WFMW - Cheap Kids Closet Organizer
Welcome to this week’s Works for Me Wednesday tip at Little Jack’s Corner!
I grew up with small closets… you know, the kind that is about 6 feet wide, 2 feet deep, with one lonely bar hanging about 3/4ths of the way up?
I hated them then, and I still hate them now. Once upon a time, I declared that when I “got my own place” my closets would be the huge walk in type.
That was before marriage, interest rates, and money management kicked in.
Now I not only have “my own place”, but I have 3 nice smalllll closets to go with it. So what did I do? I set about figuring how to maximize my space. Not only have I effectively organized the (small) closet my husband and I share (and we have a tushy load of clothes), but I have also organized my baby’s closet. The way I maximize my space allows me not to have to “change out” clothes seasonally - there’s plenty of room to store all of our clothes.
How I Did It
Now, for anyone who has ever had one of these small, wide closets, you should realize that clothes hanging side to side, in the normal fashion, is not the best use of space. Furthermore, using only one bar when much of our clothing on hang down a few feet is wasting even more space.
The Solution?
Instead of running the long generic bar from one side to the other, install a short bar and run it from front to back. For most small closets you can do this 4 times. Two bars will be placed on the right - the first one just below the generic long bar (enough to give hangers clearance) and then another about halfway down. Then repeat on the left side.
This effectively quadruples the available space for hanging shirts! Plus you then still have the middle section to hang long dresses on the generic side to side bar. And since you will now be viewing your shirts from the front (instead of the shoulder edge), you can hang them closer together and just “thumb” through them when you need one. Needless to say, hanging clothes closer together gives you more room as well.
Bonus - if you don’t need the top shelves of your closet and would rather have hanging space, remove the shelves, install one more long generic side to side bar near the top of the closet and add two more front-to-back bars on each side. That’s how we have our master closet.
Doing it Cheaply and Prettily
I am a firm believer that organization doesn’t have to cost much if you are able to think outside the box. I also believe though that in order to keep up the habits of good organization, your storage and closets need to be aesthetically pleasing.
Formerly, I would have my dad, a contract fence installer, install one of his left over fence poles (cut down to size) in the closets for me. And bam…free storage made easy.
But it was ugly! And every time I would peek in my closet, the look of the thick pole would annoy me. Even painting it didn’t help in my eyes.
I needed a better, more aesthetically way to do it myself - from easy sizing to easy installation. Finally I discovered the solution!
Shower rods.
Yep. Shower rods. And I don’t mean the long rods-that-go-over-the-tub-shower-combo. At Walmart (and I’m sure at many other places too) you can find short little 20-46 inch expandable / retractable shower tension mounted rods designed to hang curtains over actual shower stalls. The ones I found come in cream or bright white. And they only cost $4.96 each.
Perfect!
I now have 5 shower-turned-closet rods in different areas of my home. They worked wonders for my son’s closet, especially with all of his cute baby clothes that needed storage. Plus, when he gets older he’ll be able to reach the lower rods easily!
And if you’re wondering if they can really hold weight, I have one rod in my uber 
organized front living room closet with all of our heavy winter coats hanging on it. Just be sure the tension mount is tight enough (it’s just a simple twist and lock type of mechanism).
So there you have it… cheap, easy, and aesthetically pleasing closet organization for kids rooms, parents rooms or any room in the house!
For more great Works for Me Wednesday tips from the blogosphere, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.
Hi! My name is Lisa. I am 25 years old, and am married to the most wonderful man in the universe. I also just gave birth to my first son, Jack-Evan (aka "Little Jack"!). I love Jesus, my family, the ocean, good books, and motherhood.
I never thought of front to back spring/tension rods. I always bought those extra rods that hang down from the top rod. It doubled the space. Little people clothes are so cute! I like your idea. I bet it gives the closet a roomier, walk-in feel.
What a clever idea! I never thought of installing rods in the opposite direction, but it makes such great use of the space. Thanks for sharing with pictures!
Wow - I never thought of this! We have teeny tiny closets in our kids room. I’m going to have to try it out.
Thanks!
Super idea. Thanks. I once posted about hanging shelves (canves type) in a closet for more room (linens). They would work on the front to back rods too.
Good idea!
Oooo, I see a trip to the store in my near future. My kids are gone to Camp Grandma and I’ve been working on cleaning and organizing their rooms. This is perfect for my little one who loves to wear dresses; now she’ll be able to get them down herself!
Absolutely fabulous! I am just at a loss on what to do with my 12 year olds small closet, well not anymore. Thanks for sharing your great idea.
Amazing! I thought we had maxed out all our closet space
by adding more side-to-side bars and shelves. I never thought about going back to front. Right now I am eyeing up our closet to see what new potential it has! Thanks for the great tip!!
Oh wow - I also didn’t think those rods would hold my clothes but I will certainly give it a try!!!
Great idea! Thanks!
This is exactly what I was looking for! Smart thinking! Thank you!
How creative of you! Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea!
Great tip. I love that they are labeled as well!
We did this in our mudroom closet, but for some reason I never thought to flip the rods in bedroom closets. Thank you.
Cool idea. I’m always looking for ways to make better use of closet space.
What a great idea. We have four little ones and are always looking for ways to get the most out of our closet space- and of course I like it to look good. This is a great solution.
Okay, that’s brilliant! Great tip. I’m going to use that one for sure!
I LOVE tension rods! I’ve never thought of using them in closets! And those placements! I’ve lived with small closets all my life too. I’m going to be stocking up on the smaller tension rods now!
GREAT tip! Thanks!
I love it!!!!
That’s a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing it.
Now that’s a really neat idea - and I might have to borrow it to organize my craft closet in the bonus room - those closets are narrow but wide - this would give me tons of room!
Thanks!
Great organizational tips.
This is great! I will definitely use it with my son’s closet!
Great idea with the shower rods. Thanks for sharing this!
Julie
Hmmm - we have six kids and this would be wonderful, but we don’t have a front wall to the closet. Which is a real bummer. I think my master closet might though. I’m thinking I need to take a good look at our closets and rethink the space a bit. We have four girls that share one closet plus two dressers (very crowded in the room) and our two sons share one dresser and one closet. Now I’m inspired to come up with a solution lol.
Great idea and love the visuals, too! Happy WFMW!
Excellent tip! I can now work with the small closet space we have! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Did I remember to tell you thank you because my closets have bothered me for awhile.
You are a genius!!!
I’m so glad this tip helped you all!!!
what a great idea - i’ll have to try this!!
Thanks for this tip. I have been dreaming of closet organizers but the money is not in the budget. This will definitely work for me!!!
I wanted to post the link to my implementation of your idea. My daughter’s closet looks great now thanks to your idea!
http://valerie.thestranathans.com/2008/07/more-cool-organization-and-redecorating.html
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! I so needed this tip!
Hi Lisa,
This is a great website you have!! I actually have 2 teenage boys and 3 of the closets you have mentioned. I love my home, God has blessed us, but I need closet space. You have given me some great ideas even for my own closet!! God Bless You!