21 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Organizing Their Closet

Wouldn't it be nice if you had a vast and magical wardrobe like the one featured in "The Chronicles of Narnia"? Alas, you might have to contend with the narrow, slim, or shoebox closet you have in your apartment. While you can't really do much about its capacity, keeping your wardrobe organized will help you take advantage of the available space and stay on top of everything you own. However, organizing isn't just about keeping your clothes in neat piles or hanging your suits and gowns as soon as they're back from dry cleaning. There are certain mistakes everyone is guilty of making while organizing their closets.

You might not empty it entirely, use mismatched hangers, neglect the vertical space, or feel decision paralysis creeping in while editing your collection. The good news is you can easily rectify these mistakes and enjoy a clutter-free space. For instance, you can implement TikTok's three-second rule to add a little excitement to your organization process and avoid spending more time and mental energy than necessary while getting rid of excess items. Similarly, you can buy matching hangers, tension rods, and stackable boxes and get adhesive hooks to put your closet's walls to use, too.

Want to know more about the mistakes you might be making when straightening your wardrobe and ways to steer clear of them? Here are 21 ways you might be going wrong and solutions to revise them.

A genius tip for a perfectly decluttered closet is to empty it entirely. This means you take out all the clothes, accessories (except perhaps watches and jewelry), and maybe-someday items from their cozy spots and put them out in the open. This will help you zoom out and consider all the stuff taking up space in your closet. Bonus advantage: You might even find that vintage Nirvana concert T-shirt you've been trying to locate for ages. However, don't make the mistake of emptying two or more closets in one go, or you might get overwhelmed.

The entire point of emptying your closet is to get a good look at all the stuff you own so you can part with items that no longer serve a purpose. However, this exercise will be pointless if you put back everything without editing your current collection. To ensure your efforts aren't in vain, take a good look at everything, and donate, sell, or recycle clothes, accessories, and footwear that no longer fit, have gone out of fashion, don't fall into the "I love it" category, or are worn out.

Although this might seem contradictory to the point above, if you're someone who regularly donates or sells stuff you no longer need, you don't necessarily have to get rid of old clothes every time you organize your closet. Remember, your closet organization is all about straightening your wardrobe and taking stock of your inventory — it's not about forcefully throwing stuff away. So, don't force yourself to part with your ratty (yet comfy!) college sweatshirt if you still enjoy wearing it at night or on your rare "me" days.

Once you have only the items you're sure about, you might start thinking of ways you can organize them. But before you form a game plan, take a clean, damp microfiber cloth, and give your shelves, drawers, rods, and hangers a gentle wipe down. This will remove the lingering dust and dirt. Additionally, wipe the lights in your closet with a dry microfiber cloth. Finally, sweep the floor and vacuum it. If you notice a not-so-nice smell coming from your closet, leave the doors open for a while.

It can be tempting to buy the closet storage solutions making the rounds on your Insta or TikTok pages. After all, how will you organize your wardrobe if you don't have the requisite boxes, baskets, closet rods, and hangers? However, ordering them without measuring your shelves or considering the items you want to store will backfire once you start the organizing process. So, bring out your measuring tape to determine the length of the required closet rods. Follow a similar strategy for the boxes, baskets, and hangers.

Hanging closet rods might seem like a no-brainer. You just suspend the bars and you're done, right? Not really. If you hang them too low, the hung garments won't have enough space to stretch their legs (literally!), especially if there's a shelf beneath them. Similarly, if they're too high, it'll be difficult for you to access them regularly. Another mistake you might be making with your closet rods is installing them in an intersecting formation. This will limit the number of items you can hang from the bars and make them less accessible.

If you're thinking there's no way you're using unassuming hangers improperly, you might be in for a surprise. When you hang a pair of pants, you shouldn't suspend it willy-nilly. Fold it half length-wise such that your back pockets are facing outward. This way, you'll be staying true to the garment's design and keeping the buttons or zippers from getting tangled with your dresses and T-shirts. In a similar fashion, use the support straps on your dresses and tops to maintain their shapes and keep them in place.

You might think using mismatched hangers is no big deal, but that's not the case. They will not only add to visual clutter but also make it harder for you to judiciously use the available space in your closet. This is because hangers of varying shapes and sizes will take up more space than matching ones. Your clothes might also get snagged on the worn edges of your old hangers. So, buy new ones like HOUSE DAY's pack of 60 black velvet hangers. Or do a simple hanger swap for a better-smelling closet.

It's common sense to sort your clothes into top and bottom wear when organizing a closet. However, you shouldn't mix your occasional wear with your regular garments. Putting in your dress pants with your regular jeans or your party dresses with your office wear is a big no-no. Always separate the two, and reserve space for your occasional-wear suits and dresses. This will make it easier for you to access your regular wear, ensuring you don't accidentally pair your worn sweatshirts with your dress pants or sequined skirts.

