11 wonderful wardrobe hacks to try right now

So you’ve Marie Kondoed to the max and got rid of everything that doesn’t ‘spark joy’, but you’re still struggling to fit everything neatly into your wardrobe? We hear you. We can’t guarantee that our wardrobe hacks will spark joy, but they might spark a sigh of relief that you’re not tripping over trainers constantly.

1. Think seasonally.

Many of us crave a walk-in wardrobe but have to contend with a flatpack closet. If space is at a premium, only keep things in your wardrobe that you’re going to wear in the next few months, and pack everything else away (we’re looking at you, novelty Christmas jumper). Find out how to prep clothes for storage in our handy guide.

2. Upgrade your hangers.

We’re betting you have a wardrobe full of plastic or metal hangers that are fine for shirts, but pretty useless for silky dresses or skirts. The right hanger will make organising your wardrobe so much easier. Velvet hangers will help keep silky clothes in place; hangers with clips are best for skirts; padded ones are good for delicate items. Velvet hangers also tend to take up a lot less space than the more common wooden ones.

3. Make hangers work for their money.

Invest in a couple of multi-hangers for lightweight trousers, and a pull-out hanger for scarves, ties and belts. Alternatively, make your own scarf hanger by clipping some large curtain rings onto a standard clothes hanger.

4. Hang or fold?

It doesn’t take many bulky jumpers to fill a wardrobe rail. As a general rule of thumb, dresses, shirts, blouses and smart trousers should be hung up. Everything else can be folded up in a drawer or on a shelf.

5. Hang your longest clothes together, at one end of the wardrobe.

You’ll then have room for extra storage boxes underneath tops and short skirts.

6. Keep similar items together.

It’ll be a lot easier to find your black work skirt if it’s with the other skirts rather than hiding amongst your black trousers.

7. Put your wardrobe to work.

Plenty of rail space but not enough drawers? Pick up a hanging organiser for jumpers, jeans and T-shirts.

8. Fit extra shelves or drawers.

If you have a full-length wardrobe without fitted drawers, there’s a good chance a lot of the space is going to waste (or filled with a mountain of bags, shoes and clothing that you can’t cram in anywhere else). Some Ikea wardrobes and other flat pack closets are designed to be customised, so you can buy extra shelves or drawers and fit them yourself. For solid wood wardrobes, you might need to get a professional in. And don’t forget the empty space above the hanging rail, which is often just crying out for a shelf to store your handbags.

9. Add some storage boxes.

If shelves or drawers aren’t an option, you could try adding a freestanding shoe rack or some storage boxes at the bottom.

10. Fit some hooks.

Display handbags on hooks fitted to the outside of wardrobe doors. Hide hooks inside the doors for scarves and ponchos, or attach some bull-dog clips to keep odds and ends in place.

11. Store shoes on the inside of your wardrobe.

Fit rails inside your wardrobe doors to hang high-heeled shoes from, or pegs to hook flats onto.

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