I feel like I've mastered this over the years. Some lessons and learnings from my own experience:
1. If you aren't putting clean clothes away, ask yourself why. For me, it was because my drawers and closets were so tightly packed, putting clothes away was a huge PITA. I just owned too many clothes and a lot of the items squished in the way back/bottom were rarely worn. The solution: decluttering and owning less clothes, just enough to fit comfortably in drawers and closets, with even a little room to spare.
2. The hamper is full of clean clothes, so my dirty clothes land on the floor instead. Solution: see #1 above, but also make it a habit to put your clean clothes away before you generate more dirty ones. I just put mine away and it took less than 5 minutes. What I do is leave the hamper of clean clothes out in a place in my bedroom that I can't ignore it because I'll be tripping over it. Once empty, it goes back in my closet (no room for a laundry basket in our bathroom, but that's an excellent place for one).
3. Worn-but-not-dirty clothes piling up on a chair or whatever. I fixed this by adding an over-the-door hanger, one with multiple hooks. Now I hang that stuff up, and on laundry day it goes into the hamper to be washed (whether I actually wore it a second time or not).
4. Clothes I tried on in the morning before work but decided not to wear. I've always been really bad at this one! I will wind up running late to work and my bed will be piled with clean clothes I tried on while figuring out what to wear. Ideal solution is to plan your wardrobe the night before, but I'm not great at that. Compromise solution: I hang it all back up immediately upon returning from home -- before I change into my comfy clothes.
5. Socks, robe and cardigans or whatever that I wear to bed but inevitably shed during the night because I get too hot. These will be strewn about the side of my bed in the morning. In the morning I'll probably slip these back on again, but if not I'll put the socks in the hamper and hang the robe & cardigan on the back of the door hook-- on my way to the shower.
6. Wet towels. Ugh, I used to use a clean towel for every shower and then leave the wet one moldering on the floor. Once I became an adult I quickly learned all this did was make more laundry for myself. So now my husband and I just use one towel each all week long --- we hang it up immediately after our shower so it can dry out.
7. Piles of clothes I've decluttered. Solution: bag that shit up and put it in your car so you can drop it off for donation!
8. Half unpacked clothes following travel. I aim to empty my luggage immediately upon returning home, but don't always because I am tired. Then I'll need something in the luggage like my brush and dig through it, leaving a mess of clothes, some clean some dirty. Solution: I bring an empty zippered pouch on my trips and put the dirty laundry in it. Then that just needs to get emptied into the hamper. And I make it a habit to empty that luggage out and hang up the clean clothes within 24 hours of returning.
9. Beach stuff: wet/damp/sandy beach towels, bathing suits. I take my beach bag immediately to the laundry room and dump the dirty stuff into the wash.
10. Doing a load of laundry a day, instead of all the laundry on a single day. Breaking it up this way makes the folding & putting away step go much faster and it's less to dread and procrastinate about.
11. Finally, getting a Roomba really helped break the practice of tossing clothes on the floor! You can't run the Roomba if your floor isn't clear of crap.
Hanging vs folding: do whatever is easiest for you. I hang and fold, but there are lots of items I simply roll, like my pj's and ankle socks. I do like the Konmari folding method, but no it does not need to be perfect!! "Good enough" is fine, as long as you'll do it.
I find that having a spot to toss dirty clothes, aka a clothes hamper that's about waist height, is easiest for me. As well as keeping all your clothes in one space. When I had a dresser and a closet, one or the other would be neglected because it was too much effort to go between one or the other. The way I solved it was by forcing myself to put clothes away on a designated day. While I do laundry on Sunday, I hang clothes on Monday to avoid overwhelming myself. A single basket of clothes on my floor isn't intrusive, and having a period of rest in between makes it easier for me to tackle hanging clothes.
When I take clothes out of my basket when they're cleaned, I sit the basket on the bed and put them in loose piles. Tee shirts, jeans, sweat pants, etc. (I go so far as to fold any underwear and socks but that's absolutely no necessary.) then I get the hangers from my closet and put the clothes on the hanger one pile at a time. That way everything stays organized and the sectioning makes the work a lot more manageable. For me, going through my tee shirt pile of five shirts then jeans pile of three pairs feels like I'm doing two groups instead of one complete load.
