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 organisation.

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

Bedroom Closet Organisation

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.

Linen Closet Organisation

How to Save Space

Often, the biggest reason a linen closet bursts at the seams is a lack of organisation. Start your organisational 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 maximises 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.

Utility Closet Organisation

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