Ideas for a 6-Foot Wide Closet

Your closet should work to help you find clothes immediately and organize efficiently.Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images

The standard width for most closets is 6-feet wide. However, just because your closet is the standard size and you're not handicapped by a tiny closet, doesn't mean it's easier to keep organized. You can always bring a closet to a higher level of efficiency and organization if you plan strategically.

Second Rod

Install a second rod, and you'll feel like your closet is twice as big. A second rod should hang 3 to 4 feet beneath the main rod, and you can use it specifically for trousers, clothes for special occasions, out-of-season attire and other items, which will greatly reduce a cramped or cluttered feeling that some closets have and allow you to actually see your clothes as you're looking through them. Depending on how high your closet is already, you might need to move and reinstall your main closet rod to a higher place before installing the second rod.

Assembling shelves and adding baskets to them allows you to have storage spaces in your closet that function like drawers yet without the fuss of putting up actual drawers. For example, install low shelves and outfit them with small baskets for ties, scarves or rolled-up belts. On the other hand, you can install larger shelves and use them as bins for keeping your socks and underwear. Shelves allow you to naturally vary the space between each shelf unit, giving you the freedom to use large or small baskets depending on your needs.

Part of having an efficient closet is having one that allots a space for your shoes. While you can just lay your shoes on the floor, such an option is not ideal. Instead, install a rolling rack for shoes. A rolling rack is essentially a standard shoe rack with wheels. If you have a lot of shoes, store them on several rolling racks, and push them against the back wall of your closet, which keeps them from cluttering up the front of the closet but allows you to see your shoe collection in a snap. If your shoe collection is small and you just will need one shoe rack, a rolling rack still allows you to get your shoes off the floor of the closet quickly for times you need to sweep there.