The Clerty Pile
Hi Friends! Happy Monday! I hope you’re off to a great start this week! We had some d.r.a.m.a. with the eldest of the two today, which was fun. But we’re hoping for an early bedtime tonight {daddy, GET OUT OF HIS ROOM!} so that he can get the rest he very much needs. {Repeat: DADDY. GET. OUT.}
Anyway…while I write this post and criticize my husband all at the same glorious time….
Over the weekend he was a gem. I mean, he’s always wonderful, but especially this past Saturday. He packed up both kids and took them to our “Touch a Truck” event and left me at home, laying on the couch, resting, reading magazines and watching Fixer Upper. I can’t think of more wonderful things to do on a Saturday morning…when no one else is home.
So there I was reading my Real Simple-March 2016 and I came upon the “Ask the Organizer” section…first topic: a sweet gal talking about her husband’s “nest” of clothing, that he may or may not wear again before laundering.
This was going to be a goodie, I thought. She was asking how to get rid of it forever.
I was intrigued.
You see, my husband also has a “nest”, albeit small, it’s a nest. And usually consists of a pair of jeans, a pair of workout shorts and at least one t-shirt.
The organizing Pro called it the “clerty pile” – part clean, party dirty. My clerty pile {yep, I have one too} is usually a t-shirt or pair of shorts or lounging pants, usually left over from a Sunday afternoon, but left folded on the chest, on the bench or some other “neat” location, in our bedroom.
I have a friend with a husband who keeps a neat “clerty pile” in their bathroom, on a shelf. And it totally stresses her out. I think because it grows pretty big before it gets smaller.
Not to leave y’all hanging, but I was a little disappointed with the solution given to this sweet gal. Hooks. One for each family member and whatever didn’t fit on the hook must be put away. I’m not installing hooks in my bedroom for this purpose, so I wondered where we would hang said hooks to deal with the clerty pile… I am left without a permanent solution.
So now I’m curious to know…are there more males or females with this “clerty pile” habit…and is it more often next to/under the bed?
Do you actually wear those item(s) again before you wash them or is it more of wishful thinking?
What makes us keep the clerty pile…? Why don’t we just toss the clothing into the hamper, or put them back into the drawer?
Hopefully this isn’t a sign of future hoarders…
I think everyone in my house has a “clerty” pile. Work shirts, jeans, pajamas, sweat pants…. the usual suspects.
My teenagers seem to keep their piles under the edge of their bed with their slippers. That kind of makes sense since their piles are mostly lounge pants and extra layering items.
My husband definitely has the biggest clerty pile… I think he puts everything in his clerty pile as if his clothing is allergic to the laundry hamper. About a month or so ago I noticed his pile of “might wear it again” was getting kind of big and I started keeping an empty small laundry basket on his side of the bed. (You know, the cheap dollar store ones that are too small to hold an actual load of laundry LOL) I didn’t say anything to him about it, I just kind of put it there. It has now become the home for his pile of “clerty” things 😉
Omg!!! I can totally relate- Brian definitely has a “clerty” pile I am like way overly OCD so you can only imagine how much it drives me nuts. He keeps his in our bathroom on the tub ledge. Totally ruins the serene ambiance when I take my daily bath….oh please, totally kidding! No daily baths going on here. Anywho, great post! Xoxo
Rikki! I am fascinated by the pile on the tub ledge… what an interesting location! And like you, I have a daily bath as well, with my glass of wine and bonbons… in my dreams!
This makes me laugh.. we both have a clerty pile. I usually leave mine sitting long enough until I feel they are clean again, then hang them up. I typically throw his in the laundry basket… because of course his are dirtier than mine?? There’s no rhyme or reason to the pile. It lays, sometimes folded, sometimes not, on the dresser. Although the pile is ever changing, I usually rid our dresser of all piles every couple weeks when my eyes can’t take the clutter anymore 🙂
PS- I’m with you- hooks do not sound like a good solution. Why would you want a lump of clothes on your wall as opposed to a neatly folded pile on your dresser?
Danielle – this made me LOL! Yes, “their” clothes are ALWAYS dirtier than ours!! 😀 Andrew’s ALWAYS go in the laundry as soon as I see them.
And yes, a neat pile is always prettier than a junked-up hook.
I definitely have a clerty pile going at all times. It’s usually 2 or 3 pairs of jeans, and an assortment of sweaters. I guess it helps me keep track of how many more times I can wear something before it needs a wash…? Ah, who am I kidding, I’m just too lazy to put it all away. 😉
Hillary – this is so me! My clerty pile lasts for one more wear and then it goes in the laundry!