Here’s exactly how a professional organiser would transform your wardrobe

Do you have wardrobe envy? Turn on any home makeover show or glance at an advertisement for a fancy wardrobe company, and you likely will. Everything is just so neat and perfect and, well, organised. Of course, enlisting a custom wardrobe company to remodel your space can cost big bucks (or at least bigger bucks than you may have right now). But creating the wardrobe of your dreams doesn’t have to be out of reach – not if you know a few pro tips and pick up a few essential organising items.

As a professional organiser and the author of Keep This, Toss That, I can give you the inside track to wardrobe-organising bliss. The good news? It won’t cost you a bundle. The even better news? This expert-assisted DIY is a lot easier than you think. Here’s exactly what I would do to your wardrobe to maximise your space, store your items in a way that makes sense, and keep everything clean and organised for the long haul. So, let’s get the wardrobe transformation underway!

When you’re done, try these organising tips for the rest of your home that you’ll wish you knew sooner.

Mismatched hangers make your wardrobe look messy. Stop using the random hangers you’ve collected over the years, and instead swap in a set of slim hangers to give your wardrobe a boutique look. And because slim hangers are thinner than typical hangers, you’ll also save space. Hang the clothes you reach for most often in the front and centre. Infrequently used clothing, like out-of-season and occasion-specific items, can go farther back. And here’s another pro tip: If you run out of hangers, don’t buy more – free up a few by giving away clothes that no longer fit or you no longer love.

Here are 11 organisational tricks that can save you tons of money.

Keeping your hanging clothes categorised by season, style, and colour is a whole lot easier with rod dividers. Just like the ones you find in boutiques that divide clothes by size, these write-on dividers allow you to label your own sections. Follow this method for organising bliss: First, hang tops from the shortest to the longest sleeve length and bottoms from the shortest to the longest hem length. Then, within each category, arrange clothes by the colour of the rainbow. Start with dark followed by purple, blue and greens; then go into yellows, oranges, reds and whites. You’ll feel happy seeing your clothes all neatly lined up.

Not all clothes are meant to be hung up. In fact, most knits do best when folded; otherwise, they can get stretched out. Adding in a hanging shelf with drawers gives you space for folded sweaters and more. It’s also a smart spot to stash loungewear and workout clothes. In fact, by grouping all workout gear in one spot, it’s easy to grab and go when you’re in the mood to exercise.

Here are 30 things you can organise in under 30 minutes.

Slipping on dividers allows you to stack higher on a shelf without the risk of the pile toppling over. Slim dividers like the ones shown here create barriers, sectioning off one large space into smaller, more functional ones. In addition to using them for knits and linens, you can also line up bulky accessories like handbags between the dividers.

Without a place to drop those packets with an extra button that come with new clothes, they can end up littering the floor of the wardrobe. Keep small stuff together in a catchall bag. It’s perfect for those button packets and a small sewing kit with tiny scissors for clipping off loose threads and tags. You can even toss in a few safety pins for last-minute fashion emergencies and fashion tape to avoid a mishap. One more thing you can put in there? A lint roller.

Rethink that single rod. Adding a second wardrobe rod instantly doubles your available hanging space. While you could install a traditional rod, a much easier solution is hanging a bar doubler – no hardware necessary! Use the upper bar for tops and the lower one for skirts and pants.

Labels make it clear what belongs where, and they also inspire you to take the extra (often ignored) step to put things away in the right place. Plus, they easily let you know what you’ve stored in containers…because you think you’ll remember a season from now, but you most likely won’t. Apply labels to bins, even clear ones, as well as on the edge of shelves, so all it takes is a glance to know what goes where.

Stick-up hooks are one of the easiest ways to transform your clothes wardrobe. They make the perfect storage spot for tote bags and statement necklaces. Plus, a hook can hold worn-once jeans that are too dirty to put away but too clean to launder. But the very best use of a hook may be to hold empty clothes hangers, so they don’t get lost between clothes.

Illuminating dark spaces, like the floor or the very back of the wardrobe, makes it much easier to see what’s stored there. This simple addition brightens the whole wardrobe and means you’ll no longer struggle to tell navy and black clothing apart. Skip the expensive electrician visit to run wiring into the wardrobe, and instead opt for battery-operated, LED lights. You’ll never even have to remember to turn them off if you go with the motion-activated design. Now that you can see all your clothes, you can better organise your wardrobe.

Check out these 9 genius rules for deciding which clothes to keep or toss.