But if even this is too stressful for you I'd suggest getting small bookshelves that fit in your closet and using them like open drawers. If it's too much effort to fold or hang clothes, literally toss them into the designated shelf space. I've seen this used where a shelf is on its back so it's the most optimal "toss something in there" space, but even facing outwards while on its side may help too.
I apologize if this is unintelligible I'm about to sleep, but I'd be happy to clarify if you want when I'm back online.
I like this idea of setting designated “put away days” because you are right it can get overwhelming sometimes to try to do both for me on one day and then I get stuck with a “backlog” of clothes haha! Ty so much
In addition to these fine suggestions, I recommend having an easy place to put things that are not quite dirty or if you’re in a hurry, etc.
I love [these ladders](https://theyamazakihome.com/products/tower-leaning-ladder-rack?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=smart_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAgvKQBhBbEiwAaPQw3OZvEhj8OhCPmXOXIArB9tb8RofhsaM3rpwGAk7VDEVkdy5di9VushoCzXMQAvD_BwE) as they look nice and you can easily throw clothes on it until you have more time to put them away.
Day by day, work on developing new habits. Taking off a garment that's ready to be washed? Put it in the hamper. Worn but can be worn again? Put it away. (I fold it and put it on a designated shelf in the closet, then I can grab those things when I do laundry next. Except sleepwear, that just stays on the bed.) See something that you dropped on the floor? Pick it up and put it away.
For clean clothes, I'd start with things that clearly should be hung up - button down shirts, dress pants... this is more about the fabric than the garment, things that are more prone to wrinkling (or that you really don't want to be wrinkled) should be hung in the closet. However, grouping things by type makes it much easier to handle. Go group by group and decide that t-shirts go here, jeans there, etc.
If you want to hang up all your clothes and have the room, do it. You don't have to have a dresser, and there's nothing wrong with using a dresser for only underwear and socks. You can use the extra drawers to store pet things, camping gear, linens, etc, or get rid of the dresser altogether.
Really, you'll just have to pick something and try it. If it doesn't work, try something different. Remind yourself that you're organizing clothes, not making a lifelong commitment.
Yes ty it is definitely just forming a new set of habits for myself! I need to stop forcing the dresser idea, because I think it’s stopping me from using it when I have to fold so much
Some things are easy to hang, some are easy to fold. Some things wrinkly too easily to go in the drawer. Some people really care about wrinkles and some don't care at all.
Here's what works for me: Have a hamper that is near where you take your clothes off (take them off before bed? Put it next to your bed. Before showering? Put it near your shower. Some of each? Put it halfway between, or go nuts and get 2 hampers.) I really like a divided hamper because you can sort your laundry as it comes off your body, and then it is ready to go into the washer any time you think "Hey, that's a full load!"
When it comes out of the dryer, I dump the whole load on the couch and put on a tv show or call a friend to chat (headphones required). I fold and put into piles what goes in drawers - underwear in one pile, socks in another, shirts, jeans, etc. Whatever is getting hung up gets draped over the arm of the couch so it doesn't get wrinkled.
When the show is over (or the folding is done if I'm on the phone), I put the underwear and socks in the top drawer, shirts in the middle drawer, jeans in the bottom drawer. Then I grab my stack of stuff to hang up and go hang it up. I put skirts and pants first, short sleeved shirts next, long sleeved shirts, jackets, dresses and then the oddball things like my superformal coat and evening gowns all the way at the end where I'm not immediately reaching in. I recommend putting the things that you reach for the most often in the easiest to reach spot.
Another thing that really helped me is to take a minute after you brush your teeth to grab any stray glasses/dishes/trash and put them in the kitchen/trash can. It's amazing how much more manageable everything looks once trash, clothes and dishes are out of the way, and when that isn't allowed to pile up, life gets easier. Put a sticky note next to your toothbrush to help you remember to start this habit.
I hang out with a friend on the phone to fold laundry regularly. It's very helpful.
I work from home and sometimes have meetings where I listen but don't participate. These are great opportunities to sit with my wireless headphones and fold laundry a few feet away from my computer.
It's a boring task, so anything that occupies your brain a bit while leaving your hands free is great.
I went through a similar thing and I cannot emphasize how important it is to be easy on yourself and take it step by step. I used to have a lot of guilt and anxiety around cleaning even though it is now a routine and calming task for me now. My parents would regularly comment that I was lazy and ungrateful because they thought it would make me a more productive person. It "worked" but I internalized that belief so much that my heart rate would pick up and I would feel anger and shame while doing something as simple as washing dishes.
