The picture shows exactly what happens to my clothes. They end up on the floor and become a bed for my dog. When it's time to pick them up to do the laundry he growls at me!!! Anyway, this is great advice and will try it. Thanks!!!

Oh man, I have to try this. I seem to always have a pile of clothes on top of my dresser. Typically, they are clothes that have been worn but don't need to be laundered yet (like sweaters). I really try to hang everything up on the weekend so that I at least start clean each week, but even that doesn not always happen...

you are right. but first, i must summon the energy to count the 60 minutes i need to catch up on folding and ironing two full loads worth. i'm with you on the tidy house/messy clothing habbits situation.

Great advice! I only wish that every time I left a pile of dirty clothes on the floor a sweet puppy would appear!

I don't understand how anyone can NOT put their clothing away properly...

It's one thing to have a set of sweats that you wear around the house after work or on weekends lying around - it's quite another thing to treat the clothing that you wear to the office or out in public this way. Just because you've worn something once it doesn't always require laundering - Jeans can go for a couple wearings and blazers/suits/dresspants can go for several wearings between cleaning as long as there aren't stains or mishaps.

When you consider the money that you've invested in your apparel and it's upkeep - Why would anyone toss something that costs so much on the floor for the cat/dog to sleep in, get stepped on, soiled, wrinkled, torn, etc?

recently i've begun putting the clothes that are still clean, but need to be re-ironed before waring again, back on hangers and hung on one side of the closet.

when i'm ready to iron (or out of pressed pants!) i just grab that stack and iron away. i no longer have a pile of clothes on the chair in my bedroom, and i dont have to hunt for hangers when i have things to press.

I did a purge recently and got rid of a lot of clothes that I never wear. I still have yet to purge my coat closet, but just organizing and getting rid of so much stuff in my dresser and bedroom closet has helped me enormously. If I have a nice little stack of pajama pants in my dresser for example, I am much more likely to put my pajamas away in the morning because I know exactly where they are supposed to go. And the fact that I got rid of stuff means that I actually have enough room in my dresser for everything that I need to go in there, which makes putting away things much more pleasant than when I used to try to stuff a pile of clothes into an already overflowing drawer and force it shut.

My issue has always been that I will stack my clothes on a chair that is by my bed, so the other big thing that has helped me with putting things away is that I got a beautiful antique chair for the bedroom. It looks awful when it is piled with clothes, but very lovely when I keep it clean. That is a big incentive for me to keep it clear of stuff.

oh yes. i know how this goes.

my trick, which works 3 out of 5 days a week, is that i arranged my clothes by color, roygbiv style. it's a lot more fun to hang things back "in their place" and to look at them in the morning, all nicely hung.

lame, i know. but it works a lot better than my old system.

i'm going to have to try this, though. i know that when i don't feel like cleaning up after dinner, i put 3 minutes on the timer and clean till it rings. by that point i've gotten enough of the mess taken care of that i can sit down if i'd like, but usually i just end up finishing once i start.

I almost always throw my clothes on the chair. I just don't feel like putting it all back up because I'm tired and want to go eat or relax. But I'm going to try this tonight!

We just installed a row of five hooks on the wall outside our closet. It's just as easy to toss something on a hook as it is to toss it on the floor. Whenever I feel motivated, I hang everything up properly in the closet. It is taking a little training for my husband (he is in the habit of draping things on his chair), but I think it's a happy medium for us.

That is one cute doggie!

That is an excellent trick. I'll try it.

Like some of the other posters have mentioned, purging and getting organized are really helpful, too. When there's room in my closet and drawers (and kitchen cupboards and desk drawers) to maneuver, I'm more likely to get in there and maneuver.

I must have an obsession with washing my clothes 'cause everything goes in the laundry.

First, I change clothes as soon as I get home so I have a tiny bit of energy. I don't want to wear my nice work clothes around the house - my cat will inevitably catch a claw in something and ruin it.

I think my problem with putting clothes away is "a place for everything" issue. If it is dirty, easy, goes in the dirty laundry. If it isn't dirty enough to wash, I don't want to put it in the closet with the "totally clean" clothes. I have a temporary solution that I'm not entirely pleased with.

