What is the easiest way to store clothes without folding them?
August 3, 2015 5:02 PM Subscribe
What is the fastest, most convenient way to store clothes wrinkle-free without folding them?
I'm really lazy and hate folding my dress pants exactly along the crease in order to hang them properly from a clothes hanger. So I just lay them flat over the ironing board and leave them there. I have a stack of all my dress pants just sitting there on the ironing board that I rotate through on a daily basis. Similarly, I don't need to wash sweaters after every wear, but putting them on hangers is annoying, so they go onto the ironing board pile.
My wife does the same thing with her dress clothes or other clothes that don't need to be washed after every wear, so we basically have a gigantic pile of clothes on the ironing board we need to go through every morning, and it's easy for the clothes to get wrinkled in the big pile.
My question: is there some sane storage method/tool for clothing like this? Assume that folding the clothes is out of the question, but we need to keep the clothes wrinkle free. The ironing board is ideal because I can lay the clothes flat easily, but obviously clothes pile up.
I don't have dresser drawers, but I don't think those would work anyway, because you would need to fold the clothes to put them in the drawer. And a bookshelf would not work either because there's not enough surface area to lay the pants lengthwise, and they would just fall off from the other direction. The back of a chair is perfect, but there are only so many chairs. I'm imagining some kind of apparatus that has many "chair backs" you could drape clothes over and then compress to save space.
Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it?
I'm really lazy and hate folding my dress pants exactly along the crease in order to hang them properly from a clothes hanger. So I just lay them flat over the ironing board and leave them there. I have a stack of all my dress pants just sitting there on the ironing board that I rotate through on a daily basis. Similarly, I don't need to wash sweaters after every wear, but putting them on hangers is annoying, so they go onto the ironing board pile.
My wife does the same thing with her dress clothes or other clothes that don't need to be washed after every wear, so we basically have a gigantic pile of clothes on the ironing board we need to go through every morning, and it's easy for the clothes to get wrinkled in the big pile.
My question: is there some sane storage method/tool for clothing like this? Assume that folding the clothes is out of the question, but we need to keep the clothes wrinkle free. The ironing board is ideal because I can lay the clothes flat easily, but obviously clothes pile up.
I don't have dresser drawers, but I don't think those would work anyway, because you would need to fold the clothes to put them in the drawer. And a bookshelf would not work either because there's not enough surface area to lay the pants lengthwise, and they would just fall off from the other direction. The back of a chair is perfect, but there are only so many chairs. I'm imagining some kind of apparatus that has many "chair backs" you could drape clothes over and then compress to save space.
Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it?
Look for a "valet stand".
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:10 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:10 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
You could get a coat rack and hang your pants on the coat rack by their belt loops.
posted by jabes at 5:12 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by jabes at 5:12 PM on August 3, 2015
There are cheapo foldable clothes drying racks that might work - Target and similar stores have them.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:14 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:14 PM on August 3, 2015
The search term you want is "clothes horse."
Also, fear not: you shouldn't be hanging sweaters anyway (shoulder nipples). I do a very gentle fold (grab shoulders, use my fingers to tuck the arms in, bend in half) on my sweaters and then just stack them on a shelf in my closet.
posted by phunniemee at 5:20 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, fear not: you shouldn't be hanging sweaters anyway (shoulder nipples). I do a very gentle fold (grab shoulders, use my fingers to tuck the arms in, bend in half) on my sweaters and then just stack them on a shelf in my closet.
posted by phunniemee at 5:20 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I hang some pants from the same hangers I use to hang skirts, with little clips that hold them up from the waist. If your closet isn't tall enough for a high clothing rod, just hang them on a portable clothing rack.
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Hangers with clips on. Unlike drapping trousers over a hanger you don't have to be too fussy with the crease, just clip the waist band with the pants roughly the right shape.
posted by wwax at 5:35 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by wwax at 5:35 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'm really lazy and hate folding my dress pants exactly along the crease in order to hang them properly from a clothes hanger.
OK I don't mean to question the premise but there are hangers that you can clip onto the pants from the ankles as opposed to concerning yourself about the crease. Marshalls and Target and other retailers have a lot of less sucky hanger options. I recently discovered hangers covered in felt that don't allow my wide neck t-shirts and sweaters to be constantly and super annoyingly slipping off the hanger. There are hangers with clippy things like clothes pins and hangers with two slats that smush together -- etc.