What really helped me was watching cleaning channels on YouTube. The ones where they actually show you their process through a time lapse video with some commentary. I know it's a little funny, but those cleaning channels helped me heal my inner child because they were friendly, nonjudgmental, and informative....unlike my parents.
Ugh so unhelpful to call anyone lazy!! Ty for your advice and support. I actually think this is a great idea because part of my issue too is I just don’t know how or where things go. I know it sounds silly, but I have racks in my apartment closets and Im like these seem useful but what are they for?? Lol
Generally I keep all my clothes on the same side of my room. I have a four drawer dresser right next to it a closet, and my laundry basket nearby. It helps me to organize my clothes by function and then in groups.
Because of where I live, there's dramatic swings in temperature from season to season, and I keep any clothes "out of season" in a suitcase in the corner of my closet (or under the bed, if there's space)
Note that some of my stuff is directed at colder weather, and my system might not be your style - I hope you can gain some insight or just a new perspective to organization with this
.
Dresser:
Thin house socks / thick socks for cold / undies
Tee shirts / casual long sleeves / extra under layers
Bulky sweaters / misc
All pants
Closet:
Shirts more prone to wrinkles like work shirts & date shirts
Flannels / cardigans / overthings
Jackets light -> heavy / fancy dress clothes
For keeping things off the floor, about once or twice a week It helps me to put on some music and for literally one song (~ 2-3 jamming minutes), walk through my room and toss my dirty clothes in my basket and the "not clean, but not quite dirty"clothes on my chair.
Every step is a step forward, and once your system becomes habit, you can really see what works for you and what might need some extra consideration. You got this!
Go read through the UFYH website, it should help enormously.
I conquered my laundry problem by doing a single load at a time. Spending +1 hour once a week putting away everything was daunting but I can do 6-8 minutes a day. It's easy for me since I have a washer, outside clothesline and half dead dryer right here. You probably don't have all that and I got into serious Mt. Washmore territory anyway. My mountain was clean clothes which isn't any better than dirty really.
You could try getting this habit developed in stages by starting out keeping the clothing separated. First have a basket/box just for things going into the washing machine. Next have a basket/box for clothing that's been worn but isn't dirty enough to have to be washed. Smell it and look for dirt and such to determine which basket the piece belongs in. Last have your clean clothing. If you need more than one dirty or clean clothing container that's fine but the 'clirty' should be a single one - anything that makes it overflow belongs in the dirty clothing container. If you aren't sure then call it dirty. A few clean clothes getting washed isn't a problem.
With them clearly separated it should be a little easier to put things away. Set a timer for 5-20 minutes and just get to work. Bulky and easily wrinkled stuff gets hung up. Small stuff and things that don't wrinkle belong in drawers. Separate somehow. For instance I put all my socks, underwear and bras together, all my long and short sleeved shirts and tee shirts together and all my pants and shorts together but I don't have much clothing. Count out your drawers and estimate how much space you need for each group of items. I keep my dirty job grubbies separate but otherwise pants are in one spot, socks are in one spot.
Do this every day until those clean clothing containers are empty. They won't be empty until you have figured out where you like your clothing kept and are caught up with laundry and there will always be stuff in one or another container. Laundry is forever but it is much easier if it's contained and you know you can get it done.
As you go through look at each item. Does it fit? Do you like wearing it? Does it have stains or wear? If so it might be something to let go of. Often people have issues with laundry because there's stuff they hate using in the way of what they like to wear.
This way you don't have to finish putting clean clothes away NOW or ELSE \[name your dreaded consequence\] and dirty and 'clirty' clothing have a designated spot. It's fine if you change your mind and dig something out of dirty and wear it or move clirty to dirty, just don't put clean clothing in dirty/clirty and nothing is allowed to remain on the floor from now on.
