Yes, maybe I buy too many clothes at times, and I don't necessarily have the room to house them, but I don't see either of those things changing right away. Yet, haphazardly storing items anywhere and everywhere just means they get crumpled and lost, not too mention making your calming retreat feel anything but.
Add into the mix limited square footage, such as a small bedroom, and learning how to store clothes correctly becomes even more important. To that end, I talked to professional organizers and compiled a handy guide to save you on storage space and stress.
After reading through these tips and tricks you'll have all the motivation needed to give your clothing collection the love (and space) it deserves. Here's what the experts had to share about making clothing storage in your small bedroom work harder.
1. Consider what clothing you want in the bedroom space
When storage space for clothing is at a premium in your bedroom, it's important to think about which items are worth taking up space. There may be garments you won't wear now until the summer that could be stashed away elsewhere, allowing your autumnal and winter gear prime spots to access.
Ben Soreff of House to Home Organizing says, "Clothes you don't wear often like formal wear may live in a different closet like in the guest room so they don't take up space in your primary closet. We want clothes to go in easily but come out easily, so cramming everything in will lead to unhappiness even if we can make everything fit into our limited storage or box room."
You could perhaps designate a basket in your linen closet for summer gear such as swimwear, hats, and tank tops. And if you have a guest bedroom with unused closet space, neatly placing some of your formal wear into a clothes bag like the MISSLO clear garment bag from Amazon will keep everything safe, in your sight, and easy to relocate in one piece.
2. Use slim hangers
You'll be surprised by how bulky some clothes hangers can be. If you're anything like how I've been over the years, you will have had a closet with mismatched hangers of different materials, from chunky woods to weak plastics.
Investing in a streamlined, durable set of hangers like this 20-pack of bamboo hangers from Amazon is more than worthwhile and will multiply your hanger space significantly. You can make even more use of a closet's vertical space with this chain closet hack, too.
Amy Trager, certified professional organizer and owner of Amy Trager, LLC, says, "Even if there's only twelve inches of hanging space in your closet, using slim hangers will allow more to be hung than most other hanger styles."
Permitted garments aren't too heavy, you can double up what you put onto your hangers if needed. I often place items I like to wear together on the same hanger, and even hang accompanying jewelry from the top of the hanger to complete each outfit.
Amy adds, "Hangers with grips on the shoulders or models flocked in velvet are best to prevent clothes slipping off if that's a problem you often face while rummaging through smaller storage space."
Wayfair has a great range of velvet non-slip hangers available in different colors, but I personally like their Oringa standard non-slip velvet hangers from Wayfair in a light wine shade the most.
3. Up your bedroom's functionality
There are likely many ways you can increase storage capacity by rearranging a small bedroom layout or adding practical pieces.
Do you use the back of your door for anything? It's the perfect place for a little over-the-door rack, ideal for hanging scarves and small bags. How about your vanity chair? Could you switch it out for a little ottoman or storage bench that opens up, offering a bit of additional storage space? The options are endless.
Mary Jo Contello, certified professional organizer and owner of Organized by MJ, says, "The best way to have storage for clothing in a small bedroom is to make sure everything in the room is very functional. If you have a bench at the end of the bed, it should provide storage inside. If you have door space, you could install an over-the-door shoe storage system like the FENTEC hanging shoe organizer from Amazon."
Kiera Malowitz, certified professional organizer and owner of Decluttered, LLC, personally recommends the Elfa utility large over-the-door rack from The Container Store to make the most out of space behind your small bedroom's door.
"This item from The Container Store is a great option to store your bathroom essentials, shoes, workout clothes, socks, underwear, t-shirts, and more," says Kiera.
4. Utilize the space under your bed
If you aren't making the most out of the space under your bed, now's the time to change that. Whether your bed lifts up to offer storage, has under-bed drawers, or just has a gap underneath, you can make the area work harder and store some of the clothing in your small bedroom there.
Ben says, "When storage space is limited in small bedrooms or apartments, using under the bed can become a good option. I recommend using this space for items you don't need often, so you won't have to keep taking them back out."
Switching out your seasonal sweaters and boots, and in their place storing your summer clothes right now would make use of this storage perfectly.
If your bed has a gap underneath, we recommend investing in some transparent rolling storage bins like the Sterilite 60qt clear under-bed storage bin from Target. Transparent bins will allow you to see everything inside each container at a glance and the wheels on the storage solution will make it easy to move around. Just make sure to measure the height of the gap under your bed before purchasing storage so you buy the right size for your space, and put the lid on firmly to keep dust out of your clothing.
Dawn Falcone of The Chaos Liberator recommends the bamboo under-bed storage containers with wheels from Amazon or this under-bed storage box from IKEA for those wishing for something more stylish.
"The key to storing clothing in a small bedroom is to use every inch of space, so definitely don't neglect the space under your bed," says Dawn.
If all these storage solutions have you worrying about the appearance of your under-bed space, Mary's idea has you (and your potentially unsightly storage stash) covered.
"If you have a bed with open sides on the floor you can hide the items you're storing under there with a dust ruffle," says Mary.
The basic lightweight ruffled bed skirt from Amazon is simple, and elegant and will disguise any items you're storing under your bed effortlessly.
5. Don't neglect vertical space
Vertical space is a commonly neglected area in most homes. But when you're working with a small room it's important to consider every area you have and assess how you can make it work for you.
Kiera says, "Whether you have high ceilings or not, wall space is often wasted when it comes to storage. I really like the Decor+ by Elfa available at The Container Store as a means to add extra storage to a small space. It's a mini closet that even has drawers that can fix right onto your wall."
Fixing a few hooks onto your wall space is another quick way to add vertical storage for clothes in a small bedroom. This can work by itself or in addition to over-the-door hooks or racks.
Amy shares some ideas for how you can make the most out of your hooks and racks.
"Over-the-door hook racks, hook racks on the wall or even individual hooks on the wall can hold a variety of items: hats, belts, purses and bags, scarves and clothes. You can use a couple hooks to hold clothes that have already been worn but aren't ready to be tossed into the hamper yet. I also recommend using a hook like a valet rod to hold tomorrow's outfit ready for work the night before. Space them accordingly in the closet or around the bedroom to suit your needs and style."
The JQK folding clothes hanger rack from Amazon is a valet rod designed to hold multiple clothes hangers. You screw this into your wall and when it's not in use it can be collapsed. Coming in an assortment of colors, I know my shopping cart will have one of these in it in the future.
FAQs
How do I maximize storage in a small bedroom?
I asked Amy Trager, certified professional organizer and owner of Amy Trager, LLC, and Dawn Falcone of The Chaos Liberator, what they believe is the answer to maximizing storage in a small bedroom.
Amy said, "There are two ways to do it: go up and go down! Use vertical space, like high shelves, and use low space, like under the bed or dresser. Usually, adding more furniture into the room will just make it more cramped and harder to access what you want."
Dawn said, "The key to maximizing storage in a small bedroom is to use every inch of space (under bed/closet doors). Another thing to remember in small bedrooms is to have furniture that can be dual-purpose. A small dresser by your bed can also serve as a bedside table. A storage bench at the end of your bed can hold extra linens/pillows or off-season clothing."
