How to Declutter Your Closet

Cardigans, jackets, scarves… all those cozy fall layers may keep you warm, but they can also lead to closet chaos! Experts Carrie Higgins, author of Organization Hacks ($9.91, Amazon), fashion blogger Liesl Ehardt, and organizing whiz Anna Moseley, are clueing us in to five smart strategies that will get your cool-weather clothes in tip-top storage shape in no time.

Stash Purses in Pan Lid Organizers

When Ehardt moved from a 900-square-foot apartment to one that was half the size, she knew she had to make creative use of her closet space. “I’ve collected a number of clutches, but each time I reached for one, they would all fall over,” she says. Then she spied a lid rack organizer ($9.99, Target) for the kitchen at Target, and thought, “A-ha!“

“It’s the perfect way to create dividers for purses,” she says. Just tuck straps inside handbags to keep them tangle-free!

Keep Boots Tall With Wine Bottle “Stuffing”

Trendy knee-high boots make any outfit look put-together — but the shafts often flop over, creating a droopy mess on your closet floor. Plus, leaving them collapsed or folded can cause permanent creases in the leather. How to prevent boot-droop? “Simply place empty wine bottles or rolled-up magazines in the shafts to help them keep their shape,” advises Higgins.

Also smart: “You can even cut foam pool noodles ($13.49, Amazon) left over from the summer and place them inside each boot.”

Loop Scarves on a Towel Rod

Do you end up wearing the same scarf every day, even though you have a dozen in your closet… somewhere? “Scarves are best stored right where you can see them, otherwise it’s easy to forget what you have,” says Higgins.

Instead of tossing them into a bin, put up a self-adhesive bathroom towel bar ($9.99, Amazon) on the back of the closet door. Not only will this allow you to see your spectrum of scarves, it’ll also utilize often-wasted space.

Store Sweaters in a Shoe Organizer

If bulky items, like sweaters and jeans, are taking up more than their fair share of closet space, just do as organizing whiz Moseley does and corral these space hogs into a shoe organizer ($14.95, Amazon). “I hung up a vertical shoe organizer in the closet, and now I can place each sweater in its own cubby to keep them nice and organized,” she explains. “It’s also a great way to store my jeans— I roll them up and fit two in each cubby, freeing up valuable drawer space.”

Anchor Blouses with Pipe Cleaners

All those strappy tops you layer under fall cardigans can easily go rogue, falling off hangers. The clever remedy? Wrap a pipe cleaner ($6.99, Amazon) around the top part of the hanger at each end where the shoulders sit. The fuzzy material will create a nonslip surface that will ensure silky fabrics stay put.

This story originally appeared in our print magazine.