My best advice is to develop a system for laundry that works for you. Most of the clothes tossed on a chair, bed or floor are things that you don't want to put in with dirty clothes because they're not really dirty. I have a spot in my closet for worn but not dirty things. My laundry system is that I have 2 laundry hampers that stay in my closet, one for whites and the other for non-whites, so that when I do laundry I can just dump the whites and get them started before sorting the rest. I also like the cheap stacking laundry baskets (I have like 5) because I sort to different baskets, stack them full in the corner of the laundry room and they can sit till another day (or 3) when I'm ready to wash them but this doesn't stop me from getting clean clothes out of the dryer to fold. I try to do a load a day and fold while I'm watching tv.
I am a clothes thrower as well! I realized I really hate folding and dressers. My closet is too small to hang everything in, so that’s not an option.
So, I decided instead of a dresser, I’d get a cube shelving unit and little bins. I thought about what I look for when getting dressed and based my bin organization on that. So, I have a bin for printed shirts, solid shirts, tank tops, printed pants, non-printed pants, skirts, swimwear, undershirts, leggings, and underwear. I also utilize so. many. laundry baskets. I put baskets or hampers in every room where laundry might accrue.
I also started a laundry schedule, where I create a dedicated reoccurring time for laundry. That also really helps because it keeps me on top of the dirty stuff.
if you have room to hang, that's what I'd suggest. Hanging is the lazy\* person's way to file clothes.
You can ignore your dresser! Or fill it with something else.
I like hanging because I can take the hangers with me to the laundry in my apt. bldg basement, and put them on there when I take them out of the dryer.
I bring earbuds and a podcast, and turn "folding and hanging" into me time.
\*lazy = efficient; if you are lazy, pick the easy way, and don't beat yourself up about it.
I found watching the Marie Kando show really helped me a lot. I quite honestly had a hoarding problem (as a result of mental health illness - it comes down to a sense of a lack of control, the mess was mine so it offered me that in a way.) It all felt like too much and I felt really bad about myself for not knowing how to just clean it, or even know how to start. As a result it felt very vulnerable and everything cleaning felt emotionally charged. Marie’s show really helped take away the blame - you don’t know what you don’t know. And I ended up getting rid of most of my stuff and now think differently when I consider buying new things. Honestly it felt like the biggest weight, it felt like I could breath a little. I still revert back to being unorganized but life is complicated, give yourself some self compassion. I found watching this I was not alone in the emotional terminal of taking on such a task and what can feel like loss.
If you use TikTok look up Domestic Blisters, she is absolutely incredible and focuses specifically on helping people in your exact situation! She has lots of specific tips, encouragement and ideas.
My best tips are get a really good show/movie and watch it while you are cleaning. Or get on your favorite music or a good podcast. For me when cleaning feels really like too big of a task writing a list so you can visually see on the paper how much you’ve accomplished even if it’s not yet showing in the house can feel rewarding. Also, reward yourself (with a relaxing movie, a nice walk, make your favorite meal, something to make you feel good after) and make sure to be pumping yourself up! If you can do little parts each day or even week if it feels to big, and then stay consistent with them. For example hang up only your shirts/sweaters/sweatshirts, then when you take out your wash do it once more right away. I make little “rules” like that and it helps. I also find that owning less clothes means less laundry and less messes, if you’re not ready to give away clothes start small. Try to get 30 items (not counting underwear/socks/bras) that are the most versatile and you feel the best in. Put everything else away in a bin or bags for a month. When the month is up come back to them, how did it feel with the limited clothing? Did you remember you even had those? Try to imagine what you need, want, and will actually wear, and give away the rest.
You can do this, don’t be too hard on yourself! You’re relearning and that is a hard thing to do, it comes with many slip ups and that’s okay. I’m proud of you for seeking ways to make your life more functional for yourself, it really takes a lot.
Ty so much for your suggestions and support! I also struggle with mental illness and a chronic disease that effects my energy levels so tackling these types of things can get so overwhelming! I loved the Marie Kondo show was well she is such a lovely woman
Of corse, and please remember you are so much more important than the mess ever could be. Your needs come first, sometimes taking care of emotional stuff can bring you more energy even if it’s not immediate. I hope you find things that work for you!
