# Need help with clothes storage



## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

Okay, confession time. Please don't hate me! LOL!

As I started going through my clothes for the "seasonal swap" I came to realize something. The way I store my clothes is not working for me. Not the "out of season" clothes storage, but the ones we are currently using. 

I don't have a lot of dresser space. Maybe it's because all of my plus sized clothes are too big to fit in my dresser? Maybe I'm just not organizing it well enough? I've tried putting all my tops in one drawer, "bottoms" in the other. No go... I've tried everyday stuff in one drawer, work clothes in another, and socks, nighties and undergarments in the top drawer. That doesn't seem to work... Most of the summer, everything got folded and put in a laundry basket, but never put away. Then I have to dig through the entire basket to lay out clothes. Then I never have a laundry basket when I need one. And on it goes. 

We have virtually no hanging closet space, And I am horrible about getting things on the hangers and into the closet anyway, so I don't think that is the answer.

I have decided I must share my secret, and ask for help. I don't want to live out of a laundry basket anymore. Sometimes the basket doesn't even make it to the bedroom, as I hate having to decide what to do with the clothes once I get it there! So, it remains in the laundry room, or sometimes even at the bottom of the stairs in the living room! :help:

Someone please help me! Any suggestions will be considered!


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

You answered your own question when you said, "I don't have a lot of dresser space." How much dresser space are we talking? I could fill a dresser and a chest of drawers by myself. I'm trying to share with my husband though too. I'm planning on getting another small chest of drawers, just for me, for all my girly things (i.e. underthings, nightgowns, socks, tights, belts, etc.) You may just need another dresser, but here's more options: 

Since you don't like hanging your clothes on hangers, get some of those hanging clothes holders. You can turn your closet rod into more "drawers" with them. Is there room for some actual shelving in your closet where you can keep folded clothes? Ordinarily I abhor storing things under the bed, but if you can find some wheeled boxes that fit under the bed, go for it. You can even elevate your bed to make room for additional storage under there.

Is it possible you have too many clothes? If you haven't worn it in a year, donate it. If it doesn't look good on you, donate it. If the color is wrong for you, donate it. If it's comically out of date, donate it. If it's torn, pilled, or stained, pitch it. If you have more clothes than you can wear in two weeks time, donate some. If you're hanging on to clothes in case you gain or lose weight, donate them. 

But then I love to purge clutter. I'm one of those people that has to buy new things that I used to have because I gave it to someone who needed it  Hey, it's fun to buy new clothes though.


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

The dresser is a big part of the problem. It is an antique with 3 drawers. The other part is I have too many clothes in that I need work (office) clothes and home (chore) clothes.
I have started going through everything to purge what I can. It's not so bad in the warmer months. There is really not enough room when the bigger bulkier clothes are required.

I don't think I would mind hanging my clothes if there was enough closet space for that. DH's clothes (work uniforms) and coats, etc. take up most of it. There really is no room to add shelving for clothes there, as it is a hallway closet in our half-story upstairs. 
Our bedroom is also part of the half story, with very little wall space. I am rearranging it in my mind to see if there is any way to get something more workable.

Our bed is currently a mattress on top of an old waterbed frame, so there is no real access to "under the bed". There would be very little floor space around the bed for easy access to anything stored under there, especially on a daily basis.

I am not giving up... just haven't come up with the right solution yet! Thanks you for your suggestions!


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## pinemead (Jan 18, 2003)

I have some of the same problem - I don't have a dresser or any drawer storage, so I have the laundry basket situation. Rose, the bookcase idea is great! I haven't been able to find a dresser that I can afford, but have seen enexpensive bookcases at WalMart and at KMart. I'll look at them again for that purpose. Thanks for the idea!


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## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

:shrug:yes Rose the book case is a wonderful idea...why didn't i think of that sooner.


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## Jan Doling (May 21, 2004)

Another idea is to buy 2 large garbage cans, put a round of glass on top of each and cover with pretty table clothes. One can could hold all your work clothes and the other out of season clothes. The tables could serve as nightstands...just don't keep a lot on them if you need to get to those clothes too often.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Shelving is great. I put a bookcase in my closet for my shoes.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

When we purchased our "manufactured home" one of the selling points for me was a fabulous walk in closet. A huge plus for me...it has a his and hers area...hanging places on either side of the room, shelving on each side and of course across the top as well...it also has a small built in dresser with a countertop on it.
I use the shelving on my side for my out of season tops and PJ's.


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

I'm still working on the problem, but I'm leaning towards less clothing and maybe a small shelf unit for either the "home" clothes or "work clothes", and keep the others in the dresser. If I can find a shelving that will fit behind the door, as that is the only remaining wall space. Maybe some nice baskets to put them in, as I don't think I'd like to look at stacks of clothes as part of the "decor"! Plus, whatever I decide on has to be easy to do, or knowing myself, I won't do it. I'll leave it in the laundry basket. I just know I will!

I, too, thank you Rose!


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

We live in an old farmhouse with no closet space and in addition to dressers we use bookcases and shelves to store clothing on. I keep undies and socks in plastic baskets and put them on the shelves (for 2 of my boys who are in the same size socks....I bought lots of socks all exactly the same and keep them in a milk crate on the floor under the shelves, no folding or sorting).

My mom uses an older entertainment center (the kind that you put a tv in) to store her folded clothes on and she made a pretty curtian to hang over the front of it to disguise the contents.

