Why Do I Have So Many Hangers?
September 24, 2026
Last week, I mentioned patterns I saw in myself as I faced Closet Week. I didn’t intend to be back in the closet again this week, but here we are.
My closet clutter was too much to go through in one week. In fact, over several weeks, I probably circled back through all of our closets three or four times. And each time through, I found more hangers.
At first, I just saw clothes on the hanger and dealt with it: keep, give away, discard. Next.
When I came back again, there were a bunch of hangers with nothing on them. I thought of the shopping clerk asking, “Would you like to keep the hanger?” “Yes, please.” So, little by little, they accumulated.
Then I’d get to another closet—say the coat closet—and there they were again, more than we needed. I started to get irritated. Why do I have so many hangers???
We had hangers made of wood, wire, and plastic. We had wire with cardboard bases, and some with velvet. We had pant hangers and suit hangers and small hangers for children. (We don’t have young children anymore.) We even had broken hangers.
While I do have my favorite kind, I also had a wide variety of hangers—some were at least 30 years old.
You may be wondering why I’m spending so much time talking about hangers. Honestly, I almost didn’t. I mean, they’re so… ordinary. Hangers? Everyone has them, right?
But the more I worked through my stuff, the more I found, and the more I realized that the hangers were telling me something about myself. It went like this:
First round: Deal with the stuff on the hangers.
Second round: Wow. More hangers. Deal with it.
Third time around: You’re kidding me. More hangers?
Fourth time through: Sherri, what is with you and all the hangers?!!!
I had too many clothes—that was obvious. But I also had more hangers than I needed—and that was a different issue. After all those trips through the closets, I had to ask myself why. What was behind all the hangers? And I got my answer: I don’t want to be without a hanger.
Through years of training and practice, I’ve learned to ask myself what’s really going on. I’ve had to learn to be patient and trust myself again. And because I’ve done that inner work, I could admit: I might not have a hanger when I need it.
See, I’m what they call a full-figured woman. It’s nice to have hangers that hold clothes that fit me. Also, hangers break, and sometimes I buy an item that comes without a hanger. So, I had a logical reason for wanting hangers. I just didn’t need this many.
Like a song with a repetitive chorus, each trip through my closet revealed more unnecessary hangers. It took a few weeks for me to finally see the issues:
I wanted to be prepared.
I didn't want to run out.
I didn't want to need something and not have it.
And suddenly, this wasn't really about hangers anymore.
I could make fun of my “collection” or deny what I uncovered, but that would only do myself a disservice. This way of thinking tethers me to unhealthy patterns and creates unnecessary mess in my life - both in my closet and in my emotions.
I wanted decluttering to happen quickly. I spent a lot of time wishing my clutter away. What I really needed was to slow down long enough to understand it. In the scheme of things, decluttering didn't take that long. A few extra trips through the closet. A little more time paying attention to what I found.
Now I'm glad it took several weeks to do the closets. If I had done it all in one day, I might have gotten rid of the hangers, but I would have missed my underlying fear. And get this: that fear was driving me to keep unnecessary hangers.
Being honest with myself enabled me to get untangled from the fear of not having something when I need it. It offered me the opportunity to release the fear of running out.
Once I identified the fear and the pattern it created, I could change the narrative: I don’t need another hanger. Should the need arise, I know where to get one.
I still marvel at how much I learned about myself through common clutter—more than some of the therapy sessions I’ve been in. I wonder if there’s something in your clutter that you aren’t aware of.
That's one of the surprising things I'm learning as I clear the way: sometimes the clutter isn't the problem I'm trying to solve. Sometimes it’s the opening I need to find my way to more freedom and joy.
That's why it’s worth making one more pass.
Clearing the Way This Week
As you declutter an area this week, is there something you're keeping “just in case”?
I wonder what that item could be telling you.
I’m sharing what I’m learning about decluttering, transitions, and being intentional with both my thoughts and my things on the blog, Clearing the Way. I hope you’ll find something helpful for whatever you’re sorting.
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