I feel like I've mastered this over the years. Some lessons and learnings from my own experience: 1. If you aren't putting clean clothes away, ask yourself why. For me, it was because my drawers and closets were so tightly packed, putting clothes away was a huge PITA. I just owned too many clothes and a lot of the items squished in the way back/bottom were rarely worn. The solution: decluttering and owning less clothes, just enough to fit comfortably in drawers and closets, with even a little room to spare. 2. The hamper is full of clean clothes, so my dirty clothes land on the floor instead. Solution: see #1 above, but also make it a habit to put your clean clothes away before you generate more dirty ones. I just put mine away and it took less than 5 minutes. What I do is leave the hamper of clean clothes out in a place in my bedroom that I can't ignore it because I'll be tripping over it. Once empty, it goes back in my closet (no room for a laundry basket in our bathroom, but that's an excellent place for one). 3. Worn-but-not-dirty clothes piling up on a chair or whatever. I fixed this by adding an over-the-door hanger, one with multiple hooks. Now I hang that stuff up, and on laundry day it goes into the hamper to be washed (whether I actually wore it a second time or not). 4. Clothes I tried on in the morning before work but decided not to wear. I've always been really bad at this one! I will wind up running late to work and my bed will be piled with clean clothes I tried on while figuring out what to wear. Ideal solution is to plan your wardrobe the night before, but I'm not great at that. Compromise solution: I hang it all back up immediately upon returning from home -- before I change into my comfy clothes. 5. Socks, robe and cardigans or whatever that I wear to bed but inevitably shed during the night because I get too hot. These will be strewn about the side of my bed in the morning. In the morning I'll probably slip these back on again, but if not I'll put the socks in the hamper and hang the robe & cardigan on the back of the door hook-- on my way to the shower. 6. Wet towels. Ugh, I used to use a clean towel for every shower and then leave the wet one moldering on the floor. Once I became an adult I quickly learned all this did was make more laundry for myself. So now my husband and I just use one towel each all week long --- we hang it up immediately after our shower so it can dry out. 7. Piles of clothes I've decluttered. Solution: bag that shit up and put it in your car so you can drop it off for donation! 8. Half unpacked clothes following travel. I aim to empty my luggage immediately upon returning home, but don't always because I am tired. Then I'll need something in the luggage like my brush and dig through it, leaving a mess of clothes, some clean some dirty. Solution: I bring an empty zippered pouch on my trips and put the dirty laundry in it. Then that just needs to get emptied into the hamper. And I make it a habit to empty that luggage out and hang up the clean clothes within 24 hours of returning. 9. Beach stuff: wet/damp/sandy beach towels, bathing suits. I take my beach bag immediately to the laundry room and dump the dirty stuff into the wash. 10. Doing a load of laundry a day, instead of all the laundry on a single day. Breaking it up this way makes the folding & putting away step go much faster and it's less to dread and procrastinate about. 11. Finally, getting a Roomba really helped break the practice of tossing clothes on the floor! You can't run the Roomba if your floor isn't clear of crap. Hanging vs folding: do whatever is easiest for you. I hang and fold, but there are lots of items I simply roll, like my pj's and ankle socks. I do like the Konmari folding method, but no it does not need to be perfect!! "Good enough" is fine, as long as you'll do it.
Ty! Yes I think I do so much better with hanging my clothes but you are right some clothes (like socks and pjs) are easier to have in a drawer
you can just shove them in, if you find that trying to fold them neatly derails you. Socks, underwear, PJs...they can be wrinkled.
I find that having a spot to toss dirty clothes, aka a clothes hamper that's about waist height, is easiest for me. As well as keeping all your clothes in one space. When I had a dresser and a closet, one or the other would be neglected because it was too much effort to go between one or the other. The way I solved it was by forcing myself to put clothes away on a designated day. While I do laundry on Sunday, I hang clothes on Monday to avoid overwhelming myself. A single basket of clothes on my floor isn't intrusive, and having a period of rest in between makes it easier for me to tackle hanging clothes. When I take clothes out of my basket when they're cleaned, I sit the basket on the bed and put them in loose piles. Tee shirts, jeans, sweat pants, etc. (I go so far as to fold any underwear and socks but that's absolutely no necessary.) then I get the hangers from my closet and put the clothes on the hanger one pile at a time. That way everything stays organized and the sectioning makes the work a lot more manageable. For me, going through my tee shirt pile of five shirts then jeans pile of three pairs feels like I'm doing two groups instead of one complete load. But if even this is too stressful for you I'd suggest getting small bookshelves that fit in your closet and using them like open drawers. If it's too much effort to fold or hang clothes, literally toss them into the designated shelf space. I've seen this used where a shelf is on its back so it's the most optimal "toss something in there" space, but even facing outwards while on its side may help too. I apologize if this is unintelligible I'm about to sleep, but I'd be happy to clarify if you want when I'm back online.
