Declutter Hangers {15 Minute Mission}

Today's mission is to declutter hangers. Here's how to do it, with tips and reminders so you don't forget something when doing the mission.


This mission is designed to be done either during the Laundry Organization Challenge, or one of the Closet Organization Challenge (there's one for adults and for kids).

It may be easiest for this mission to gather up all your excess hangers that are not currently being used into one pile and then you'll be able to evaluate which ones to keep versus to declutter, when you see them all together.

Prime locations to gather hangers from include all bedroom closets, coat and hall closets, and in your laundry room.

Once you see all the hangers currently not in use together you can better realize how many extra hangers you've got.

As with all decluttering missions that we do as part of the Declutter 365 missions, I'm not suggesting you get rid of all extra hangers. After all, some may break, or you may get additional clothing in the future which needs a hanger.

However, if you're rather surprised by the large amount of extra hangers you were able to gather then it is most likely time to let some of them go.

(On the flip side, if you're always searching for another hanger you don't need to declutter them, but it might mean you need to declutter some of your clothes instead. Try the declutter hanging clothes in your closet mission here.)

Prime types of hangers to declutter include those that are bent or broken, those you absolutely detest for whatever reason, extremely flimsy ones that either bend with too much weight on them or break easily, and those where you have too many of a specific type.

For example, many people detest thin wire hangers, and some really don't like store hangers, like the kind you bring home with you from the clothing stores. Do yourself a favor and get rid of the ones you don't like to use. They'll just aggravate you every time you use one you don't like, and life's too short for that!



In addition, depending on the size and age of your kids, it may be time to get rid of the baby or kid sized hangers if everyone in the household has outgrown them now.

Look seriously at all the hangers you've gathered up from throughout your home and answer for yourself the question of whether it is important to you that they are uniform in size, shape, and color or not. Some people really like things uniform, and for some people it makes very little difference. Know your personality and work with it.

Make sure to keep some of each major variety that you use, including sturdy hangers for heavy coats, skirt or pants hangers, non-slip hangers for sleeveless blouses, kids hangers if needed, etc.

It may surprise you how beneficial getting rid of excess hangers can be. It will free up a lot of room in your closets so you can actually more easily fit the clothing that is hanging up on hangers, when the empty ones aren't just taking up room on the closet rod.

Below I'll discuss briefly what you can do with the hangers you've decided to get rid of from your home.

Top photo courtesy of Andrew Blight, and second photo courtesy of erix!

Readers Results From This Mission

Quite a few readers have done this mission, and sent in their photos showing their results.

The picture above is from a reader, Dora, who got rid of a "big bag of hangers and 4 pair of shoes."

In addition, below is a photo from Sara, who said, "I have been so inspired...thank you! These used to hold clothes in my closet......no more!"

Ideas For What To Do With Excess Hangers

Once you've done this mission, and answered for yourself the question of how many extra hangers do I really need?, then you'll be left with quite a few hangers to do something with, to get them out of your home.

First, remember that for the thin wire hangers, like you get from the dry cleaners, you can typically just return those back to the cleaners. This helps you keep from adding to landfills and the dry cleaners will appreciate it too!

If you get a lot of dry cleaning done and have, in the past, accumulated a lot of these hangers, go ahead and create a collection area for them from now on. Then, as this area you designate gets filled up with these hangers just remember to return them back to the cleaners on your next trip so you don't accumulate such an excess of them again in the future.

As for other types of hangers, it is up to you what you'll do with them. As long as they're not broken I suggest just donating them. You can donate them to a thrift shop, or if you'd like to take them somewhere they'd really be appreciated I suggest a family clothes closet, or a woman's shelter that also provides clothing.

I would personally only try to sell my excess hangers if they are the really nice wooden ones that are quite expensive, and even then you have to make a decision for yourself about whether the monetary benefit is worth the time and hassle of trying to sell them.

You can tell me below in the comments your ideas and suggestions for what to do with the hangers you're going to declutter in case I've forgotten something.

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

Top photo courtesy of EvelynGiggles

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

Getting Rid Of Cleaning Supplies & Laundry Clutter

Missions To Get Rid Of Your Closet Clutter

How To Declutter Your Wardrobe Of Excess Clothes {D365 Missions Round Up}

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