I spent months looking for closet organizers and more than just a shoe rack or two. Although the fabric hanging shelves helped to consolidate my personal belongings, they used up the room on my closet rods, which limited my space even more.
I chose the Whitmor closet organizer because it looked well designed and offered more hanging space, shelves, drawers and with a dozen shoe compartments in an all-in-unit.
First, assembling the Whitmor closet organizer is quick and straightforward, and we did not even need a rubber mallet to fit the pieces together. It took my son under ½ an hour to set this unit up, and he rarely needed to consult the included directions.
Each section is lightweight enough that I can move it easily, and I am not strong, as I weigh well under 100 lbs. and to complicate matters I am a short person, just under 5’ 2”.
There is no doubt that this is a ‘deluxe’ organizer, and it is so much better than I even dreamed or hoped it would be, due to the all versatile abilities. This allows me to ‘custom’ tailor my storage needs according to my personal requirements.
The 2 rods for hanging clothes can hang at different heights, from the very top or along any of the lower 4 ‘shelving’ units. Clearly, the most space is if the first rod hangs on the top and the bottom rod hung halfway down. In addition, these rods are ‘expandable’ they slide out from 24” up to 43”, which enables versatility for a limited amount of space.
The shelving units are all the same size, approximately 14” across (length) and 17” from against the wall to the front (width). Therefore, the 3 drawers will fit in any of the 9 sections, or if I choose, I can buy extra drawers for any of the 6 empty shelves that I have left over and they will all fit in the same way. Since the shelves are not a flat surface, (the surface is composed of metal bars) I needed to ‘tug’ at the drawers to pull them out. However, by resting a thin piece of acrylic or a laminated piece of tile over the bars will provide a smoother surface, and helps the drawers to slide out a little easier. Otherwise, after filling, the drawers are a little heavier and need some slight lifting in order to slide them out.
The 3 fabric drawers are lightweight but also sturdy, and they are spaciously roomy. Their approximate measurements are 13” length (across), 16” width and 11” depth.
I LOVE the 12-shoe compartment organizer, because each compartment holds 2 pairs of my stiletto high heels, therefore I can fit 24 PAIRS of shoes in this section. As a reference my shoe size 6.5. Each of the 12 single compartments are 6” in length (one shoe next to the other) 6” height (tall enough to fit my high heels) and the depth from front to back is 15”. Therefore, I can fit one pair in back and another pair in front, for each of these 12 compartments, thereby accommodating 24 pair of shoes!
Since the unit sections are interchangeable, the ‘shoe pocket portion’ will fit on either the left or right side, with the drawers and shelves on the other.
In the course of getting my closet organized, I have changed and rearranged this closet organizer a few different times and everyone will use it for different needs. Currently during the winter season, I have all my heavy fur-type vests and sweaters hanging from the top, (62 items and most of them are bulky and heavyweight for winter). Since I wear my high boots more often than shoes, I have hung 22 pairs of boots on some clip-on hangers (for slacks), and I have them hanging from the bottom rod, (with more room to spare).
In addition, I have utilized the sides of this unit, my scarf hanger rack, containing 20 long scarves hanging off the left side, and my belt hanger hanging from the right.
I love this closet organizer. Previously I had my extra winter accessories spread around in different closets, and now I have them altogether. Furthermore, although my closet has a little less room to move around, I no longer have the clutter piled in corners, and I am no longer tripping over my handbags, boots, and my extra pairs of shoes that used to be on the floor. In addition, and consequently, the top shelf in my closet that I cannot reach without a stepladder is now a real storage area for items such as the room fan that I use in the summer, along with my lightweight summer hats, and warm weather handbags.
The Whitmor closet organizer is an attractive and well-designed ‘double deluxe’ closet addition. I love its versatility that I can ‘custom-tailor’ to my needs. This has exceeded all my expectations and surpassed all my personal requirements.