Home Organizing Closets 9 Genius Ways to Double Closet Storage Space and Get Ready Faster Get that dream closet you've always wanted—#9 is a game-changer. By Katie Holdefehr Katie Holdefehr Instagram Website Katie Holdefehr is the associate editorial director at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: pbteen.com No matter how often you comb through your bedroom closet, carefully pulling clothes to donate and tossing mismatched socks, there never seems to be enough room. Our dreams of neatly arranged tops and orderly rows of shoes can quickly end up in a messy pile when our wardrobes exceed our storage space. However, your closet may be bigger than you think. If you're folding pants, storing scarves inside drawers, and keeping out-of-season clothes on display, you could be wasting space. To maximize every square inch, we've rounded up some brilliant organizing techniques and containers that make it easy to maintain them. With these strategies, your bedroom closet will feel surprisingly spacious. 01 of 09 Turn Towel Bars Into Scarf Storage The Chronicles of Home When her collection of colorful scarves grew, Jennifer Bridgman, the blogger behind The Chronicles of Home, had to devise a new system to contain it. Her DIY solution: repurpose a wooden towel bar as a scarf holder. Once the bar was attached to a small blank closet wall, each scarf was looped on. To get the look in your closet, pair a blank wall with an affordable towel bar.CB2 24” Brass Towel BarIf you’re looking for an organizer as stylish as the scarves it holds, opt for this chic brass bar. Add a couple of matching brass hooks for totes and handbags.To buy: $37, cb2.com. Buy Now 02 of 09 Divide and Conquer Drawers Annie Selke If drawers aren’t equipped with dividers, they easily become a mishmash of belts, socks, and undergarments to hunt through every morning. “When everything has its place, you’ll spend less time pawing through your clothes and accessories looking for what you want. An organized closet makes getting dressed and packing for trips a breeze!” says designer Annie Selke. Invest time to get closet clutter under control, and you’ll save minutes every morning. The first step: Take inventory of what you own. “Be honest about the number of items you want to store,” recommends Selke, then plan your storage system accordingly. Once these organizers are in place, you can kiss the formerly messy sock drawer adieu.Slotted Interlocking Drawer OrganizersAnnie Selke is a fan of this customizable interlocking system. “Each square gets a single item, so everything is separated—perfect for socks and undergarments,” she explains.To buy: $8, containerstore.com.Boobie Trap Bra Organizer To keep bras lined up neatly (and help them keep their shape), opt for this divider. Not only will this organizer extend the life of your bras, but you’ll also be able to easily spot the one you’re looking for.To buy: $35, containerstore.com. Buy Now 14 Organizing Ideas for the Drawers in Every Room of Your Home 03 of 09 Keep Off-Season Clothing Out of Sight Casey Brodley When Joy Cho of Oh Joy! asked the organizing gurus at Bneato Bar for help wrangling her closet, she learned a valuable lesson: Don’t display out-of-season clothing. Instead, she used storage boxes to hide seasonal gear that could be stashed out of the way. While this wouldn’t be a smart spot to store items you use every day, it’s an ideal place to tuck clothing you won’t wear for several months. Label each bin with a word, number, or color to help you remember what’s stored inside.Bigso Grey Woodgrain Storage BoxesA woodgrain finish and genuine leather handles make these storage boxes undeniably luxe.To buy: $25-50, containerstore.com. Buy Now 04 of 09 Put Jewelry On Display Brighton Keller When Brighton Keller of Brighton the Day designed her dream walk-in closet, she decided to leave nothing to the imagination. “It was really important to me that I be able to see everything that I have. That way, it would be easier to put together outfits,” she explains. To make sure jewelry was easily accessible, Keller put a small blank wall to use. Once a couple of transparent organizers were installed, she draped them with statement necklaces. Rather than take up valuable drawer space, these pretty accessories are now on display, where they double as décor.11-Peg Acrylic Necklace RackKeller appreciates that this clear acrylic rack doesn’t distract from the jewelry it holds. Outfitted with 11 pegs, each organizer can accommodate dozens of necklaces.To buy: $15, containerstore.com.Aimee Jewelry Storage Hanging MirrorPart mirror, part