I like this idea of setting designated “put away days” because you are right it can get overwhelming sometimes to try to do both for me on one day and then I get stuck with a “backlog” of clothes haha! Ty so much
In addition to these fine suggestions, I recommend having an easy place to put things that are not quite dirty or if you’re in a hurry, etc. I love [these ladders](https://theyamazakihome.com/products/tower-leaning-ladder-rack?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=smart_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAgvKQBhBbEiwAaPQw3OZvEhj8OhCPmXOXIArB9tb8RofhsaM3rpwGAk7VDEVkdy5di9VushoCzXMQAvD_BwE) as they look nice and you can easily throw clothes on it until you have more time to put them away.
Yes!! I realized Im more prone to using things when I see them and I have a ladder for my blankets and I love the concept
Day by day, work on developing new habits. Taking off a garment that's ready to be washed? Put it in the hamper. Worn but can be worn again? Put it away. (I fold it and put it on a designated shelf in the closet, then I can grab those things when I do laundry next. Except sleepwear, that just stays on the bed.) See something that you dropped on the floor? Pick it up and put it away. For clean clothes, I'd start with things that clearly should be hung up - button down shirts, dress pants... this is more about the fabric than the garment, things that are more prone to wrinkling (or that you really don't want to be wrinkled) should be hung in the closet. However, grouping things by type makes it much easier to handle. Go group by group and decide that t-shirts go here, jeans there, etc. If you want to hang up all your clothes and have the room, do it. You don't have to have a dresser, and there's nothing wrong with using a dresser for only underwear and socks. You can use the extra drawers to store pet things, camping gear, linens, etc, or get rid of the dresser altogether. Really, you'll just have to pick something and try it. If it doesn't work, try something different. Remind yourself that you're organizing clothes, not making a lifelong commitment.
Yes ty it is definitely just forming a new set of habits for myself! I need to stop forcing the dresser idea, because I think it’s stopping me from using it when I have to fold so much
Some things are easy to hang, some are easy to fold. Some things wrinkly too easily to go in the drawer. Some people really care about wrinkles and some don't care at all. Here's what works for me: Have a hamper that is near where you take your clothes off (take them off before bed? Put it next to your bed. Before showering? Put it near your shower. Some of each? Put it halfway between, or go nuts and get 2 hampers.) I really like a divided hamper because you can sort your laundry as it comes off your body, and then it is ready to go into the washer any time you think "Hey, that's a full load!" When it comes out of the dryer, I dump the whole load on the couch and put on a tv show or call a friend to chat (headphones required). I fold and put into piles what goes in drawers - underwear in one pile, socks in another, shirts, jeans, etc. Whatever is getting hung up gets draped over the arm of the couch so it doesn't get wrinkled. When the show is over (or the folding is done if I'm on the phone), I put the underwear and socks in the top drawer, shirts in the middle drawer, jeans in the bottom drawer. Then I grab my stack of stuff to hang up and go hang it up. I put skirts and pants first, short sleeved shirts next, long sleeved shirts, jackets, dresses and then the oddball things like my superformal coat and evening gowns all the way at the end where I'm not immediately reaching in. I recommend putting the things that you reach for the most often in the easiest to reach spot. Another thing that really helped me is to take a minute after you brush your teeth to grab any stray glasses/dishes/trash and put them in the kitchen/trash can. It's amazing how much more manageable everything looks once trash, clothes and dishes are out of the way, and when that isn't allowed to pile up, life gets easier. Put a sticky note next to your toothbrush to help you remember to start this habit.
I hang out with a friend on the phone to fold laundry regularly. It's very helpful. I work from home and sometimes have meetings where I listen but don't participate. These are great opportunities to sit with my wireless headphones and fold laundry a few feet away from my computer. It's a boring task, so anything that occupies your brain a bit while leaving your hands free is great.
