Your Lighting Is The One Thing Keeping Your Closet From Feeling Organized

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Home design lovers know that good lighting is a game-changer. You can use lighting to make your home look more expensive, transforming sterile spaces to ones that are warm and inviting. So it's no surprise that if you're trying to keep your closet neat and organized, you have to make smart decisions about the lighting. Avoid the dim, soft lightbulbs you'd use to make a room feel cozy. Instead, opt for neutral, bright lights.

With brighter bulbs lighting your way, you won't have to squint just to pick out an outfit — and you definitely won't think you nailed a perfect look, only to see yourself in better lighting later in the day and realize the low lights dimmed your color coordination skills. The enhanced visibility can also highlight when items are getting a bit scattered or out of place, making it easier to quickly tidy and maintain an uncluttered and organized space. Bright lighting is a simple way to upgrade your closet with an inexpensive swap.

For bedroom lighting, it's common to pick soft bulbs that help set a tranquil, calming vibe. For consistency's sake, you might have just decided to use those same bulbs in the closets that occupy that room or other warm areas of your home. But the spaces have different lighting needs. A brightly lit closet minimizes the need for lots of frenzied rummaging — rather than rifling through stacks of poorly-lit clothes, you'll be able to see all your items clearly. This helps prevent the short-term problem of messy, cluttered closet shelves. It helps in the long term, too. With brighter lights, you'll take more notice of the items that are just sitting there unused, day after day. You can help those pieces find a better home, and keep your closet organized with just the stuff you regularly put to use.

When you're shopping for brighter lights for your closets, look for bulbs with 800 lumens or more, with light colors in natural or daylight. In addition to switching out the bulbs of existing light fixtures, there are a few different ways you can add brighter lights to your closet. LED strip lights like ZioeYiue Under Cabinet Lighting or small, stick-on lights like Lightbiz Motion Sensor Puck Lights are easy and relatively affordable add-ons. Plus, since they're easily removable, they can be a great renter-friendly way to add lighting to a dark closet for a more organized space without a renovation project.