Somebody needs to donate some clothes to Goodwill. Seriously, I count at least 28 sweaters on the top shelf! (Why aren't they--and the coats--in storage in the summer?)

It's not a matter of organization. It's 10 pounds of clothes in a 5-pound closet.

Get rid of 25% of what's there. I bet you can live with 21 sweaters.

Start with that shiny aqua thing.

Then--two new rules:
1. If you buy something, you get rid of a similar item.
2. Shopping is not recreation. Spend money on experiences, not things--concerts, plays, trips, etc.

I don't mean to be flippant but maybe go through all your things first and see if there are things you longer want, don't fit, out of style, shabby looking or just don't like anymore. I will say this is a big job but it will make the rest of the organizing much easier and I bet will free up some space. Once that is done take a section at a time. For your shoes, you can buy clear shoe boxes and label them so you can see at a glance what is in each box and they are stackable. For your sweaters and folded items do the same thing, buy some boxes that you can label, sweaters in one, scarves (usually worn during winter) in another, etc. I would also suggest to maybe separate by season, depending on where you live. I live in an area where I can wear most of my clothes all year. If you live someplace where you have real seasons, you can label accordingly and rotate them so during the summer your winter items are on the bottom. Another suggestion is to put items by groups of color, it can help when you are getting dressed and it looks pretty too, lol. Check to see if you have a Container Store near you, they have wonderful things for organization, Target is another place to check out. I will however go back to my first suggestion, purge first, that way each time you reach for something, it will be something you like, is in style and fits. Good luck, just take your time and be sure to post pictures of your finished project. Once you are done I know you will be so pleased with the results.

@tatts thank you for the advice. Unfortunately I don't have much storage space living in a condo...so I have no choice but to keep everything in my closet..winter and summer items. The "shiny aqua thing" is a work zip up jacket and I wear it all the time even during the summer when it's cool..so I won't be giving that away. I donate clothes often to the Salvation Army and I've already gotten rid of a bunch of stuff. I also try to get rid of an item when I get something new..this is something I've started doing recently.

I have plastic tubs for my off season clothes and shoes. They go on the top rack of my closet, and the seasonal stuff goes where its more accessible.

Have you considered selling some items to make a bit of money and some room in your closet? Another idea to pare down your items, you could do the 6 month challenge: if you haven't worn an item in 6 months, you should probably donate it. You can also change your buying habits for the future. If you don't already, try to buy fewer items but purchase pieces of great quality and timeless style (may be more expensive due to quality). Avoid trends and any clothing made in a third world country that likely exploits women and children. Just some ideas to control the volume. I think that's your biggest and first issue.

Agree you should purchase clear storage boxes for your shoes. Is it possible to store your jackets in a front hall closet? If you have any room under your bed, you can use large clear bins on rollers for your sweaters or shoes or seldom worn items.

Hello! Thanks for your advice everyone. Where can I purchase clear shoe boxes? FYI I'm in Canada.

Also wanted to add that some items in there are my husband's (about half of the middle rack and some shoes) as he doesn't have enough room in his closet :)

Do you want to continue to store this much stuff? If so, it's already about as organized as it can be. Line things up by color and you are done.

If you are tired of this overloaded closet, try reading Marie Kondo's book and following her advice. Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1-HMMX_NR8

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308

This is a color coded closet:

After you purge your items, the two things that would free up your space is to put in a closet organizing system without those awful vinyl racks - they take up too much room. Change out your hangers to the thinner ones that are velvet -cladded so your item doesn't slip off. This is what I am talking about (example pic below):

To get the most benefit out of your closet, you will need to organize and measure the volume of each type of clothing: suits, blouses, pants, shoes, accessories etc. and design the appropriate space. Best to purge first as others have mentioned. See the skinny hangers in the lower left corner. Those are a better solution than the fat white plastic hangers you are using now.

I have found the smaller the space, the more critical it is to use the closet built in organizers. You can fit in many more items and actually see what you have. There are many different configurations. The second pic is of a reach in closet with organizers. There are different companies that have different styles. Check them out.

My first thought was, do you have a dresser? I'd try to get all the sweaters and folded wear out of this space, and the hamper too, if there's room in the bedroom or bath.

Then reorganize the rest to have (a) double hanging where possible (huge increase in storage capacity), (b) better use of the corners (which might mean going straight with the rods and shelves and then filling the left wall with all hooks for purses and belts or shallow shelves for other accessories), and (c) built-in shelves for shoes and whatever folded stuff remains.

There are lots of places that sell closet systems, but you can get a company like California Closets to come out and measure what you have and then design something to make it all fit better. Straight rods and judicious use of metal hangers will make things easier too.

My first suggestion is to get rid of the shoe boxes. Shoes take up less space than boxes.

As suggested, double check that all the shoes are worth keeping. (I recently pulled a pair for an event and noticed the faux leather had pulled apart in several places. It had been so long since I'd worn them.)

