How to find your favourite pieces again

Short answer: The pieces you wear most always vanish to the bottom of the pile. A fixed place and a simple way of folding solve it in ten minutes, and afterwards you can see everything when you open the drawer.

Why favourites disappear

Freshly washed clothes go on top, and what you wear most gets washed most. So your favourites are always on the move, while the pieces you rarely wear stay at the top. After a few weeks the order is upside down, and you are searching for exactly what you want to put on. It is not mess, just gravity.

Give each item its place

Underwear, socks and tops should each have their own section, so you are not searching. When everything is mixed, you dig through the whole drawer to find one thing. Small boxes or a simple divider make a big difference, because each category gets its own corner you can reach for without looking, see bamboo underwear for women.

Store upright rather than stacked

When items stand on edge, you see them all at once instead of only the top one. Fold each piece into a small parcel that stands by itself and line them up. When you take one out, the rest stay put and the order does not change. Soft fabric slumps easily, so fold it a little tighter, see bamboo t-shirts for women.

Pair socks straight away

Socks thrown loose into the drawer are never found in pairs again. Put them together as soon as they come out of the wash, and roll them lightly so they hold without stretching the cuff. It takes a minute and saves you the daily hunt for the second sock, see bamboo socks for women.

Put clean clothes at the back

When you put the laundry away, place the freshly washed pieces at the back of the row and always take from the front. That way everything is worn in turn, and your favourites are not pushed aside. It is the same method shops use on their shelves, and it works just as well in a drawer at home.

Sort by colour

Some people find it helps to arrange pieces by colour within each section. If you have many similar items in different shades, the right one is easier to find when they sit side by side from light to dark. It is not necessary for everyone, but it makes the drawer clearer if you own many of the same kind.

Leave some room

A crammed drawer quickly gets messy again, because there is no space to put anything back properly. Leave a little room in each section. If you cannot close the drawer without pushing, it is a sign that something in there is not being worn and could be kept somewhere else.

Ten minutes a week

Once the system is in place, it keeps going with very little effort. Spend ten minutes a week, while you are folding laundry anyway, straightening the rows and returning stray pieces. Then you never need a big clear out again, and you find your favourite things every morning without having to look for them.

Frequently asked questions

Why do favourites always end up at the bottom

Because freshly washed clothes go on top, so what you wear most keeps getting pushed down, while the things you rarely wear stay at the top.

What is the easiest change

Store clothes on edge instead of in a stack. You see everything in the drawer at once, and the order stays the same when you take something out.

Does sorting by colour help

For some people, yes, especially if the wardrobe has many similar pieces in different shades. Then you find exactly the one you are looking for more quickly.