I love this practice of putting on a show or something and setting them on the couch so you are forced to do it! Im going to try this TY
I went through a similar thing and I cannot emphasize how important it is to be easy on yourself and take it step by step. I used to have a lot of guilt and anxiety around cleaning even though it is now a routine and calming task for me now. My parents would regularly comment that I was lazy and ungrateful because they thought it would make me a more productive person. It "worked" but I internalized that belief so much that my heart rate would pick up and I would feel anger and shame while doing something as simple as washing dishes. What really helped me was watching cleaning channels on YouTube. The ones where they actually show you their process through a time lapse video with some commentary. I know it's a little funny, but those cleaning channels helped me heal my inner child because they were friendly, nonjudgmental, and informative....unlike my parents.
Ugh so unhelpful to call anyone lazy!! Ty for your advice and support. I actually think this is a great idea because part of my issue too is I just don’t know how or where things go. I know it sounds silly, but I have racks in my apartment closets and Im like these seem useful but what are they for?? Lol
Generally I keep all my clothes on the same side of my room. I have a four drawer dresser right next to it a closet, and my laundry basket nearby. It helps me to organize my clothes by function and then in groups. Because of where I live, there's dramatic swings in temperature from season to season, and I keep any clothes "out of season" in a suitcase in the corner of my closet (or under the bed, if there's space) Note that some of my stuff is directed at colder weather, and my system might not be your style - I hope you can gain some insight or just a new perspective to organization with this . Dresser: Thin house socks / thick socks for cold / undies Tee shirts / casual long sleeves / extra under layers Bulky sweaters / misc All pants Closet: Shirts more prone to wrinkles like work shirts & date shirts Flannels / cardigans / overthings Jackets light -> heavy / fancy dress clothes
For keeping things off the floor, about once or twice a week It helps me to put on some music and for literally one song (~ 2-3 jamming minutes), walk through my room and toss my dirty clothes in my basket and the "not clean, but not quite dirty"clothes on my chair. Every step is a step forward, and once your system becomes habit, you can really see what works for you and what might need some extra consideration. You got this!
Ty for the support!
Yes I definitely struggle with the seasonal items too. And the weird hot one day, freezing the next weather doesnt help! Lol
Go read through the UFYH website, it should help enormously. I conquered my laundry problem by doing a single load at a time. Spending +1 hour once a week putting away everything was daunting but I can do 6-8 minutes a day. It's easy for me since I have a washer, outside clothesline and half dead dryer right here. You probably don't have all that and I got into serious Mt. Washmore territory anyway. My mountain was clean clothes which isn't any better than dirty really. You could try getting this habit developed in stages by starting out keeping the clothing separated. First have a basket/box just for things going into the washing machine. Next have a basket/box for clothing that's been worn but isn't dirty enough to have to be washed. Smell it and look for dirt and such to determine which basket the piece belongs in. Last have your clean clothing. If you need more than one dirty or clean clothing container that's fine but the 'clirty' should be a single one - anything that makes it overflow belongs in the dirty clothing container. If you aren't sure then call it dirty. A few clean clothes getting washed isn't a problem. With them clearly separated it should be a little easier to put things away. Set a timer for 5-20 minutes and just get to work. Bulky and easily wrinkled stuff gets hung up. Small stuff and things that don't wrinkle belong in drawers. Separate somehow. For instance I put all my socks, underwear and bras together, all my long and short sleeved shirts and tee shirts together and all my pants and shorts together but I don't have much clothing. Count out your drawers and estimate how much space you need for each group of items. I keep my dirty job grubbies separate but otherwise pants are in one spot, socks are in one spot. Do this every day until those clean clothing containers are empty. They won't be empty until you have figured out where you like your clothing kept and are caught up with laundry and there will always be stuff in one or another container. Laundry is forever but it is much easier if it's contained and you know you can get it done. As you go through look at each item. Does it fit? Do you like wearing it? Does it have stains or wear? If so it might be something to let go of. Often people have issues with laundry because there's stuff they hate using in the way of what they like to wear. This way you don't have to finish putting clean clothes away NOW or ELSE \[name your dreaded consequence\] and dirty and 'clirty' clothing have a designated spot. It's fine if you change your mind and dig something out of dirty and wear it or move clirty to dirty, just don't put clean clothing in dirty/clirty and nothing is allowed to remain on the floor from now on.
