Ultimate Wardrobe Hacks

Keeping a well organised wardrobe can often be a bit of a struggle and trying to keep on top of the clutter can seem like an impossible task.

Armed with some handy tricks and tips, you can now focus more on enjoying your day and starting your day right rather than be bogged down with the dreary task of opening a messy wardrobe having no idea what to wear for the day. It is important to remember to make your wardrobe work for you, so get a bit creative with your ideas.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Adding another clothing rack

By installing a second clothing rack you instantly double up on storage space. Here you can hang shorter items, like singlets, skirts and short sleeved tops. If you go one step further and hang clothes in order of length, you can also make use of the empty space by putting in some drawers or storage for your shoes or bags.

Insert shelf dividers

For those who don’t have a lot of drawers, folding clothes and storing on shelves is the next best thing. You will often find that over time, these piles will fall over and make a huge mess. Purchasing some shelf dividers ensure that all items remain where they are placed, upright and steady. These are very handy for separating different types of clothes you have or you could even separate these items by colour.

Use under-shelf baskets for extra storage

You can add under-shelf baskets to hook onto your shelves and these are perfect for storing undergarments, socks or any other small accessories that may have got stuck in the back of your wardrobe. This is a great way to make use of the unused space underneath.

Store unused items in containers

It is a far better idea to sort out your wardrobe by season – autumn/winter and summer/spring. It is definitely a waste of space hanging your bulky winter jackets when you’re in the middle of summer. Open up some more space by dividing up your clothes and only hang items you know you are going to wear over the next couple of months. Anything else should definitely be stored away in containers and kept on top of your wardrobe or out of sight in another room to maximise your space. Another good idea is to use empty suitcases for your unused items and store these on top of your wardrobe. They will then be within close reach when the time arrives for you to use them.

Hanger tricks

Try to use the same type of hangers. Not only is this pleasing to the eye but it also gives the illusion of less clutter.

You could also look at hanging your clothes vertically with the use of an s-ring and a chain – otherwise a DIY trick is to collect the tab from fizzy drink cans and voila! You now have a dual hanger. This works for keeping outfits of the day together and also saves on wardrobe space. Another alternative would be to use shower curtain rings to get the same effect.

Pic credit: Brit + Co - check out their easy-to-make hanger hack.

Another trick is to use rubber bands or hair ties on each end of the hanger to prevent item from falling off

It is handy to remember to keep items that are used often at eye level. You are more likely to wear or use something if you can see it. Items with less use should be stored on the bottom of your wardrobe and those that hardly get used towards the back so these are out of sight but in easy reach.

Use the space on the back of your wardrobe door

This is one area of the wardrobe which is way underused – think outside the box and use hooks, attach towel rack or another suitable option. Here, you can hang accessories, an outfit for the day – could even go as far as creating a shoe rack on the bottom – the possibilities are endless!

Another idea is to use an over the door shoe holder on the back of your wardrobe door – this lifts the items off the floor which can be replaced with drawers or containers for other items.

Make good use of empty spaces

Take advantage of this extra space and store less used items at the back of your wardrobe. If you choose to use containers, it would be handy to label them with a list of the contents to save time rifling through each of them to see whats inside when the time comes around.

With that being said, it is possible to go a bit overboard with containers and dividers, which ends up adding to the stress of the clutter. Always consider the amount of space you do have and don’t try and cram everything in – bite the bullet and choose to bin or donate items – remember less is more.

I would get into a routine, at least once or twice a year of doing a wardrobe clearout. Separate into three piles – keep, toss or donate. Forget about the idea of keeping something “just in case”. A good rule to follow would be if you haven’t used it in a year, its most likely you won’t be using it in the near future. It is important to recognise things that you no longer use and no longer love. For those of you holding onto items for sentimental reasons, consider putting these items in storage and then re-evaluating keeping these at a later date – mark the container accordingly with a date of storage. Doing this can be quite a difficult task but remember to start small and it will soon become routine over time.

After using an item, switch the hanger around – after a month or so check which hangers are in its original state (might consider getting rid of this item)

Adopt minimalistic lifestyle – less is more