crammed together on one rod. Here are some tips on using double-hung rods:

• Use adjustable rods: Our hanging rods are adjustable, so you can move them as desired if your wardrobe needs change.
• Install them securely: We use sturdy brackets and anchors to ensure your rod is mounted safely and tightly to perfectly fit your space.
• Balance the load: Distribute your clothing evenly across the rods, so the weight is even. This will prevent strain on the brackets and possible damage.
• Avoid overcrowding: Now that you have two rods, you should not double your wardrobe. Leave some breathing room between your items. Your clothing will thank you!
  

Effective Storage Solutions

There are a lot of effective ways to store items in your closet that go beyond shelves and hanging rods. Here are some of my favorites:

Drawer Organizers and Dividers

Keep small items in order, prevent clutter from building up, and improve visibility with drawer organizers. These also help you to maximize your drawer space by preventing items from getting mixed up. Some ways you can use them:

• Clothing: Use them to keep small clothes, like socks or underwear separated by type, style, color, and so on.
• Accessories: Keep your jewelry, ties, or scarves from getting tangled up.
• Miscellaneous small items: Watches, cosmetics, sunglasses, or phone chargers can be all kept separated.

Shoe Racks and Organizers

You will want to keep your shoes stored properly, so you can find the pair you want and also so you’re not stepping on or tripping over your footwear. Some ideas for corralling your shoes:

• Shoe rack on the floor: A rack on the floor will keep your shoes elevated a bit, so they won’t be within tripping distance, but they’ll still be out of the way.
• Shoe fences on shelves: My team can install shoe fences going across shelves to keep your sandals, stilettos, and sneakers from falling over.
• Clear boxes: If you have shoes you don’t wear very often, keeping them in clear boxes can keep them dust-free.

Bins and Baskets

Bins and baskets are versatile and can be used to keep all types of miscellaneous items in order. They’re great for storing items that don’t really fit into another category. Here are some ideas for making the most of them:

• Labeling: Label each bin, so you know what’s inside.
• Categorizing: Store similar items together.
• Accessibility: Keep bins with frequently used items toward the front and center of the closet, while those with less frequently used items can go up high or toward the back.

Keeping it Accessible

Keeping your items easy to reach is important in any closet, and especially in a reach-in closet, where you don’t have a lot of room to rummage. 

Rotating items in and out of the closet by the season is helpful because it means you’re not storing your entire wardrobe in the small space. It also gives you a set time to go through items, so you can get rid of things you’re no longer using. It’s important to store items properly; here are some ideas:

• Storage bins or boxes: Store bins or boxes under the bed, in a different closet, or in another area of your home. If you have high shelves in your closet that you’re not using, you could also put them there.
• Vacuum sealed bags: These are perfect for heavier sweaters and coats, because they’ll compress the items and keep them from taking up too much space.
• Garment bags: Clothes for special occasions can be stored in garment bags to keep them dust-free.

It’s also important to keep the items you use more frequently within easy reach. It will save time, help you maintain order, and just keep the entire space more convenient to use. Here are a few tips for that:

• Keep items at eye level: Your favorite and most-used items should be kept at about eye level, as that’s the spot you’ll see when opening your closet door.
• Use middle shelves: If you can grab those frequently used items without reaching or bending, your back will thank you. Center clothing and accessories on the middle shelves and drawers.
• Use accessibility aids: You can make it easier to reach items on the higher shelves or lower drawers. Keep a step-stool in the closet, for example. You might also use pull-out baskets or bins down below to make it simple to see at a glance what you’re looking for.

Maintaining Organization

My last tip is to maintain the organization in your reach-in closet. You should be setting up a schedule of cleaning regularly. If you do a few things daily or even weekly, it will cut down on big “closet clean out” days. Here are some things you should do each day or week:

• Put clothing where it should be immediately: When you take off your clothes at the end of the day, put it either in a hamper or back in the closet on a hanger or drawer. Don’t let them pile up on a chair or, worse, the floor.
• Scan and tidy up: Before bed each night, do a quick glance around to see if anything is out of place, then put that away. Doing this every day will prevent any clutter from accumulating.
• Do a weekly cleanup: Each week, do a more thorough job of cleaning up the space. Make sure everything is in order, vacuum the floor when you vacuum the rest of your bedroom, and make sure your frequently used items are in the center where they should be.
• Have a good laundry system: Whether you’re doing laundry every day or every week, make sure you’re regularly putting clean clothing away properly. Don’t stack baskets of clean clothing in the closet; each time you do a load, take a few minutes to fold or hang your items right away.

Conclusion

Making the most of your small closet can feel overwhelming, but once you have all of your belongings pared down, put in a designated spot, and maintained, you’ll find it to be smooth sailing. If you need help with organization tools in your reach-in closet, give me or my team a call. We’d be happy to help!

Source

• https://learndobecome.com/episode51/