A Pro Organizer Fixed My Messy “Clothes Chair” Problem
In my bedroom I have a chair that’s sole purpose is to hold clothes I’ve worn once but might wear again. This “clothes chair” is an old rocking chair from my parents’ house located in the corner of my room beneath a lamp next to my dresser. It’s a beautiful addition, but it doesn’t look so good when there’s stuff piled high on it.
I reached out to pro organizer Jean Prominski of Sparkle Home Organizing for her help on conquering this dreaded “clothes chair” problem. Here’s what she recommended.
Add a spot for worn, but not dirty clothes.
Instead of making a pile of clothes on a chair where it’s hard to see what’s what and things are likely to wrinkle, Prominski suggests installing hooks or putting in a freestanding coat rack for these “rewear” items. I am officially on the hunt for a cool thrift-shop coat rack, but in the meantime I’ve started utilizing my over-the-door hooks for this.
I have a few of these single hooks on the back of my bedroom door, and they work well because I can space them out to make room for bulkier things or to hang outfits on hangers to wear the next day. I also bought this over-the-door hanging rack, which I got back when I revamped my laundry room, and it’s a good solution for any items that need to be hung.
If you don’t have hooks, you can try folding these clothes loosely and place them in a neat way where they’re visible, shares Prominski. The out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem is what leads to a disorganized pile, so I get why this method makes sense. However, I know visual clutter, no matter if it’s piled or in a line, will make me feel similarly disorganized.
Make peace with worn clothes.
I don’t live a very messy life, unless I’m gardening. Most of the clothes that get put on my chair aren’t actually soiled. Yet, I have an aversion to putting them back in the drawer. In this case, Prominski recommends designating a separate drawer or part of the closet for only rewear stuff.
My smallish bedroom is already pretty stacked with storage, so I didn’t want to invest the time into reorganizing to make drawer space, so I committed to the hook system and rehung hanging items in the closet and found it was an easy-enough adjustment.
Pay attention to what needs washing.
Sometimes those “partially worn” items are a bit dirty. Prominski says to always assess your clothes when you’re about to do laundry to see if anything needs to be washed; if they’ve been sitting there for too long, consider washing them.
After committing a good chunk of my winter break time to doing all my laundry and actually putting it away, I can say it’s nice to have a clean space that’s clear of debris and finally clutter-free.
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
