Apply These Ideas to Maximize Your Limited Custom Closet Space

Heather Towner • July 11, 2023

Custom closets are a fantastic organizational solution. However, they’re not infinite. You’ve recently begun running out of room in your custom closet, and you’re scratching your head wondering what to do next. What are your options?

Here are some creative ideas for increasing custom closet space:

Divide and Conquer
Donate What You Don’t Use
Add Wall Hooks
Place Items in Storage Boxes
Use Vacuum-Sealed Storage Bags
Add Drawer Organizers
Put in a Storage Bench
Hang Clothes on a Garment Rack
Try a Shoe Organizer

You can get your closet back in order with a storage system. This article will be full of actionable tips telling you how.

1. Divide and Conquer

Before you employ any organizers, go through what’s in your custom closet to determine if it all must really be there.

For example, you probably don’t need your thick sweaters taking up valuable closet space in the middle of the summer. You also don’t need your business wardrobe if you’ve recently begun working from home.

Take out-of-season garments, shoes, and linens (big, bulky comforters can definitely hog up a lot of room in any custom closet) and store them elsewhere.

Some storage suggestions are baskets or bins underneath your bed. You can also move off-season items to the basement. However, make sure you store the items in airtight containers to prevent them from getting dusty or dirty.

2. Donate What You Don’t Use

Are you tired of the seasonal slog of transitioning between summer and winter and winter and summer? Cut down on the clutter by going through your items and discarding what you don’t use or wear.

It’s time to donate if you haven’t worn or even thought about wearing an item in your closet for at least six months. That goes for everything in the closet, including shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, and skirts.

You should also strongly consider donating if you’ve recently changed your style, you don’t have anything to go with the piece, and especially if it no longer fits, says Goodwill.

Giving items a new home always feels great, as you’re helping someone who needs it. You’ll also have more closet space to work with.

3. Add Wall Hooks or Shelving

Do you have stuff in your custom closets crowding the floor? The closet can begin to feel claustrophobic as you’re closing in on the space around you.

Solve your space woes by moving items from the floor to the wall. Valet hooks and wall hooks can help with this. Once you clean your clothing off the floor and hang it up, your closet shouldn’t seem quite as tight as it once did.

4. Place Items in Storage Boxes or Baskets

Storage baskets and boxes can be a difference-maker in your custom closet. You can fold up small items and stash them inside, then tuck the boxes or baskets away in a cubby or shelf in your closet.

We suggest labeling these storage containers, whether with written labels or even a color-coded system. Alternatively, buy transparent storage containers so you can easily discern the contents.

You won’t drive yourself crazy the next time you need a specific item in your closet. You’ll know just where to find it.

5. Use Vacuum-Sealed Storage Bags

Do you still find yourself shorter on space in your custom closet than you’d like to be? Vacuum-sealed storage bags will become your new best friend.

Load items, such as clothing, blankets, linens, and accessories, into the bags. Close the bag and use the vacuum sealer. The sealer generates heat that will close the bag tight. Simultaneously, the vacuum sealer sucks all the air out of the bag.

The airtight seal prevents air from escaping, which results in a very compressed bag. You can finally fold down bulky items that have always taken up too much room in your custom closet.

Once you’ve gone through and air-sealed your biggest closet items, you can store them in a basket or on a shelf.

It’s easier than you may think to open a vacuum-sealed bag when the time comes to retrieve your items. Take the zip and pull it apart, and it should open.

6. Add Drawer Organizers

Do you store all sorts of household items in your custom closet drawers? The problem is there’s so much stuff in there that you can barely find what you need. It’s like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Worse yet, items have become entangled or otherwise enmeshed, which further adds to your struggle. You want to use your drawers to the fullest, but you’ve barely touched them because you’re tired of losing the items you need.

Drawer organizers are the ideal solution for this dilemma. They slot into drawers and add compartments to keep various items.

You won’t have to stress about your small objects getting tangled, which is great if you store jewelry in your custom closet. You’ll find everything in your closet so much more accessible and organized.

7. Put in a Storage Bench

Do you have a resplendent custom bedroom walk-in closet that’s short on space? Why not select a multifunctional storage option, such as a storage bench?

At first glance, these luxe benches look like nothing more than plush seating. However, the bench also doubles as a storage solution, allowing you to stash boxes, containers, and bags within its depths.

A storage bench adds to the vibe of your walk-in closet. You can rest on it when you need a break from organizing, put your shoes on in the morning at the bench, or simply marvel at its beauty.

This subtle storage solution frees up your walls and hooks for further accessories.

8. Hang Your Clothes on a Garment Rack

Another brilliant idea for increasing limited custom closet storage space is to use a garment rack. This is especially advantageous if your closet hooks are all full.

A garment rack is a wheeled accessory so you can move it around your bedroom. You can roll it into the closet if you want to hide your wardrobe away or leave it outside of the closet so you can easily get dressed for work.

You can store dozens of outfits on a garment rack, giving your clothes in the closet more room to breathe. This will preserve their condition, as pushing your clothes too close together and then closing the door for long enough can cause humidity and mold.

9. Try a Shoe Organizer

We have another great suggestion for fixing a cluttered closet, especially if your shoes have run amok. Use a shoe organizer.

A shoe organizer or fence can store all styles of footwear, from heels to sandals, flats, loafers, and boots. You’ll have a dedicated place to keep your shoes so they don’t make piles in the corners of your custom closets.

You won’t have to trip over your shoes looking for them first thing in the morning, and you won’t be in the unenviable position of having to search for a missing shoe partner. Your shoes will be organized and ready to go, two at a time.

You’ll also preserve your shoes with an organizer, as you won’t stack them on top of each other, where they can get dirty, dusty, and misshapen.

Conclusion

Custom closets are transformative, introducing organizational options that neaten your home. You have to get crafty when you run out of space. We hope the ideas we presented today help you organize your closet.