Wardrobe storage baskets

My wardrobe is a standard double in a rented flat, and it took me embarrassingly long to notice that half of it was air.

Where wardrobes waste space

Three places, in every standard wardrobe.

Under the hanging clothes. Shirts and jackets end well above the floor, leaving a band of unused volume the full width of the wardrobe.

The top shelf. Usually holds two jumpers and a lot of nothing, because things fall over and it is above eye level.

The back. Wardrobes are deeper than a hanger, so there is a strip behind everything that nobody can reach.

Baskets claim the first two easily. The third is harder and usually best left for seasonal storage.

The floor: baskets, not a heap

The single biggest gain.

The space under hanging clothes takes two or three baskets side by side, and it turns a dumping ground into real storage. Shoes, bags, folded jumpers, or the laundry basket hidden out of sight - the hiding laundry guide covers that use.

Choose baskets you can pull out rather than reach into, and measure the height available under the shortest garment.

The shelf: rigid, not soft

Above the rail, the failure mode is different.

A soft fabric basket on a high shelf slumps as soon as it is less than full, and once it slumps you cannot slide it out cleanly. Rigid containers hold their shape and stack.

Also: label them. You are looking up at the underside from below and cannot see in, so an unlabelled box gets opened by guesswork - wardrobe boxes suit this better than baskets.

Keep them light. Lifting something heavy down from above head height is how things get dropped.

File clothes upright, do not stack

The habit that changes how a wardrobe works.

A stack of folded jumpers means you can only see the top one, and taking one from the middle collapses the rest. Within a week it is a heap again.

Folded upright, side by side like files, every item is visible and you can take any one without disturbing the others. It also fits more in the same space.

This only works in a container with sides, which is exactly what a basket is - the laundry and wardrobe guide covers the method.

Divide the shelf

A wide shelf with clothes across it becomes one merged mass.

Two or three baskets across the same shelf keep categories apart, so jumpers stay jumpers and do not migrate into the t-shirts. Rectangular baskets butt together with no wasted gaps.

The small baskets guide covers why division matters more than capacity.

What suits a wardrobe basket

Folded knitwear, t-shirts, jeans. Underwear and socks, if you have no drawers. Bags and accessories. Scarves and gloves in season.

What does not: anything you want hanging, obviously, and anything heavy on a high shelf.

Shoes work at floor level but suit a dedicated solution better - the shoe storage range covers those.

Seasonal, and the back of the wardrobe

The unreachable strip at the back is the right home for things you touch twice a year.

Compress out-of-season clothing and slide it to the back, or better, under the bed where it is easier to get at - a compression box reduces the bulk considerably.

Swap twice a year, and use the swap as the moment to notice what you did not wear at all.

Airflow

Wardrobes are closed spaces, and clothes want air.

Do not pack baskets so tightly that nothing can breathe, and never put anything even slightly damp in - that is how a whole wardrobe starts to smell, and it transfers to everything hanging.

If the wardrobe is against an outside wall, leave a small gap behind it and check occasionally for damp.

Measuring

Wardrobe interiors are more irregular than they look. Measure the internal width between the sides, the depth from the back to the inside of the door, and the clear height under the shortest hanging garment.

Doors are the thing people forget - a basket that fits the space may still stop the door closing if the wardrobe has internal fittings. The laundry and wardrobe guide covers the wider system.

Hanging space versus folded

Worth deciding deliberately, because it changes how many baskets you need.

Hang anything that creases or has structure - shirts, dresses, jackets, trousers. Fold anything knitted, which stretches on a hanger and ends up with shoulder bumps.

Most people hang too much, which wastes the rail and leaves the shelves empty. Moving jumpers and t-shirts into baskets frees the rail for the things that genuinely need it.

A wardrobe that is too deep

Common in fitted wardrobes, and the strip behind the hangers is usually written off.

Two things reclaim it. A second rail at the back for out-of-season clothes, or deep baskets on the floor that you pull out to reach - the shelf storage guide covers measuring the awkward dimensions.

What does not work is pushing things to the back loose, because they become invisible and you buy them again.

Browse wardrobe and clothes storage, wardrobe boxes and under-bed storage.

The short version

• Wardrobes waste the floor under hanging clothes, the top shelf, and the strip at the back.
• Use pull-out baskets on the floor and rigid labelled boxes on the high shelf.
• File folded clothes upright rather than stacking - you can see and take any one.
• Divide a wide shelf with two or three baskets so categories cannot merge.
• Never put anything damp in; a closed wardrobe transfers the smell to everything hanging.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the wasted space in a wardrobe?

Three places: the floor under hanging clothes, which is a full-width band of unused volume; the top shelf, which usually holds very little because things fall over; and the strip at the back that nobody can reach.

Should wardrobe shelf baskets be rigid or soft?

Rigid on a high shelf. A soft fabric basket slumps as soon as it is less than full, and once slumped it cannot be slid out cleanly. Rigid containers hold shape and stack, and should be labelled since you cannot see in.

How should I fold clothes for a wardrobe basket?

Upright, side by side like files, rather than stacked flat. In a stack you can only see the top item and removing one from the middle collapses the rest, whereas filed upright everything is visible and fits better.

What should not go in a wardrobe basket?

Anything heavy on a high shelf, since lifting it down from above head height is how things get dropped. Also anything even slightly damp, because a closed wardrobe transfers that smell to everything hanging in it.

How do I measure a wardrobe for baskets?

Measure the internal width between the sides, the depth from the back to the inside of the door, and the clear height under the shortest hanging garment. Check the door still closes, since internal fittings often reduce the depth.