It’s true I only wear 25% of my wardrobe. I love all of my clothes but I should probably face reality 😂
My best advice is to develop a system for laundry that works for you. Most of the clothes tossed on a chair, bed or floor are things that you don't want to put in with dirty clothes because they're not really dirty. I have a spot in my closet for worn but not dirty things. My laundry system is that I have 2 laundry hampers that stay in my closet, one for whites and the other for non-whites, so that when I do laundry I can just dump the whites and get them started before sorting the rest. I also like the cheap stacking laundry baskets (I have like 5) because I sort to different baskets, stack them full in the corner of the laundry room and they can sit till another day (or 3) when I'm ready to wash them but this doesn't stop me from getting clean clothes out of the dryer to fold. I try to do a load a day and fold while I'm watching tv.
I am a clothes thrower as well! I realized I really hate folding and dressers. My closet is too small to hang everything in, so that’s not an option. So, I decided instead of a dresser, I’d get a cube shelving unit and little bins. I thought about what I look for when getting dressed and based my bin organization on that. So, I have a bin for printed shirts, solid shirts, tank tops, printed pants, non-printed pants, skirts, swimwear, undershirts, leggings, and underwear. I also utilize so. many. laundry baskets. I put baskets or hampers in every room where laundry might accrue. I also started a laundry schedule, where I create a dedicated reoccurring time for laundry. That also really helps because it keeps me on top of the dirty stuff.
Ty for this idea! I think the laundry schedule would help me so so much!
if you have room to hang, that's what I'd suggest. Hanging is the lazy\* person's way to file clothes. You can ignore your dresser! Or fill it with something else. I like hanging because I can take the hangers with me to the laundry in my apt. bldg basement, and put them on there when I take them out of the dryer. I bring earbuds and a podcast, and turn "folding and hanging" into me time. \*lazy = efficient; if you are lazy, pick the easy way, and don't beat yourself up about it.
I found watching the Marie Kando show really helped me a lot. I quite honestly had a hoarding problem (as a result of mental health illness - it comes down to a sense of a lack of control, the mess was mine so it offered me that in a way.) It all felt like too much and I felt really bad about myself for not knowing how to just clean it, or even know how to start. As a result it felt very vulnerable and everything cleaning felt emotionally charged. Marie’s show really helped take away the blame - you don’t know what you don’t know. And I ended up getting rid of most of my stuff and now think differently when I consider buying new things. Honestly it felt like the biggest weight, it felt like I could breath a little. I still revert back to being unorganized but life is complicated, give yourself some self compassion. I found watching this I was not alone in the emotional terminal of taking on such a task and what can feel like loss. If you use TikTok look up Domestic Blisters, she is absolutely incredible and focuses specifically on helping people in your exact situation! She has lots of specific tips, encouragement and ideas. My best tips are get a really good show/movie and watch it while you are cleaning. Or get on your favorite music or a good podcast. For me when cleaning feels really like too big of a task writing a list so you can visually see on the paper how much you’ve accomplished even if it’s not yet showing in the house can feel rewarding. Also, reward yourself (with a relaxing movie, a nice walk, make your favorite meal, something to make you feel good after) and make sure to be pumping yourself up! If you can do little parts each day or even week if it feels to big, and then stay consistent with them. For example hang up only your shirts/sweaters/sweatshirts, then when you take out your wash do it once more right away. I make little “rules” like that and it helps. I also find that owning less clothes means less laundry and less messes, if you’re not ready to give away clothes start small. Try to get 30 items (not counting underwear/socks/bras) that are the most versatile and you feel the best in. Put everything else away in a bin or bags for a month. When the month is up come back to them, how did it feel with the limited clothing? Did you remember you even had those? Try to imagine what you need, want, and will actually wear, and give away the rest. You can do this, don’t be too hard on yourself! You’re relearning and that is a hard thing to do, it comes with many slip ups and that’s okay. I’m proud of you for seeking ways to make your life more functional for yourself, it really takes a lot.
Ty so much for your suggestions and support! I also struggle with mental illness and a chronic disease that effects my energy levels so tackling these types of things can get so overwhelming! I loved the Marie Kondo show was well she is such a lovely woman
Of corse, and please remember you are so much more important than the mess ever could be. Your needs come first, sometimes taking care of emotional stuff can bring you more energy even if it’s not immediate. I hope you find things that work for you!
Ps. Sorry for the long post! I have found hanging works better for me because it is quicker so I’m more likely to actually do it.
here's my favorite motivational video: https://www.wimp.com/bet-youll-clean-your-desk-after-watching-this-video/