That solution is my worn but not dirty clothes go, hung up, on the shower rod in the bathroom that isn't used, right next to my closet. This has the benefits of 1) letting me know what I've already worn that week and 2) airing the clothes out enough to be re-hung with the totally clean clothes.

I, however, do not like the look of clothes in the bathroom. So, permanent solution? Maybe a valet bar in the closet? Or a section of closet for clothes that have been worn? My single pair jeans are hung on a hook when they are clean enough to be reworn. My other casual clothes, though, those remain an issue.

Minchee:

I love washing everything, I think that is the easiest tack. Howeverm washing can be somewhat hard on clothes so I don't wash them unless they need it. It is hard enough (and expensive!) to find clothes that I like, I want them to last as long as possible.

Purchasing a real laundry hamper with a lid that sits outside of my bedroom has helped keep my dirty clothes out of my bedroom and off of the floor. Who knew?

i'm with jen c above--i get out of my work clothes pretty quickly after i get home. my issue is that with many of them i want to "air" them out a bit before hanging them back on the rack: let the wrinkles fall out, whatever. i tried to outsmart myself by sticking a coat rack up in the closet, but that just makes it worse: now i lose things because i hang other things over them and still never hang anything up!

My solution is a chair for not-clean-but-not-dirty clothes and laundry baskets in my bedroom and my bathroom so that there's one present wherever I happen to be changing. It's still not perfect and I'm trying to hang stuff up but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

I use that counting trick with other things, too!

i agree with those who suggest installing hooks in the area you usually get undressed (bathroom, bedroom). this way you don't have to immediately put them away and it gives your clothes a chance to air out before putting them away.

i start by telling myself to fold and put three items of clothing away, then i end up doing another one and another one and another one, and it usually takes 5 minutes to make the whole pile disappear.

How did you get a photo of my bedroom floor and was that you following me yesterday?

mine never end up on the floor but they do end up on a chair, or at the end of the bed. dirty clothes always go in the hamper, so i've trained myself there, but i can always talk myself out of chores (there's always tomorrow!). i'll definitely try this counting trick because i always feel better when i just get it done, whatever it is.

"my issue is that with many of them i want to "air" them out a bit before hanging them back on the rack: let the wrinkles fall out, whatever."

Why not just place the items on hangers when you get home after work and hang them on a hook or doorknob - Then before you get into bed (after dinner, TV, whatever) you can hang them in the closet.

I always hang my slacks because I think about pressing or re-cleaning because they've become hopelessly misshaped in a pile. I'm really cheap and will special launder silks rather than dry clean. Sweaters folded and hung over the bar of hangers, shirts/blouses in the laundry or rehung for one more wear. I keep a mesh bag hanging on the closet door to separate items which do not go into the dryer. All of this takes maybe 2 minutes. My dirty little secret... I put on nightgown and robe when I get home to hang out for the evening.

I have a walk in closet now, but I did most of this before that, as well.

Anything that needs to be laundered (especially underwear and things that have been exposed to perspiration or stains) goes directly into the laundry basket.

Jeans and other sturdy things that don't need to be washed after every wearing, but have been worn once tend to go in the closet but on a shelf or table in there... Maybe draped over the rod...

Things that might need dry cleaning eventually but can still be worn go on hangers.

Bathrobe and nightie go on a "Command" hook inside the closet door.

When I do laundry, I hang all tops on hangers as they come out of the dryer. I wear a lot of cotton knits, so mostly nothing needs ironing, but if they do they stay on hangers in the laundry area until I get around to ironing them. I always hope any wrinkles will "fall out" and this actually works for a few things!

I fold all slacks and pile them up -- then they go onto a shelf in the closet. Socks, underwear, etc. go into piles and then into drawers.

If you have systems, it's not really that hard...

I also mounted a few hooks outside of the closet just for this purpose. When I was still working 2 jobs - honestly, there was no way on earth everything was going to get hung on hangers or folded away every night. It's good to have high expectations of yourself, but sometimes you can push yourself too hard.

