Organize Your Closet This Fall With the Reverse Hanger Hack.
There are several ways to declutter your closet and downsize your wardrobe, although some are much more difficult than others . As autumn approaches, why not try something simple? The hanger method takes a little time but doesn’t require much effort, and by the end of the season you’ll have enough accurate data about what you’re actually wearing to make a choice about what you should keep.
What is the hanger method?
It’s an old tip that’s stuck because it works: Take every hanger in your closet and turn them so they’re facing the same direction. Basically, position the hook on each hanger facing the back of the closet. That’s all for the first steps. Then set a period of time, like a month or three months, and during that time, every time you wear something and hang it up again, turn the hanger over. If you put it on again, do not rotate the hanger back to its original position; keep it in the second direction. After the set time has passed, pull out anything on the hanger still facing the original direction and commit to donating or tossing a significant portion of those items.
Although this takes several months, it is a relatively simple and data-driven way to review your clothes as it helps you see exactly what you are wearing and what you are not wearing. In fact, being able to see which hangers have remained untouched during this time will help you figure out which clothes you don’t really need, or at least which ones you should move to the front of your closet to wear.
Limitations of the hanger method
Keep in mind that how well this works depends on several factors. For example, you need to give yourself a long enough period of time to do this so that you actually have a realistic opportunity to wear these clothes. That’s why I recommend doing this throughout the season, like fall: Over the course of three months, you’ll have plenty of time to put on work clothes, leisure clothes, and maybe special occasion clothes, so you’ll actually be able to see some authentic data, rather than giving yourself a month and only seeing a few worn-out items.
Second, this only works if you commit to tidying up after the experiment is over, so use other tidying methods when you reach that point. The five second rule works well here. Take an item of clothing that you haven’t worn, give yourself five seconds to decide whether you want to keep it or give it as a gift, and then quickly act on your choice.
Finally, with a little effort, it can be combined with other organizational methods. For example, if you’re using tiered hangers to save space in a small closet, be careful not to rotate the tiered hanger when you remove clothes from it, which won’t confuse the direction your worn and unworn clothing items are facing. You can also try this by hanging shoe organizers or closet shelves by first turning the shoes or clothes to one side and then flipping them over after you wear them. If you do this, try writing down your original and new directions somewhere, such as a note on your phone, so you don’t get lost or confused.