Another mistake you might be making when organizing your closet is mixing your chunky sweaters with your bright summer dresses. While you might think that keeping everything together will help you keep an eye on all your belongings, this will only create confusion (your puffer jackets will eat up your thin cotton shirts) and make your closet feel smaller than it is. So, organize your shelves based on the clothes you'll be needing in the immediate future, and put the off-season garments in bins and baskets to pack them away.

Color coding your clothes is a clever closet hack you didn't know you needed. This visual organization trick will make it easier to hunt down the garments you need in a jiffy. Plus, you won't have to spend much time coordinating your outfits every time you're going out the door. Just imagine not having to hunt down the perfect ivory shirt for your charcoal slacks. Moreover, you can keep track of the colors you have in your inventory and ones you might need to add to your wardrobe to shake things up.

Don't take the decision of folding versus hanging your clothes lightly. Not every garment likes to be hung, like your chunky sweaters since they'll lose their inherent shape and stretch out. Similarly, not every item is a big fan of being crammed into a pile. For instance, your dress pants, flowy dresses, and nice blouses will get wrinkled if they're shoved amid your other clothes. To avoid damaging your garments, consider their material, determine if they'll get horribly wrinkled or stretched, and hang or fold them accordingly.

Do you like pairing your dresses with eye-catching scarves or limited-edition handbags? Perhaps you like to stave off the cold air from attacking your legs with tights? Or maybe you're in your "The Intern" phase and want to wear a proper suit and tie to work like Robert De Niro's character? Whatever your reason or whichever accessories you prefer, don't forget to make room for them when organizing your closet. Even if you have just a few vintage watches or sunglasses, carve out some space for them.

You might be tempted to leave your footwear on your closet floor, thinking it'll make it easier for you to step into them. Unfortunately, the slippers, sandals, shoes, and boots will soon lead to a jumbled mess, cluttering your otherwise organized wardrobe. Plus, they take up precious floor space you can dedicate to other things, like a bulky organizer or a catch-all basket. So, invest in specific organizers, such as over-the-door ones, to move your footwear off the floor. Alternatively, try out brilliant Dollar Tree DIYs for optimal shoe storage.

Though you should maximize the available horizontal room in your closet, you shouldn't overlook the vertical space. Get creative and use hooks to your advantage. Need a renter-friendly alternative? Try out options that don't require a nail or drill, like Command adhesive hanging wall hooks. You can also invest in stackable boxes and try out a few smart tension rod hacks for closet storage and organization. Use small, medium, or large ones based on your needs, and even organize them into tiers to store more items in a small space.

If you have a small closet, make the most of the space you have instead of leaving it messy. To illustrate, install an adhesive hook on the back of your closet doors and put on hangers to organize your scarves, belts, ties, and bags. You could also use over-the-door organizers, like Simple Houseware's 24-pocket model, to keep track of your socks, shoes, sandals, sunglasses, and other accessories. For a slightly different approach, add peg boards, such as the Jot large square peg board from Dollar Tree, to the door to easily grab small items.

If you have a few cardboard boxes to spare, you might think of using them to store less frequently used or seasonal items. But refrain from doing so if you aren't particularly fond of the boxes' musty smell. When you store your garments in cardboard boxes for a long period of time, their inherent smell will rub off on your clothes and will be incredibly difficult to get rid of. So, save your future self some frustration and use acrylic or clothes baskets for storing such items.

What do you do with your worn clothes that aren't dirty enough to be washed but aren't clean enough to be put back in your wardrobe? Do you hang them on the back of your closet door and forget about their existence? Or do you put them on "the chair" until the next time? Instead of adding to your bedroom's clutter and disorganizing your well-maintained closet, keep a catch-all basket, laundry hamper, or bin handy for such situations. You could also assign them a space to the side.

Undoubtedly, sparkly baskets and hampers look great and will make you happy every time you glance at them. However, they'll make it difficult to discern what's stored inside what and compromise visibility. So, opt for transparent containers to organize your closet. This way, you'll know what's stored where at a glance. That being said, if you're attached to your opaque baskets or don't want to spend money on new ones, add labels on top or around the side handles using a length of twine with cardstock.

Although there's no harm in following an organization system you find online, it can be a mistake to not tweak it to suit your personal choices. For instance, you might find it more convenient to hang your pants, including jeans, rather than rolling them up in drawers or cramming them in a pile. In that case, ensure you hang a few closet rods instead of adding more drawers or shelves to your wardrobe. Conversely, if you feel that drawers promote cluttering, use them sparingly.

Now that you've organized your closet (congratulations!), you can rest easy, right? Wrong. You must consciously maintain it, or it'll resemble a raccoon's favorite hunting grounds within a few short weeks. When you undress at the end of the day, put everything back in its designated spot and drop the clothes due for a cleaning in the laundry hamper. Two to three times a week, set aside 5 to 10 minutes to make sure your wardrobe looks organized, and your efforts will pay off.