In my laundry room I had my husband hang a 2 inch wooden rod (about 5 feet long) from the ceiling. He used 2 hooks in the ceiling and attached 2 decorative cords (one on each end). Now when things come out of the dryer I can hang them up right away, and I have to admit to often leaving them on that rod until I use them.


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## Ode (Sep 20, 2006)

We have a tiny hanging area right next to the washer and dryer, so clothes just go on hangars right from the dryer. Much easier than folding, by far. The rest gets folded to be put away. We also have limited space, so I have some really pretty wicker storage baskets to make more space. They are square, and have a removeable (and washable) liner inside. I like them because they can hold all the stuff like undies and socks, and belts and whatnot. Also, in winter I fold the sweaters and other bulky things and they just go directly in the shelves. It looks quite nice, and it's easy to see what you have at a glance.

My sister has an old house that doesn't have closets at all. She has freestanding closets (armoire) in each room, and in a large utility room she has a couple of clothes storage racks on wheels. She hangs clothes in those that are'nt currently in season, they have a zipped cover on the rack so clothes are protected from dust and bugs. I've seen them on sale a couple of times, and make a great solution if you have somewhere to put them. Hers are aprox 4 or 5 feet long and so lightweight that anyon clould carry it when it is empty. Maybe if you have space somewhere this would work for you. Attic, spare room, or maybe a basement?


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

Ode, where did you get your wicker baskets? I am leaning towards a shelving unit, but I don't really want to look at my clothes on the shelves. Not really a part of my decorating scheme, LOL!

I would love an armoire. I have a walk-in basement home, so the basement is taken up with my kitchen, livingroom, utility room and bathroom! The upstairs is only a half story, so there is no wall space for an armoire. We have no attic! I might be able to get one of those racks in the utility room if I do some rearranging. I might be more likely to hang clothes as they come out of the dryer. And if it's my clothes, I wouldn't care if they stayed in there until I wear them. There is no room for my clothes in our current closet, anyway.

Thanks for giving me more to think about!


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

I use a shelf placed in a back storage area for some of my clothes. The jeans, sweat pants, bulky tops all go on the shelf. I hate to hang up things too and the shelf helped me organize those items.


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## MSMH (Sep 8, 2009)

rose2005 said:


> I would go through them and only keep what you wear. Then if possible, get a bookcase. You can fold jeans, t-shirts and sweaters neatly on the shelves and they look fine. We did this 2 years with ours and our children's things as we had no closet. Worked great. Easy to see what you have, and things get less crumpled.


I like this idea. I will use it in our closet, too. Some things are better folded (T-shirts) rather than hung since hangers stretch the fabrics in the shoulder areas and leave "stretch" marks.

I put an old oak bookcase in the kitchen and placed all our small appliances on it (bought at thrift store for $12 because shelves were missing and then had Home Depot cut MDF shelves for it). Added tension curtain rods and curtains and DH attached an outlet strip to the outside on one end since the wall outlet was behind bookcase. I set the appliance(s) on top when I want to use them and then plug them into the outlet strip. Appliances are out of sight when not in use and are also not collecting dust.


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## Betty Jean (Jan 7, 2009)

The modified kitchen bookcase for appliances sounds so clever and functional, and cute, too!


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

Shelves are the way to go. We have one of those closet organization products in our closet. 95% of my husbands clothes are on the shelves and rods. For socks and underwear I have pull out baskets. I've found that they are the best way to organize and to modify when needed. 

Lowes carries a similar product to the one my BIL sells. We are very fortunate that he gives us the 'seconds' of his product and we can usually find a use for them.


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## MSMH (Sep 8, 2009)

Betty Jean said:


> The modified kitchen bookcase for appliances sounds so clever and functional, and cute, too!


Thanks!  "Necessity is the mother of invention."

My present condo kitchen is tiny and with no pantry. Thankfully, the dining area is at one end of the kitchen and that there was room for the "appliance" bookcase in that area.


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## Ode (Sep 20, 2006)

lickcreek said:


> Ode, where did you get your wicker baskets? I am leaning towards a shelving unit, but I don't really want to look at my clothes on the shelves. Not really a part of my decorating scheme, LOL!
> 
> I would love an armoire. I have a walk-in basement home, so the basement is taken up with my kitchen, livingroom, utility room and bathroom! The upstairs is only a half story, so there is no wall space for an armoire. We have no attic! I might be able to get one of those racks in the utility room if I do some rearranging. I might be more likely to hang clothes as they come out of the dryer. And if it's my clothes, I wouldn't care if they stayed in there until I wear them. There is no room for my clothes in our current closet, anyway.
> 
> Thanks for giving me more to think about!


You can get them many places, from Walmart to Lowes. I bought mine at Lowes but I've seen similar baskets in lots of stores. I saw some in IKEA once, when shopping there. You can also get metal baskets which are sturdier but look a bit more contemporary/modern. If you want to, and have a sewing machine, I bet you could make a pattern for basket liners and sew some up yourself. That way the liners could match your decor. And you could probably save a bit on the cost of the baskets too.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

I just lightly cleaned closets and donated 3 lg bags to ARC. These were mostly my son's & mine. I need to go thru hubby's next. I also found some yarn I was wanting!!! I retired in May and my now normal clothes are jeans & t-shirt! I use under the bed storage lg plastic boxes for switching out winter/summer. Shoes are in the hanging bag but I don't have lots of shoes. In the closet I hang 2 pairs of slacks on one heavy hanger. I have xmas shirts in a small suitcase that needs to be sorted. The closets are looking better...good luck!


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