Hall Closet Organization Tips
I am in love with these hall closet organization tips! Hall closets can easily become a messy catch-all, but these closet storage systems keep everything streamlined and organized.
Though we’ve spent considerable time making updates to our home, there are still plenty of spaces that need some TLC, especially when it comes to home organization systems.
Eeeer, yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm sharing this pic with you either.
I finally had some time to focus on some hall closet organization. This is one of two hall closets in our upstairs. This is more of a general storage closet, while the smaller one is used as a linen closet. Not only was the hall closet a haphazard mess, but I couldn’t actually find anything in it AND it wasn’t nearly utilizing the potential of the space. In short, it was approaching Monica Gellar level closet clutter.
I love my house but if I’m being honest, the closet space situation throughout the house leaves a bit to be desired, especially in the bedrooms.
So, this closet needs to accomplish a few things:
Hold bed linens
Serve as an off-season holding area for towels and summer toiletries
Act as a personal care pantry, housing extra packages of items bought in bulk
Include some back up clothing storage
Have some extra space left behind so that it can continue to grow with us
Asking a lot of a small closet, no? Never fear, I made it happen. Here's how.
Hall Closet Organization Tips
Start with emptying the entire closet.
I know, this is the worst part, but necessary to see everything that you have, want to keep, and plan to remove.
Separate into piles of keep, toss, donate, move elsewhere.
Have 2 black waste bags in hand so that garbage can be tossed immediately. Wrap that stuff up and get it out of there.
Have a separate box or bag on hand for items to donate. Pack that up and move it out of there.
Now, you're left with stuff to keep in this closet and stuff to move to another location.
Categorize the 'keep' pile.
I segmented by bed linens, summer things, cosmetics, travel, and other uncategorized random items. Do whatever works for you.
This is usually where I run out of steam and want to just leave everything where it is while I lay on the couch for a bit watching Great British Baking Show reruns. Do what you gotta do.
Get your organizing supplies.
I knew that I'd need some extra storage bins and carts, but I didn't want to purchase anything until I knew what I was dealing with. I assessed what I could repurpose, then left my upstairs hallway a complete disaster and wandered around Target for an hour debating which bins and things would suit my needs. Under $75 later, I was home and ready to put this baby back together.
And here's how I organized it:
I moved all of the rarely used extra bed linens to the top shelf. The kids' sheets were moved to their rooms, so all that was left was a spare set for our bed (which we never use because I wash and put the same set back on), a beat up set that I keep for camping, and a set for our future spare bedroom. We don't need any more than that!
Next, I needed a shelf for some chunky sweaters and other off-season clothing items that don't have a space in our bedroom. Yes, I do put away summer clothes, but this is for like swimsuits and cover ups, which I don't like to pack with other items in a closet container (that chlorine and sea smell just permeates everything in close quarters). And, some of my sweaters are just too large for drawers, so a spacious shelf does the trick.
Speaking of summer, I also made a shelf for summer things. Beach towels were rolled up and stored in a bin (gotta love the roll for a space saving hack!), as well as a basket of other summer stuff, like sunscreen, bug spray, goggles, wet bags and one of my favorite items, a grab 'n go sunscreen pouch. We do have summer stuff stored away in the basement, but the kids still do swim lessons and we are going on vacation next month, so I kept some summer things accessible. I love this summer shelf!
Now we get into the random cosmetics and personal care items, which is usually a huge pain point that spirals out of control quickly. I picked up like 6 of these clear plastic rectangular baskets to accommodate this. Included in each: bar soap (a Costco size pack of it), random lotions and other chemical items like static guard, nail polish, and one for other random bathroom items like hair care and an extra toothbrush charger.
Next up, more bathroom goodies! I buy lots of tissues at a time and always have them shoved in random spots. I wanted to give them a solid chunk of shelf to spread out, and this one has room to spare for these tissue-heavy winter months. I got a little tray for on-the-go tissue packs as well as hand soaps, some of which are half used and swapped out for holiday scents, but I like to keep these extras on hand. I also have a bin for my contact lens boxes, another item that was strewn about.
Now, for my favorite feature - the rolling carts! My friend Lindsey turned me onto these 3 drawer plastic rolling carts. They're $12 each at Target, hold a ton of stuff, and now they are all over my house. So much better than a big cardboard box at the bottom, amiright? They add so much storage and function to closet space, they are truly my new favorite thing, evidenced by the fact that I bought 4 of them on this Saturday Target run, using 2 here and 2 in other spaces for another time.
I designated one for travel items. The drawers include:
I moved all of the rarely used extra bed linens to the top shelf. The kids' sheets were moved to their rooms, so all that was left was a spare set for our bed (which we never use because I wash and put the same set back on), a beat up set that I keep for camping, and a set for our future spare bedroom. We don't need any more than that!
Next, I needed a shelf for some chunky sweaters and other off-season clothing items that don't have a space in our bedroom. Yes, I do put away summer clothes, but this is for like swimsuits and cover ups, which I don't like to pack with other items in a closet container (that chlorine and sea smell just permeates everything in close quarters). And, some of my sweaters are just too large for drawers, so a spacious shelf does the trick.
Speaking of summer, I also made a shelf for summer things. Beach towels were rolled up and stored in a bin (gotta love the roll for a space saving hack!), as well as a basket of other summer stuff, like sunscreen, bug spray, goggles, wet bags and one of my favorite items, a grab 'n go sunscreen pouch. We do have summer stuff stored away in the basement, but the kids still do swim lessons and we are going on vacation next month, so I kept some summer things accessible. I love this summer shelf!
Now we get into the random cosmetics and personal care items, which is usually a huge pain point that spirals out of control quickly. I picked up like 6 of these clear plastic rectangular baskets to accommodate this. Included in each: bar soap (a Costco size pack of it), random lotions and other chemical items like static guard, nail polish, and one for other random bathroom items like hair care and an extra toothbrush charger.
Next up, more bathroom goodies! I buy lots of tissues at a time and always have them shoved in random spots. I wanted to give them a solid chunk of shelf to spread out, and this one has room to spare for these tissue-heavy winter months. I got a little tray for on-the-go tissue packs as well as hand soaps, some of which are half used and swapped out for holiday scents, but I like to keep these extras on hand. I also have a bin for my contact lens boxes, another item that was strewn about.
Now, for my favorite feature - the rolling carts! My friend Lindsey turned me onto these 3 drawer plastic rolling carts. They're $12 each at Target, hold a ton of stuff, and now they are all over my house. So much better than a big cardboard box at the bottom, amiright? They add so much storage and function to closet space, they are truly my new favorite thing, evidenced by the fact that I bought 4 of them on this Saturday Target run, using 2 here and 2 in other spaces for another time.
There you have it. A newly organized hall closet! Tbh, I love just opening it every time I walk by because what once gave me a sense of anxiety, now brings me joy and zen!
What are you organizing lately?
