Clever wardrobe storage ideas for the whole family, recommended by parents
Hate trying to find an outfit in the morning? Try some of these brilliant ideas to help you organise your and your child's wardrobe, to make the morning routine that little bit easier
As a busy parent, organising wardrobes may not be your top priority. However, having a neatly organised wardrobe can definitely make busy family life easier. For a start, you will know exactly where everything is when you're bleary-eyed, trying to find an outfit in the morning. It will also prevent having to pull everything out to find one specific thing, only to be left with a 'floordrobe' and a large mess that you then need to shove back into the wardrobe.
Fortunately, there are lots of great wardrobe organisation ideas that cost a fortune or take too much time to set up. We asked parents in our Top Tester's Club to tell us their top tips for organising their family's wardrobes, and here are the most popular suggestions.
For more organisation ideas, take a look at our kitchen cupboard storage ideas or best fridge organisers.
Wardrobe storage ideas, as recommended by parents
1. Age/category dividers
If you have a long hanging rail then dividers may be useful to help you separate your clothes into categories (e.g. dresses, bodysuits, tops, shirts). Alternatively, if you're organising a baby's wardrobe then you can get adorable baby wardrobe dividers (£9.99) so you can find the right size you need as your baby grows. It's a brilliant way to arrange and store all the baby grows and cute clothes you can't resist buying or get gifted that don't fit them just yet.
2. Space saving hangers
Struggling for space on your rail? We really rate these hangers which offer extra storage (£3.99); they take up less room across the rail by hanging the clothes tiered or vertically.
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You can also get hangers specifically for kids' clothes, which also help to save space. However, as your child grows so will their clothes, so if you don't want to have to keep buying hangers to fit you can get these extendable hangers (£21.99 for 18) which grow from baby size to adult size.
3. Floating shelves
Take a look around your wardrobe. Is there any unused space? If there is, you could install some floating shelves (£8) to store folded clothes, accessories or baskets. You can place them wherever you like and they work in pretty much any wardrobe, depending on space.
4. Hidden drawers
It can be difficult to fit both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers into a small room. However, some things are just much easier to store in drawers rather than hang in a wardrobe. If this is the case, consider putting a compact chest of drawers inside your wardrobe, below the rail, to save on floorspace. You will need to think about where you place it – we advise organising your clothes in height order, so that you don't have any long clothing blocking the drawers.
The good news is that as the drawers are not on show, there's no need to spend a lot. This little 3-drawer chest (£18.99) would do just fine. Or, for more space you could try these plastic drawers (£25).
5. Drawer dividers
If you want to store small items of clothing (all those tiny baby socks, for example), accessories, make-up or toiletries, drawer dividers are always a good idea. They keep everything in their place and help you locate what you need, when you need it. For ties, socks, muslins and other little bits, this 8-pack of drawer organisers (£4.50) is ideal.
For things like make-up or baby toiletries, something like these acrylic boxes (25 for £21.99) are a brilliant way to organise everything neatly. You can also get adjustable plastic organisers (£8.99) which can fit drawers of all sizes.
6. Storage boxes
If your wardrobe has shelves, or you've installed your own floating shelves, then storage boxes (£15.99 for 3) could be very useful to store things that cannot be hung up. They also make your wardrobe look very neat and tidy – always a plus. The choice of storage boxes is huge, with designs available in all different colours and patterns, like this cute polka dot one (£15). If you have space on top of your wardrobe, you may want to put some storage boxes (with lids) up there too. Just remember that these won't be as easily accessible as boxes inside your wardrobe, so try not to put things you'll need everyday up there.
7. Door storage
Even your wardrobe door can be optimised for extra storage. If you have room, try an over door hanging storage foldable pocket organiser (£19.99). If you are looking for a handy shoe storage option, this shoe rack (£35), which attaches to the inside of the door, is a great space-saving solution.
8. Hanging storage organiser
Depending on the amount of rail space you have left, you could try a hanging wardrobe organiser (£11.99). It hangs from the rail and has multiple sections to store shoes or folded clothes.
9. Scarf hangers
If you're a scarf fanatic then you will know all too well how difficult they are to store without creasing. The answer? These cleverly-designed scarf organisers (£6.52) which have different sized loops to hang your scarves easily.
10. Clothes storage bags
If you have too many clothes to neatly organise in your wardrobe, then it may be a good idea to separate your clothes into different seasons and pack away ones that you won't be wearing for a while. It's difficult with British weather as you never know if you'll need a jumper, even in the middle of summer, but you can get handy clothes storage bags (£17.99 for 3) which will fit nicely under your bed, so everything is still easy to find if needed. Storing your clothes away seasonally gives you more wardrobe space to see all the clothes you own and organise them however you like.
Pic credits: MFM home tester pics, product website & Getty Images.
Authors
Chloe is a Digital Reviews Writer and Coordinator for Immediate Media's Parenting team, specialising in household and trying to help parents save money. She researches and writes articles, recommending the best products, ranging from best cordless vacuums to best playpens. She has a First-Class Honours Psychology degree where she developed a strong interest in child development. During her teenage years she worked as a play worker and Brownie volunteer to support children's play.
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