I’m about to make a bold claim, brace yourselves. The Elfa mesh drawers from The Container Store might be the best drawers for organizing clothes in small closets. Yikes. I said it. Keep in mind, that I’m a renter, so installing custom built-ins was not an option. I also don’t have any bedroom furniture such as a dresser to store clothes in. That means everything really has to fit into my little closet. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I share this closet with my husband? Add all that up and you got a lady who is constantly in need of storage solutions for small closets. But this isn’t anything new. It’s kinda the story of my life.
The story of my first closet
When my family moved into our home, my Mom got a room, my sister got a room, my brother got a room, and even my Grandma and Grandpa got a room. Everyone got a room except for Hairy Lisa. I didn’t mind initially, but eventually, I wanted my own room. That’s when a tiny unclaimed room caught my eye: the coat closet by the front door. I was granted this small 2’x2’ space with the caveat that I left all the existing items in there. “Ooooh, my very own room!” I was thrilled because I fit perfectly inside (if I tucked my knees into my chest, and didn’t move, or breathe). This was the beginning of my life in a small closet.
Why I finally ditched the hanging drawers
Fast forward four decades, I’m still living life with a small closet. Luckily, not the same one I started with. Buuuuuuuut…not much bigger either. That’s why I am constantly looking for ways to maximize space and organize my clothes. When my hanging closest drawers became filled to the brim, instead of getting rid of clothes (like a normal person), I reassessed whether my closet space was being maximized. There was no need to dispose of so many innocent clothes. I had to save them all! I didn’t give up until I found the culprit…extra space hiding behind the hanging drawers.
What I didn’t like about hanging drawers for organizing clothes
The hanging canvas drawers and I got along fine, but here’s what I didn’t like about them:
- wasted space behind the hanging canvas drawers
- each drawer is not perfectly aligned
- the weight stretches the canvas, causing different-size gaps
Why I switched to Elfa mesh closet drawers
I began my search for storage options and somehow ended up with another Elfa product. I swear I am not sponsored by The Container Store. They just take my money. Unfortunately, the Elfa drawers were the only solution I could find based on my dimensions since I wanted two separate units. The Elfa drawers comes in a cabinet size which are more narrow than the closet size version. I had no idea the benefit of switching products meant I could fit the same amount of clothes plus more. Good Lord. My entire hanging space above opened up like the Red Sea.
Selecting the right drawers to organize clothes
The Elfa product allows for some customization with different-sized drawers. Initially, I tried the 2-runner drawers but didn’t like the idea of stacking my clothes. I ended up swapping them out for the shallower 1-runner drawers. I like the shallow drawers because it allowed for more categories and better organization. I can separate workout tops and bottoms instead of mixing all my workout clothes into one drawer. It’s also much faster to access my clothes because the mesh drawers glide like butter compared to the hanging drawers. Overall, I’m much happier and think these are the best drawers for organizing clothes in my small closet.
Some of you may be concerned whether I lived inside that teeny-tiny closet. No, I didn’t live or sleep in there. Barbie is the gal you should’ve been worried about because that wasn’t her dream house she was livin’ in. Now that your mind’s at ease, re-read this post if necessary.