My suggestion for those who want to "air out" - along the lines of bepsf, lcatt, wyzwomyn, Jen C and others...

Given the space, get a commercial garment rack (use the Google Machine!) with strong industrial casters, and leave it outside your closet. Resign to only putting your work / non-casual clothing on it, organized by slacks / shirts, and potentially color for the neat freaks.

Then you can "go shopping" from your own wardrobe in the morning, without hunting through the closet, and if you can keep some breathing room on the rack - it will be presentable.

Would love to see an AT theme post of "Rooms with Garment Racks" to illustrate!

I recently bought a new wall hanger for this purpose, it helps me to NOT throw my things of the floor without having to organize them into different drawers, it takes less time and if you choose one that looks good with the rest of the room you will feel motivated to use it.

Jen C, I'm fascinated lately with how people treat/keep there things. I recently explained to friends how this topic was the one problem I hadn't quite found a solution for and had never talked to other people about what they do. I'm completely on board w/ what you said about not wanting worn things to go back w/ totally clean things...and for that, my friends now think I'm a little crazy. :)

My habit is to hang over the folded ironing board or over hooks. At best, I hang on hangers at the back of the bedroom door. The problem with this is that if left for too long, the “worn once and still clean” clothes eventually accumulate dust and become unwearable, thus defeating the purpose of hanging them in the first place. The ideal solution is a portion of a closet, if not a separate closet, which is close to impossible given my square footage.

OMG. That's my life. Clothing on the floor is my pitfall! This also bleeds into jewelry on my dresser. I'm going to try your tips tomorrow night (tonight will be spent picking up the current waist high pile). Thanks!

This is exactly why I broke down and bought a clothes tree. It hangs out in the corner right by my closet and if it's a late night or if it's a pair of jeans I'll wear again before I wash, then the clothes just get hung on the tree. You can also get a free-standing coat rack with two tiers of hooks for the same purpose.

I chose this one and put it on top of a drawer on the floor to make it a bit higher. I love it!

http://www.homefurnitureandpatio.com/servlet/the-58/Modern-Children's-Clothes-Tree/Detail

This is my worst habit and I'm so bad at disciplining myself to keep my clothes off the floor, trunk, chair, dresser, etc... So this article is now bookmarked on my Bookmark Toolbar, right in the middle, so I see if every evening when I check my email before bed... hopefully this New Year's resolution will stick!

I'm fascinated with how many responses this just got. Putting your clothes away is one of life's many hassles. Just do it. Stop complaining. It takes more time to brush your teeth every night...hopefully you're not neglecting that too because you're "too tired" at the end of the day.

A few thoughts...do you really feel that "airing out" makes the clothes clean? Probably not. Just put them in as long as they don't smell like smoke or a restaurant.
Someone else recommended a pretty chair you don't want to pile clothes on...along that lines I would recommend no chair at all. You know you never sit on it if it has stuff on it all the time. You don't need it. If it's the dresser try putting pretty candles or decor on it.

sugarcake, I actually have skipped brushing my teeth at night many times because I was too tired (OK, lazy).... But wow, what's with the grouch? We all have little bad habits. Don't tell me you don't have a "life's hassle" that you skip out on from time to time....

I tend to rewear clothes before I decide the need washing so they lay about my bedroom because I don't want to mix them in with the completely clean clothes in the closet. My future solution for this will be when I redo my closet I will be adding valet hooks so I can hang the "I already wore this once" clothes.

the bedroom chair is definitely more used for in-between clothes than for sitting. I also have a habit of hanging my bras on the bathroom door... and hopefully remember to take them down when guests are over :)

I live in a 250 sf space in the tropics so rewearing clothes is NOT an option with one exception: the cargo shorts and tank I wear when I take my dog to run in the park every morning. I will wear a set for a few days (stinky! I know! but the dog doesn't care!) and after each wearing, I fold and hang over the side of my laundry basket.

I always did hang up my clothes tho. When you live in small apartments all your grown up life, you tend to learn how to be neat... ;-)

SugarCake-what a bizarre thing to get angry about.