Your closet doesn’t need more space, it just needs the right organizer systems.

If your closet is currently stuffed and overflowing, you’ll be surprised how much more you can fit with just a few simple tricks.

Take a look at this complete closet organizing guide!

1. Get Ready

Before you start pulling everything out of your closet, spend a few minutes to round up a few things you might need. You don’t want to end up tossing all your clothes on the floor and jumping over the pile every few minutes to grab another bag or tool you’ve forgotten.

So before you even touch your clothes, your first step should be thinking about what’ll make the process as easy as possible. (Remember, organizing your closet will probably take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.)

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Place to Put Your Clothes/Shoes/Accessories

If you’re confident in the cleanliness of your floor, you can stack them in neat piles there. Otherwise, lay them on a made bed or store them in boxes or bags.

Tape Measure, Paper, and Pencil

You’ll have to measure your closet so you can choose the right organizer systems.

Basket for Small Things

Odds are you’ll find a lot of small things in your closet, like hairbands, bobby pins receipts, missing socks, and maybe even some cash if you’re lucky. Instead of spending extra time sorting through those too, toss them in a basket and deal with them later.

Your main focus right now is your clothes!

Donate/Sell Bag and Trash Bag

Going through your closet is the perfect opportunity to get rid of clothes you don’t wear anymore. If they’re in really good condition and you have a bit of extra time, you can sell them, but donating to a charity is a good choice too.

Anything with holes, stains, or other problems should just go straight to the trash.

2. Empty, Clean, and Measure

And emptying really does mean emptying. Don’t leave a few items in the back and try to work around them. If they stay in the back they won’t get organized properly, and you’ll need to see your entire closet space to plan which organizer systems you’ll use.

This is also a good opportunity to clean your closet (because how often do we get to do that?). If you’re rushed on time or your closet is already nice and clean, you can skip this step.

How to Clean Your Closet

Cleaning your closet is really simple, so it won’t take a lot of time away from your organizing. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Towel or rag for dusting
• Vacuum
• All-purpose cleaner

That’s it. Just dust the shelves, rods, walls, and baseboards, vacuum all the nooks and crannies, and touch everything up with your preferred cleaner.

Measure, Measure, Measure!

Take your time with this step, and make sure every measurement is correct. As a rule of thumb, you should measure every part of your closet at least three times.

This may seem excessive, but if you end up with an organizer that’s too big or too small, you’ll have to completely start over.

3. Get Your Organizer Systems

Now comes the fun part. With your closet emptied, cleaned, and measured, you get to start thinking about how you’ll put everything back in. This doesn’t have to be a long, expensive project either.

It all comes down to taking advantage of unused space and keeping things easy to find.

So let’s take a look at some of the best closet organizer systems.

Add a Second Rod

Most closets have one rod with some kind of shelf above it, and all that space between the shelf and the ceiling doesn’t usually get used well.

Adding a second rod above the normal rod will double your hanging space. Put it as high in the closet as you can and hang small items like shirts or short skirts above your longer dresses.

If you’re worried about being unable to reach the top rod, buy a cheap stepping stool.

See All Your Shoes

It’s hard to remember what shoes you have if you can’t see them. When it comes to shoes, making them all visible at all times should be your new rule.

And it’s okay if you have a lot of shoes!

Just measure the height of your tallest shoe (not boot), and install a few custom shelves close to the floor where they can all sit. If this seems like a little too much, you can stick to small cubbies or thin, clear storage units.

Use the Back of the Door

A few cheap organizer systems that hang on the back of your closet door is all you need. These can be used to store more shoes, accessories, bags, or scarves.

Organize Dresser Drawers

Cramming things in drawers equals losing things in drawers. Instead of piling folded clothes into deep drawers, stick to shall drawers and roll your clothes. This will take up less space and make finding your favorite clothes easier.

You should also consider using some drawer dividers, especially for things like bras and jewelry. When they’re all jumbled together, they can get tangled up with each other and become ruined.

Add Hooks to Unused Wall Space

You can use these for scarves, belts, bags, or bathrobes. It’ll make things easy to see, easy to grab, and more importantly, easy to put away. Hanging them on unused wall space will also keep them from getting lost in all the other clothes.

Use Prime Real Estate

The front and middle of your closet should only contain the clothes you wear most often. This makes them easy to find quickly. For example, if you have to get ready for work every morning, your work clothes should be front and center.

Organize Clothes

As you’re putting the last of your clothes back in, do it in a way that makes sense for you.

This could mean grouping likes with likes or hanging certain pieces of clothing with others to create several different outfit options.

Finding the right hangers will also help keep your clothes organized. If you have a lot of silky clothes that tend to fall off normal hangers, you’ll probably want velvet hangers (Check out these ones at Hangorize). If your hangers are too large and taking up extra space, you can switch to thinner hangers.

Creating the Perfect Organizer Systems

Remember, seasonal clothing and clothing you don’t wear very often shouldn’t be taking up space in your closet. Store clothes like this in cubbies or bags somewhere out of the way, like a high shelf.

Looking for some new clothes to put in your new closet? Check out these casual dresses!