Where to Store Your Worn (but Not Dirty) Clothes

My messiest spot is most definitely the closet. Because laundry is the bane of my existence, I try to get as many wears as I can out of things like jeans and sweaters before they have to be washed and put back away with the clean clothes on the shelves.

The jeans and sweaters inevitably end up resting in piles on the furniture around the closet and bedroom — which is unsightly, to be sure. So I’m looking at two big solutions in the near future: One, a major closet decluttering where I purge a lot of the things that never get worn. And two, finding a solution for where to put clothes worn once. Below, I explore the latter.

If, like me, you have trouble figuring out what to do with your in-between clothes, here are a handful of solutions you can make work for you at home.

Stash garments on hangers, or drape less fragile clothes right over the hooks like towels. A wall-mounted coat rack can stash a lot of pre-worn garments in a relatively small spot.

The same as wall hooks, but this is an easy and cheap fix for renters (or anyone averse to putting another hole in the wall). As a bonus, over-the-door hooks are pretty much hidden if you hang them from the back of the door and leave the door open.

The epitome of “photo shoot chic,” keep a garment rack around the closet or in the bedroom to hang up worn clothes and oft-used accessories.

It’s not just for suits anymore. You can stash an outfit or two here for temporary keeping while you decide what needs a wash.

You can dedicate a specific shelf or section for your clothing purgatory — or not. Anything you’ve deemed clean enough to be put back on your body is certainly clean enough to stay in the closet.