I Stole My Mom’s Clothes Organizing Trick, and It Got My Closet So Decluttered

There is a problem that runs in my family. We enjoy buying new clothes, but we aren’t great at getting rid of clothing we no longer wear. That means our closets tend to get cluttered quickly, which makes it difficult to put together an outfit when old and new clothes are all mixed together. The obvious solution is to spend a few hours doing a closet clean-out, but the problem is that it’s hard to find the time. As a working mom of four, I know organizing my closet would make my life easier and my mornings run more smoothly, but it’s never a priority. 

I was fed up with my closet situation, but I was not sure what to do about it. Then I remembered my mom’s hanger trick that she’d use several times while I was growing up. It’s simple, doesn’t require a dedicated block of time, and is very effective. Even though the results aren’t instant, I decided it was time to try the hanger trick for myself.   

My mom’s hanger trick involves using a different colored hanger from your regular set of hangers to highlight which clothes you actually end up wearing. So every time you wear something and go to hang it back up after laundering, you’ll use the new colored hanger. 

This is an incredibly easy process, but it’s a slow method. I spent a year cultivating my closet to the current state it’s in using this trick. Here’s how I did it, and what I learned.

To use the hanger trick, all I needed was a set of hangers in a different color than the ones I already had. I didn’t need to change anything about my routine except for one simple step. Instead of hanging up clothes I wore on my old hangers, I started using a different-colored hanger before putting them back in my closet. 

After a year, I was able to create a color-coded guide to the clothes I had worn, as well as those I had not worn in all four seasons. All I had to do was look at the color of my hangers to instantly distinguish clothes I liked to wear from those that were just taking up space and creating clutter. At that point, it was easy to do a sweep of clothing I hadn’t worn in a year and likely would never wear again. Most of those items went straight into a donation pile or the trash, which left me with a nicely organized, decluttered closet.   

I did keep a few items that I had not worn throughout the year, such as a suit I wanted to keep on hand and a dress I wear on special occasions. To keep my closet consistent and get myself ready for the next round of decluttering, I changed the color of the hangers for these items to match the rest. 

My mom’s hanger system turned out to be very effective for decluttering my closet with minimal effort and time. I repeat this process periodically by switching back and forth between the two sets of colored hangers I already have. My mom’s hanger trick works so well that my husband and teenage daughter use it as well.  

If a year is too long to wait to declutter your closet, there is a simple modification. Instead of waiting a year, evaluate which clothes you have worn and which you haven’t at the end of each season. Thanks to my mom, decluttering my closet has never been easier!