I also set up a couple of boards on my closet door with four hooks each on them so I can hang bras and jeans etc. from them. So a total of eight hooks on which to hang things.
I too hate hanging things on hangers. Also dimly lit rooms with far too many items in black. (Looking forward to a future of single-use compostable clothing that biodegrades in six months and which I use to mulch tomatoes.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:45 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
OK I don't mean to question the premise but there are hangers that you can clip onto the pants from the ankles as opposed to concerning yourself about the crease. Marshalls and Target and other retailers have a lot of less sucky hanger options. I recently discovered hangers covered in felt that don't allow my wide neck t-shirts and sweaters to be constantly and super annoyingly slipping off the hanger. There are hangers with clippy things like clothes pins and hangers with two slats that smush together -- etc.
I also set up a couple of boards on my closet door with four hooks each on them so I can hang bras and jeans etc. from them. So a total of eight hooks on which to hang things.
I too hate hanging things on hangers. Also dimly lit rooms with far too many items in black. (Looking forward to a future of single-use compostable clothing that biodegrades in six months and which I use to mulch tomatoes.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:45 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
So I just lay them flat over the ironing board and leave them there.
Actually, you just want to get rid of the ironing board. Do you have a thing that could be repurposed? Slats from an old crib, clothes drying apparatus, etc--it sounds like you just want a series of slats. Everything from old chairs to fences are essentially 'a series of slats'.
If your issue is actually 'there are so many clothes in my closet that I hate to hang things up' you might want to trade off with your wife and let her edit your closet and you edit hers. And then hanging things up is less sucky (though it's still kind of sucky.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:49 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Actually, you just want to get rid of the ironing board. Do you have a thing that could be repurposed? Slats from an old crib, clothes drying apparatus, etc--it sounds like you just want a series of slats. Everything from old chairs to fences are essentially 'a series of slats'.
If your issue is actually 'there are so many clothes in my closet that I hate to hang things up' you might want to trade off with your wife and let her edit your closet and you edit hers. And then hanging things up is less sucky (though it's still kind of sucky.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:49 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I know this isn't what you asked for, but it changed my life so profoundly that I just have to share. If you grab your pants by the ankles (instead of the waist) - you will NATURALLY have them hung across the crease, without precious minutes wasted aligning the folds. It'll take no more time than what you're doing now, and will keep them wrinkle free.
posted by shazzam! at 6:07 PM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by shazzam! at 6:07 PM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Open-ended multiple pant hangers like this or this? Fold the pants in half using the cuffs first approach shazzam! mentions above and slide onto the rungs.
posted by carmicha at 6:57 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by carmicha at 6:57 PM on August 3, 2015
If you can find an old wooden ladder with round rungs, lean it against the wall and drape pants over the rungs.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:09 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:09 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
We hang EVERYTHING. Well, I guess not socks and underwear but all non-undergarment clothes get hung up because we don't have space for a cabinet. Pants are hung on hangers with clips so no worries about creasing.
posted by joan_holloway at 8:10 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by joan_holloway at 8:10 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yes to hangers with clips, and also making sure you have adequate storage space. I thought I was just hopelessly messy until I got rid of enough clothes for what I had to be comfortably stored.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 8:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jeweled accumulation at 8:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
What about hooks? I have a bunch of hooks that I hang my sweaters, pants etc from and I don't notice wrinkles. We are also lazy in our house.
posted by Toddles at 11:07 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by Toddles at 11:07 PM on August 3, 2015
How about a large drying rack, like this? We have a very similar rack and my spouse's clothes pretty much go directly from the rack to being worn because he hates folding/hanging things.
posted by neushoorn at 3:03 AM on August 4, 2015
posted by neushoorn at 3:03 AM on August 4, 2015
I don't have the office-wear keep-the-crease problem since I work at home, but I have one of these on the back of my bedroom door, and that's where I hang my jeans, yoga pants, and shirts that I wear every day.
posted by caryatid at 10:09 AM on August 4, 2015
posted by caryatid at 10:09 AM on August 4, 2015
Please try to consider this serious suggestion: get a few more ironing boards. Or tabletops, or shelves. you've both found a decent way to keep your clothes wearable and ready...try to make it work.
posted by wryly at 6:40 PM on August 5, 2015
posted by wryly at 6:40 PM on August 5, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:08 PM on August 3, 2015