Wardrobe Storage Ideas

Set aside a decent chunk of time, plan an excellent play list, and use our handy guide to help you on your way!

Which is why we’ve created Matalan’s ultimate wardrobe organising guide. Not only are there ideas to make the whole process efficient and easy, but we’ve also included wardrobe storage ideas and wardrobe space saving ideas – perfect if you’ve got a lot to store but have a small space. There’s also tips on organising drawers, organising your laundry and ideas on how you can best keep up with your new space.

Why is now the perfect time to organise your wardrobe? Not only will your wardrobe look so much more aesthetically pleasing and instantly make you feel calmer and more in control, but you’ll be able to properly see everything you already own! You can work out which pieces need to be more easily accessible and which pieces you can get rid of by passing on to friends, selling on a secondhand site or giving away to charity. It also means you’ll be better clued up about any potential gaps in your wardrobe for new items which means a clothes shopping trip might just be on the cards…

So, let’s get started!

The best starting point is to remove everything you want to organise in your wardrobe. Take out all your clothes, take out all your hangers and things like bags, shoes and clothing that has slipped off their hangers. Once the space is empty, give it a decent wipe-over and clean, and leave the doors open to help air the space out.

The next part is the big part, and that’s going through every single item from your wardrobe and deciding whether to keep it or get rid of it. Create different piles - your ‘definitely keep’ pile, one of these is your ‘maybe’ pile, and the other is your ‘goodbye’ pile. When making the decision about what to keep, ask yourself several things. Instead of asking when the last time you wore it was, ask yourself if you love it or if it’s useful. There might be an amazing party dress you only get to wear once a year but it makes you feel incredible, and equally there might be a grey jumper you don’t particularly love but end up wearing every week because it’s comfortable, practical and goes with everything else in your wardrobe. Keep them both.

When sorting through your ‘maybe’ pile, it’s worth trying everything on to see what still fits and what no longer works for your body. Try not to hold onto anything that’s more than a clothes size too big or too small – and if you do keep anything that doesn’t quite fit at the moment, try and store it elsewhere, such as in under-bed storage or in a vacuum storage bag. Other questions to ask your ‘maybe’ pile might be: does it work for my lifestyle? Does it go with anything else I own? Is it actually comfortable to wear? Do I feel good in it? If the answer is predominately a no, then it’s probably time to get rid.

Sort through the things you’re getting rid of and work out if there’s anything you could sell on secondhand websites and apps, if there’s anything your friends might love, and whether items are good quality enough to be taken to the charity shop.

Before you put everything back in your wardrobe, try separating things into seasons if you’re keen to only display the items you want regular access to right now. If it’s Winter, then get those beach dresses stored elsewhere, and if it’s Summer it’s time to separate out those roll neck jumpers and Winter coats.

Sorted through everything? Now it’s time to return everything into your wardrobe. If you want to find brilliant wardrobe storage ideas, then it’s best to try and utilise every bit of space available to you. You could try installing a hanging shelf, which is perfect for lighter items like t-shirts and accessories. Another idea might be to install a shelf at the top of your wardrobe which can be lined with baskets and boxes for holding things you don’t need access to every day. And don’t forget the inside of your wardrobe doors, they offer additional hanging space for smaller items like jewellery which avoids them getting tangled up and unworn.

Investing in thin matching hangers will not only look gorgeous and neat, but will ensure you can hang as much as possible in your wardrobe. Make sure that they’re all facing the same way and not tangled up to make removing items of clothes as easy as possible.

Work out which items need to be hung on hangers and which items are better folded away. Delicate items like occasion dresses are best hung, whilst knitwear is best folded to avoid losing its shape. Things like jeans and t-shirts can be hung or folded depending on where you have the most space for them.

When organising your wardrobe and the items you hang in it, think about which categorising method works best for you. You can either group items in categories such as all dresses together, all skirts together and so on, or you could colour co-ordinate your items.

And lastly, don’t forget to organise the floor space of your wardrobe. You could line up the bottom with baskets or boxes to hold bags, shoes or even pyjamas and loungewear. This keeps things neat and organised but they’re also super easy to pull out.

Your wardrobe is looking gorgeously organised and now it’s time to tackle your drawers. First, remove everything from your drawers and give them a generous clean and airing before you start to fill them up again.

You might keep a whole host of things in your drawers. Maybe they’re reserved for additional clothes, or maybe they hold accessories, beauty products or jewellery too. Ensure you go through all the items and separate out anything that no longer works, no longer fits or is no longer needed.

Before you replace everything, it’s good to consider whether drawer separators or dividers might better keep your drawers organised. These are especially good if the items you keep in your drawers are small – they’re perfect for things like beauty products, underwear, socks or smaller accessories and ensure items don’t get lost, tangled or messy. It will also make it easier for you to locate that one item you need.

Move everything that you want to organise in your drawers into categories and then assign each category an individual drawer. Maybe all your t-shirts will be together, all your underwear and socks in another, and then pyjamas in a third drawer.

Anything big or bulky like coats and jackets are better hung up on a clothes rail in a wardrobe, and the same goes for delicate items too.

The best way to fold clothes in drawers? Use the Marie Kondo method which involves folding clothes length ways and then rolling them so that they can be stacked vertically. This means that when you open a drawer you will immediately be able to see every item of clothing inside which will make getting dressed in the mornings so much easier!

t’s not just your clean clothes and accessories that need organising, your dirty or worn clothes can be stored in a way which makes them easier to access and look neat too.

Consider investing in a nice laundry basket. This will likely be on show somewhere so make sure that it’s not just functional, but that it goes with your interiors too. If you live on your own then you don’t have to worry too much about size, but if you have a large family then consider either buying a large laundry basket to avoid messy overspill, or several of them to keep in different rooms.

There’s different laundry basket styles to choose from, such as collapsible styles and corner styles which are great for smaller spaces. Make your clothes washing even easier to complete with a basket which comes with separate lights and darks sections.

It’s important to have a place for everything, even your dirty clothes, as it makes it easier to tidy up, but also to find things too.