Declutter Your Closet This Year With the Reverse Hanger Trick

There are several ways to declutter your closet and downsize your wardrobe, although some much more involved than others. Since we’re at the start of a new year, why not try something simple? The hanger method takes a little time but doesn’t require a lot of effort, and by the end of the year you’ll have a pretty good idea of ​​what you’re doing. Really wear to make a choice about what you should keep. Yes, a year seems like a long time, but if you take it slow, you won’t be overwhelmed and will have the opportunity to appreciate clothes from all seasons, as well as those you only wear for special occasions that may come up each year.

What is the method for decluttering a hanger?

This tip has stood the test of time because it works: Take every hanger in your closet and turn them so they face the same direction. Basically, position the hook on each hanger facing the back of the closet. That’s all for the first steps. Then you usually 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. For the purposes of a yearly decluttering project, your goal is to do it between January 2025 and January 2026, but you can set quarterly check-ins. 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.

While this takes some time, it’s a relatively simple and data-driven way to review your clothes—it helps you see exactly what you’re wearing and what you’re not wearing. Actually be 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 should be moved to the front of the closet to be worn.

What to consider when using the hanger method

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 your entire set of clothes. This is why I recommend doing this throughout the year, with checkups every three months: throughout the year, you’ll have plenty of time to wear work clothes, leisure clothes, and perhaps special occasion clothes, so you’ll actually be able to see some reliable data, instead of spending a month and seeing only a few worn-out items.

Second, this only works if you commit to tidying up after the experiment is over, so when you reach that point, use other tidying methods. 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. Since you already know you haven’t worn it lately, you have an objective fact: it’s not a particularly useful item to help you make your choice.

Finally, with a little effort, it can be combined with other organizational methods. If you are using multi-tiered hangers For example, to save space in a small closet, be careful not to tip a multi-tiered hanger when you remove clothes from it, which will confuse the direction in which your worn and unworn clothing items are facing. You can also try this with hanging shoe organizers or closet shelvesfirst turning the shoes or clothing one way and then turning them over after putting them on. 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.

Over time, turning the hanger over when you wear something will become a habit. The reason this works well at all is because long-term decluttering projects like “365 Less stuff“, will allow you to develop habits and slowly work towards your ideal goal without overloading yourself. No, your closet won’t be completely cluttered tomorrow, but over time it will be, and it will be more effective than if you just tried to guess which pieces you should donate right now.