5 things people with tidy clothes always have in their drawers and wardrobes – ditch the ‘floordrobe’ and restore order to your clothes storage

As Ideal Home’s Editor for all things storage and organisation, I’d like to think that I’ve mastered the art of keeping *most* of my home neat and tidy - but my clothes storage is a different story. My ‘floordrobe’ has taken over my sleeping space; it takes approximately six million years to find what I want to wear in the morning, and my wardrobes and drawers are bursting at the seams.

And while I’ve always dreamed of amazing wardrobe ideas and perfectly folded drawers, the reality is that I have a small home with limited storage that just isn't equipped to handle the many (many) clothes I own. But after taking note of the things people with tidy bedrooms always have, I’ve made it my mission to curb the clutter and finally take action.

So, I asked my most organised friends, family, and colleagues for their tips on the things people with tidy clothes always have in their drawers and wardrobes, and to see if there were any game-changing gadgets or gizmos that would transform them into a perfectly curated, chaos-free option for clothes storage. And I thought I’d share them with you, too.

1. Space-saving hangers

One of the biggest problems I have in my small bedroom is that my wardrobe space is very small, and for some reason (I thought they looked better than metal hangers, so sue me!), I opted for chunky wooden hangers to hold my clothes. Apparently, this is the worst thing I could do.

When you’re working with a small wardrobe but a large collection of clothes, you can triple your wardrobe space with space-saving hangers designed with vertical (not horizontal) space in mind. These are generally more slimline - often made from metal and velvet - and often come in different forms for different items of clothing.

For example, you can buy specific space-saving hangers for your trousers, hanging skirts, T-shirts, shirts and more. And as I have all of these in my wardrobe, I’m going to mix and match a few of them to organise my wardrobe as efficiently as possible - while freeing up space in the process.

2. Drawer and shelf dividers

Most people have a chest of drawers and shelves in their wardrobes, and I’m the same. But this is typically where things get messiest, as my folded clothes quickly become a jumble when I’m rummaging around for that one top I really want to wear. That’s where drawer and shelf dividers can help.

Drawer organisers are particularly handy for tidying deep drawers, as they let you separate clothes and make them easier to see and reach when you need them. Plus, they’re ideal for smaller items like underwear and accessories that could get lost among other items in the drawer.

I’ve also recently heard how effective shelf dividers are when you’re trying to keep a home tidy, so I’ve also got my eyes on ones like these Okydoky Acrylic Shelf Dividers (£13.99 at Amazon), to keep clothes folded and prevent any unnecessary crumpling of clothes in my wardrobes. From the looks of things, they’re what I’ve been needing all this time.

3. Hanging organisers

Wardrobes generally rely on horizontal space, from the hanging rail itself to the shelves you may have in them. But from listening to people who have tidy clothes storage, utilising the vertical space is just as important as the horizontal space when maximising space in a wardrobe.

Most retailers have hanging organisers that hook onto your wardrobe rail, equipped with shelves and even extra hangers for everything from your bags and accessories to your shoes, or simply extra folded clothes space. This means that you can use up what is often considered ‘dead’ vertical space and make it worthwhile.

Personally, I always struggle with my handbag storage and just dump them in a pile at the back of my wardrobe, so I’m going to invest in this The Edited Life Bag Organiser (£15 at Dunelm), to solve that problem. And stock up on some other hanging organisers to turn my wardrobe into an extension of my chest of drawers.

4. Vacuum storage bags

One thing I will give myself credit for is seasonally rotating my clothes, which does take a lot of pressure off my drawers and wardrobes. After all, there’s no point in my chunky winter knits taking up much-needed space in my drawers during the summer months, or my summer dresses overpowering my small wardrobe space in the winter.

This is one of the things people with tidy clothes always do, too. They streamline what they know they’ll be wearing over the next few months by putting the clothes they won’t wear elsewhere. This could be in a spare wardrobe in a different room, or by using vacuum storage bags.

These bags are deceptively spacious, as you can suck all of the air out of them and make your clothes as compact as possible - meaning you can pack them away into your suitcase in the loft, hide them under your bed, or hide them out of sight. Just make sure you have your iron on hand when you get them out again.

5. Stackable storage boxes

The main takeaway I got from people who keep their clothes as tidy as possible is that maximising vertical space is everything. And another way to do that is by adding stackable storage boxes to your wardrobes.

What I love most about these boxes - and what has made me add some to my basket immediately - is that they can be used to store everything from the shoes that are usually thrown to the back of your wardrobe to those folded clothes that you don’t have space for in your drawers. Plus, just about anything else that doesn’t necessarily have an obvious home.

Opting for stackable options rather than standalone boxes also ensures that they stay neat and tidy without folding in on themselves or falling over and creating even more mess in your small space.

With these affordable buys in tow, your clothes storage will be organised in no time!