I had my closet custom fitted with shelves for my foldables and hangers for my hangables. The carpenter wanted to divide the closet in perfect halves with the high hanger on one half and the double hangers (for blouses and jackets) on the other half. I had to correct him because I don't have that many dresses, so I needed more double hang space. The reason for my long winded story is, design the closet for what you have, not for symmetry. - lots of shelves because you have those folded sweaters. Shoe storage for the shoes and specific hanging storage for your hung clothes.

That is difficult, particularly since you are sharing the closet. Can you put all off season clothes in another closet, plastic boxes etc.? Then see what is left.

Do you have room under your bed for your shoe storage? There are many different styles and sizes at an affordable price, just check google shop.

@Denita I love the idea of the thin black hangers. Thank you for ypur tips!

acm I do have a dresser but the drawers are quite small and that's where I keep my socks, pjs, undergarments,light tshirts and tank top. There is no more room in there for anything else :( Hamper would not fit in the bathroom or in the bedroom (no space). Although I think it's a wonderful idea, I was not planning on changing my closet system at this time so I prefer to work with what I already have as much as possible. Thank you very much for your tips.

motupeg No other closet with space available. I have one small closet where my husband and I keep all of our jackets and then another small one in the nursery (I will be having a baby in less than a month...or sooner!). I actually had to move a lot or stuff from the closet in the nursery into the bedroom closet because I'm trying to create space for baby's things. I can maybe try putting things in plastic storage boxes and figuring out a spot for them. Thanks for the advice!

Denita nothing fits under the bed unfortunately because the bed is quite low so I wouldn't be able to squeeze much under there.

In Canada, you check out a store called "Solutions", but they might have something comparable at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ikea or even the Dollar Store.

hatetoshop Thank you so much!

apple_pie_order thank you :)

I recommend the over-the-door shoe pocket holders, since your door swings out and you aren't using it for anything. In my last place, the closet had french doors so I was able to have two of these for a total of 24 pairs of shoes. Then I lined my tall boots up on the top shelf, but in your case, I'd put them in the cubbies below.

Then get some clear bins that fit perfectly on the top shelf, and pack away your out-of-season stuff in them.

You could learn the Konmari fold and it may maximize space for your folded items, and make them more accessible. They'd be stacked vertically rather than horizontally, so no more toppling and messing up the stacks when you go to retrieve something.

Definitely get the slim line hangers.

I'd then organize your hanging stuff by color (NOT by type), and take a look at any categories where you've got too much of the same color (potential to declutter) as well as orphan colors (a hint they may not flatter you and should be decluttered as well).

Once you make that pass then you can go back to organizing by type (short sleeve tops, then long sleeve, then jackets, etc).

Put the handbags up on the shelf, still accessible, but that makes some room to move some sweaters down.

I think you're probably using the side sections for long hanging items like dresses? That area is hard to see and access so I might consider using it for occasional and out-of-season wear and putting it all in those zippered garment bags not just to protect the items, but also to streamline and reduce "eye" clutter" when getting dressed.

You could maybe strive to declutter down enough that you could get a bin (or two) that perfectly fits one of those cubbies and use it as your laundry hamper. Then use the section above the current hamper for in-season long hanging items.

If you were up to rearranging your closet system, I'd remove the second shelf, move hanging items up there, then hang a second bar below. Then I'd hang EVERYTHING, including tees and sweaters and pants (fold delicate/heavy sweaters in half and hang over the hanger bar). Shoes on the back of the door. No racks on the sides. Put pull out belt racks there, and your laundry hamper, with a few hooks for things like handbags.

Re: Konmari folding:

I have a bunch of clothes that are a size down from what I'm wearing right now (thanks to a 9 month renovation in which we had no kitchen, I gained weight which I'm slowly losing now). I don't have these in my closet. I have them in storage cubes on shelves elsewhere, but they could work stacked along your upper shelves.

My cubes happen to be 10x10x10 but I think the standard is 12x12x12. I am petite so my clothes are also petite, but I am able to fit two layers of Konmari folded clothes inside each cube. So I've got a cube for tops, one for dresses, one for pants. The bottom layer is winter/fall items, the top layer is summer/spring. It's been a breeze to be able to check every now and then and see if any of the smaller summer items are fitting yet.

Jennifer M Great tips!! Thank you

These gray bags are my favorite for seasonal storage. They fit on most upper closet shelves and are stackable. Since they are not structured boxes, they can be squeezed into a tight space if needed. They keep dust off of clothes so you don't necessarily have to clean everything at the start of the season. I store my winter clothes in 2 of the oblong size. If some items don't fit in the bags, then I donate excess items. Good luck!

https://www.containerstore.com/s/grey-storage-bags/d?productId=10024282

Awesome! Thank you| simstress

Jennifer M: Ahhh...kitchen renovation. Been there, ate the microwave dinners.

Seriously, if I never see another Healthy Choice dinner in my life it will be too soon.

Just another thought--they make storage bags that you vacuum the air out of and they shrink bulky clothes down a LOT. And they really do pop right back when you open them. You can probably shrink sweaters down to 1/3 or 1/4 the space they take up now.

Don't forget the (often unused) space above the door on the inside of the closet.

And my daughters have discovered that nightstands with drawers all the way down hold a lot...(they share an apartment, so that real estate is valuable...)