Closets are meant to be helpful spaces to store stuff so your floors stay clear and your underbed monster has plenty of room to stretch out. If yours seem to swallow everything you put in them under a sea of clutter, it's time for some closet organization.

With a smart combination of preparation, purging, and the right organizers, you can easily reclaim your space. Read on for our step-by-step organization tips for bedroom, linen, and utility storage.

Bedroom Closet Organization

How to Save Space

If you don't have enough closet space for your attire, there's an easy solution: pare down your clothes by sorting them into one of four piles:

1. The "I love it" pile. This is the stuff you'll definitely keep.
2. The "Ehh, maybe" pile. Put this pile into storage, perhaps in the garage or under a bed. If you don't take it out in six months or a year, you don't need it.
3. The "I love it, but not in this season" pile. We're talking winter coats in June and short shorts in January. These items also go into storage.
4. The "Nope" pile. Sell, donate, trade, or toss it! Trust yourself and don't dwell too much on what goes in this pile: most likely, you'll know deep in your gut whether something should be kept.

Top Organization Products

Velvet Non-Slip Space-Saving Hangers | from $17.99

These hangers' thin profile helps with squeezing in that extra blouse or pair of pants, and their velvet coating ensures garments won't fall off while stored.

Evelots 14-Hook Space-Saving Closet Hanger | $9.99

Keeping accessories like belts, ties, and scarves organized never seems to be easy, but this double-sided hanger pulls it off. 

Brooks Storage Ottoman | from $99.99

Along with keeping your coats, boots, and other bulky closet items organized, these ottomans serve as stylish decor pieces that can also be used for additional seating when you're having guests over. They're also less than 3 feet wide, making them easy to slip in your closet if need be.

Sunbeam Freestanding Wardrobe Closet with Dust-Free Cover | from $29.99

If there's truly no more room in your closet, you can always just get another closet. These freestanding wardrobes should do the trick.

Linen Closet Organization

How to Save Space

Often, the biggest reason a linen closet bursts at the seams is a lack of organization. Start your organizational journey by taking everything out and starting fresh. Next:

1. Keep only what you need. Experts recommend limiting the household to three sheet sets per bed and three towel sets—that is, bath towel, hand towel, and washcloth—per person. Think of it as having one set in use, one set in the hamper, and one set in the closet ready to go.

2. Roll and stack your towels. This maximizes space and makes it easier to take out towels on the bottom without disturbing the ones on top.

3. Bundle your sheets. Sheet sets come with their own storage container: a pillowcase. Fold the top sheet, the fitted sheet, and one pillowcase, then place them all inside the second pillowcase. Click here to learn how to fold a fitted sheet.

Top Organization Products

Sorbus Foldable Storage Cube Basket Bins | from $19.99

These storage bins' fabric construction makes them flexible enough to fit extra towels or washcloths but firm enough to stay in place in a crowded closet.

3-Piece Basket and Hanging Shelves Closet Organizers Set | from $16.99

This set's cube basket, hanging shelves, and over-the-door shoe organizer get your linen closet organized while taking up minimal space.

Cosmetics and Toiletry Organizer | from $5

No bigger than a DVD player, this hangable caddy sports zippable pockets and mesh slots that are perfect for keeping makeup, travel-sized toiletry bottles, and other linen-closet odds and ends organized.

Utility Closet Organization

How to Save Space

By now, you know the drill: the first step to having more space is having fewer things. For the utility closet, this is a three-step process: 

1. Take stock of your cleaning supplies and other household products. Throw away anything that's expired, nearly empty, or a duplicate of a product you forgot you had.

2. Remove anything that doesn't belong. As often as we break this rule, the utility closet should be a place for household supplies and tools only—not a catch-all location for excess dinnerware, defunct time-travel devices, and other things you don't have a place for. (Pro tip: not having a place for something is often a good sign you don't need it.)

3. Find a place for the vacuum. In most homes, the vacuum is the utility closet's largest occupant. Once you have a place for this hefty appliance, you can plan your organizing around it.

Top Organization Products

Home Basics Mop and Broom Wall-Mounted Rack Organizer | from $11.99

This organizer's snap locks help rid you of the annoyance of brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies tumbling over and out of the closet every time you open the door.

5-Piece Molla Home Coat and Hat Hook Set | $19.99

You might think coat hooks would be out of place in a utility closet, but they make really handy spots for hanging hammers, dustpans, scissors, and other tools.

Home Basics 2-Tier Expandable Under-the-Sink Organizer | $29.99

If your utility closet has a sink, this steel rack makes the space beneath it functional. It's easy to work into your space, too: its frame can be widened or shortened, and its mesh panels move to fit around drainage pipes.