“What do I do with all these hangers?”

That is a frequent response of my client who have gone through a closet purge. It is as if the hangers are whispering sweet nothings, saying “put something on me. I’m lonely up here on this closet rod. How can you stand to just leave me hanging!”

I help those who suffer from “empty hanger” syndrome by taking the hangers away. Not all the empties; the client and I figure out how many extras are needed by taking a quick inventory of clothing that needs washing, ironing, or dry cleaning. I encourage the client to trash the freebie hangers from the dry cleaners and from purchases.

Now this can be the really scary part for the client – I tell them that the number of hangers they have right at that moment is finite! That means when they get new clothes, and they don’t have an extra hanger, they must purge something old. This is the ONLY way that a closet is going to stay clutter-free.