Key takeaways
- Buying more hangers for unworn clothes isn't real organization.
- Old mail in pretty baskets should be sorted and shredded.
- Broken items don't deserve prime storage space.
- Limit yourself to one catch-all bin.
- Pare down before you buy containers.
You wake up one morning and can’t find your favorite jeans for the umpteenth time this month, and you decide: It’s time. You’re going to get organized! But not so fast. Are you really serious about closet organizing or are you about to go on a hoarding exercise? Putting things in a new, fancy container feels a lot like getting things in line but often it just means you’re redistributing the mess. Here are five times you’re actually hoarding when you tell yourself you’re getting organized:
- You’re Buying More Hangers for Clothes You Don’t Wear
If your solution to piles of clothes on the floor is to add more hangers to your closet, you’re not truly creating a system of order. Are you purging your closet of items you haven’t work in the last 18 months? When a season has come and gone at least once and you haven’t worn some of your wardrobe – it’s time to get rid of outdated pieces.
- You Have Cute Baskets for Old Mail
Stacks of papers on your desk look messy, and putting them into cute wicker baskets gives the appearance of organization. But guess what? Hoarding old files and mail in labeled baskets is still hoarding. Go through your paperwork and shred, shred, shred so your office can actually be organized.
- You Have an Adorable Cabinet Filled with Broken Stuff
You got sick of looking at your gold stapler (that you’re definitely going to fix) and your DVD player (that you haven’t used in three years) so you put it all in a new corner cabinet. Everything is sorted by size. Organized, right? If you could be storing things you still use in that space, you’re just hoarding.
- Your Closet Has a Color Coordinated Rack of Shoes with Bad Soles
One of the biggest challenges of closet organizing is getting your shoes in order. A rack is a good start, but not the only step. If you think putting each pair of shoes neatly into its original box or having a rack system means you’re organized, you could be wrong. If you’re storing shoes with worn down soles that you’ll never get fixed – it’s time to throw some pairs away or donate them to a worthy cause.
- You Have More than One Catch-All Bin
Be honest with yourself: How many trendy fabric bins do you have in your closet that serve as a catch-all for tank tops, random scarves, and other items not worthy of a hanger? One catch-all basket or bin makes sense, but if they start to take over your closet you’re just hoarding clothes that you rarely look at.
Closet organizing isn’t as easy as buying the right equipment and accessories for a well-ordered space. What are you filling them with? Paring down your belongings is as important to getting organized as how you store what you keep.
What do you need to throw away today to go from hoarder to organized?
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between organizing and hoarding?
Organizing means keeping what you use and giving it a place. Putting unused items into new containers only redistributes the mess. Paring down is as important as how you store what you keep.
How long should I keep clothes I don't wear?
If a season has come and gone at least once and you still haven't worn something, it's time to let it go. A useful rule is to purge items you haven't worn in the last 18 months.
Is it okay to have a catch-all bin in my closet?
One catch-all bin makes sense for odds and ends. If several bins fill up with tank tops and random scarves you rarely look at, you're storing clutter rather than organizing it.
CW Man’s two cents
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