necklace holder, this on-the-wall storage system adds some glam to your get-ready station. The ten hooks offer plenty of spots to store necklaces, bracelets, or hoops.To buy: $29, urbanoutfitters.com. Buy Now 05 of 09 Hang Pants Single File Coveteur/Alec Kugler If you typically fold pants over the bar of a shirt hanger or place them inside a drawer, then you’re not storing them in the most space-efficient way possible. Instead, Stephanie Mark, one of the co-founders of Coveteur, recommends hanging pants on ultra-thin skirt hangers. When folded over a shirt hanger, pants are bulkier; when clipped at the top, you can store twice as many on the same bar. Most importantly, this storage method fits with Mark’s motto: “If you can’t see it, you won’t wear it.” When organized single file, each pair is easily found, shaving minutes off your morning routine.Chrome Metal Add-On Skirt/Pant HangersNot only are these metal clip hangers incredibly thin, but the add-on style lets you hang several pairs of pants from a single spot.To buy: $9 for 4, containerstore.com.Natural Wood Skirt HangersWooden hangers are guaranteed to give a closet a polished look. For less than $10, this chic addition will make your closet look like a million bucks.To buy: $9 for 4, bedbathandbeyond.com. Buy Now 06 of 09 Give Every Purse a Place Polished Habitat If your purse collection rivals your shoe collection, you may want to take a tip from Melissa George of Polished Habitat and buy or DIY some purse dividers. She crafted her wall-hanging acrylic clutch holders (find the full how-to here) over a few afternoons. She also inserted custom-cut acrylic sheets into one closet compartment to give a separate slot for each purse. “Acrylic was the perfect material to keep things tidy but still visible,” George explains. To get the look in your own closet, you can DIY acrylic dividers or keep an eye out for transparent organizers, like our pick below.Clear Shelf DividerSee-through dividers keep purses, sweaters, or pants in place. The transparent design lets you glimpse at what’s in each pile so you can find items faster.To buy: $14, containerstore.com. Buy Now 07 of 09 Raise the Bar(s) Lily Glass When Victoria Smith, editor of the interior design blog sf girl by bay, finally got the walk-in closet of her dreams, she realized the space-saving potential of a two-tier design. By raising the top closet bar near the ceiling, Smith was able to fit a second row of hanging clothes below, doubling the space’s storage potential. Another bar attached to the wall holds bags, scarves, and necklaces suspended from s-hooks. To implement this system in your closet, install an extra closet rod or a sturdy tension rod, then use a towel bar to hang accessories.InterDesign Cameo Tension RodIf you don’t want to install a permanent closet rod, use this bronze tension rod to store lightweight tops or skirts.To buy: $17, amazon.com.VOXNAN Towel RailThis minimalist towel bar is just what you need for stashing accessories out in the open. Add a set of stainless steel s-hooks to your order, and your complete organizing system is ready to go.To buy: $15, ikea.com. Buy Now 08 of 09 Don’t Forget the Back of the Door pbteen.com The back of your closet door is a wide-open surface, waiting to be put to work storing shoes or sorting scarves. Attach the right organizer and you’ll feel like you gained a few extra feet of closet space. This vinyl, over-the-door rack not only holds up to 12 pairs of shoes, but the transparent design makes each one easy to locate. Now all you have to figure out is what to do with that open floor space that once held your shoe collection.Over the Door Vinyl Shoe RackTo buy: $9, amazon.com. Buy Now 09 of 09 Buy an Under-Shelf Basket Polished Habitat Below each shelf in your closet, there’s likely a few inches of unused space. To put that underutilized area to work, Melissa George of Polished Habitat decided to hang a couple of under-shelf baskets. These shallow wire containers clip onto the edge of a standard shelf—without screws or hardware—and can hold everything from socks to spare toiletries. Once you add a couple of these floating containers to your closet, you’ll wonder why you ever let this area sit unused.Under Shelf BasketsA simple wire basket will blend into the rest of your closet, while an open wire frame lets you peek at what’s stored inside. For less than $15, this affordable option is a small investment to make for a more functional closet.To buy: $13, containerstore.com. Buy Now 10 Secrets Only Professional Closet Organizers Know Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit