Posted byI’m wondering what other Offbeat Homies do for bra storage or clothing storage in general. I have several bras, and one nice-but-full closet with hanging space only. I know that I might have TOO MANY underthings but downsizing is not an option.
Underwear easily rolls/folds and fits into the drawers I have. But I can’t figure out how to economically stuff 20 or more bras into a drawer and make them accessible. I can’t be the only bra hoarder.
What do you do with clothes (but seriously bras!) when you don’t have a lot of closet space or existing furniture? –Danielle
I’m wondering what other Offbeat Homies do for bra storage or clothing storage in general. I have several bras, and one nice-but-full closet with hanging space only. I know that I might have TOO MANY underthings but downsizing is not an option.
First, spend a minute perusing Amazon’s selection of “bra organizers” — there’s some pretty nifty shit in there! Now, let’s take it to the Homies. How do you rein in the clothing — especially bras — that overtake your bedroom?
I had no idea how much space I was wasting in my underwear drawer until I tried organizing it. I folded my underwear – probably for the first time ever – into tiny squares and it all fit into a shoebox. Another shoebox had folded camis, slips, and miscellaneous items. That left about 75% of my drawer free for bras, which took up ALL of it until I simply “stacked” them – lined the cups up inside of each other and kept them in the drawer “standing up” (sort of like these bras, only about 15 more of them). It can get out of control if you don’t keep everything organized, but five minutes of maintenance can get everything back in order and leave you space to spare. I also got rid of any bras that didn’t fit me PERFECTLY, which really helped.
I also store my underthings in a shoebox. I have my bras in a bag that my Mister’s messenger bag came in. They are twisted in the middle, one cup fitting in the other.
I also only have a closet with hanging space only. To maximize the space, we bought a shoe hanger (for skirts and shoes) and bookshelf (for shirts and pants). The mister has a drawer for his underthings and socks as well as an under-bed storage container for his pants and shirts. Our nice clothes and jackets are hanging up in the closet.
In regards to twisting the bras, the clerk at the lingerie store told me not to fold bras with foam in the cups in half, because it can wreck them.
That’s what I do! I “stack” my bras standing up, with the cups fitted one into the other. Makes them take up waaaaay less drawer space. Albeit, I don’t have 20 of them… more like seven or eight… but it still saves a noticeable amount of space to do it that way.
So that’s where I’m at right now! Basically stacked straight up in drawer(s). I think this might be the best way for them to keep their shape? I was trying to copy Victoria’s Secret and hope that’s the most economical for space. 🙂
Yeah, it’s good for the bras, too. Various sources (HerRoom.com advice page, Victoria’s Secret salespeople, etc.) say that it helps them keep their shape.
I got a basket with a lid that I keep on my bookshelf beside my dresser. No one’s the wiser that there are bras inside. I had all my bras and underwear jammed into one little drawer and it was wrecking the bras. Basket = perfect solution.
That’s what I was thinking. Something kind of pretty to just toss bras in. But I am a horrible pile maker and I know I would probably bury it. Or the cats would sleep in it. (Though the lid helps with that, it would make the pile thing worse…)
I use the “filing” system for all my underwear. As far as bras go, and I don’t know if I’m being Captain Obvious here, I fold them at the middle, turning one cup inside out and roll the straps into the cup. Then I store them same way as you’d store bowls but horizontally.
How do you regularly keep them?
this is exactly how I store my bras! I have a basket inside my “vanity” (read media cabinet).
If you really don’t have the drawer space or place to put a basket or pretty box there is a product called the “bra ladder” which attaches to a hanger and gives the ability to hang multiple bras from it. http://www.braladder.com/ I have never used one (’cause of my basket and because I have VERY limited hanging space). But it might work better for you
I have never seen that and it’s really cool! I think it might create bulk in the closet but I like that it’s hanging space AND you can really see what you actually have.
Yep, I store mine this way too, but for bras with very moulded cups I twist the fabric between the cups so one fits inside the other 🙂
Genius! All my bras have molded cups and I have never thought to do this!!
I worked at a woman’s clothing store for a stint, and found out that turning the cups inside out can eventually wear out the fabric around the wires causing the dreaded wire pop out or even worse wire breakage!! I used to have major problems with that and now that I’ve stopped flipping one cup inside out my bras have lasted soooooo much longer! They take up more room laying flat but for me its worth it.
I was worried about that, but if you twist like Helen had said, that would eliminate that issue right? I used to do the inside out thing too and it didn’t seem like a great idea.
I’d heard that too, but at the same time, it’s better to replace bras every couple of years bec. the elastic wears out from regular use & washings, not to mention some of have, ehem, size changes (re: weight gain or loss) that frequently which can stretch out bras. A bra is not meant to last forever 🙂
At one point whilst living in a very tiny one-bedroom apartment and having no dresser, I used one of those over-the-door towel hangers and hung my bras behind the bedroom door. No one really went into our room and if they did, mostly the door was kept open (thus bras were hidden behind the open door). I just hung them by a strap and any strapless ones typically had some sort of hook/loop to hang by.
I do basically the same–I have a over the door rack with many pegs that holds up my shoe rack. So the bras get hung on the pegs, as does my one good belt. But I have only five or six bras at the moment–too damn expensive to get more!
When I had more bras this is what I did, but one big hook and on the inside of my wardrobe drawer.
I have never really thought about bra organizing. Usually my bras end up looped over the closet door handle, or an over-the-door hook. I only regularly wear maybe 3 of my bras, so this hanging-in-the-open solution is likely not for everyone.
I have, ahem, large cups, and the only drawer I had available was the skinny top drawer, which couldn’t fit my bras at all without crushing them. And pushing the cups inside out, twisting the center, etc is actually quite bad for the bra. I can see doing it for cheaper ones, but with the amount of money I have to shell out for these things it isn’t worth it. My solution, is a tie rack. Not the tiny spinny ones, but one like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Organize-It-All-1338-6-Hanger/dp/B000ON9HQ6/ref=pd_sim_hg_3
It takes less space than hanging everything, and you simply drape the bras across the hook things, starting from the bottom.
First, I wonder whether you could do some bra decluttering. I bet there’s one in there where the underwire kinda digs in, isn’t there? Toss it. One where the band is pretty stretched out and it rides up now? Toss.
I’ve only ever had like 4 bras: one black, one nude, one strapless, one sports. Then I just wash them if needed. I went to a bra boutique and had them fitted to me and they are good quality and fit exactly. They are easy to fit in a drawer.
HOWEVER, I was faced with the problem of what to do when I got pregnant. I had my pre-preg bras, which they say to keep because you might shrink back down after nursing and who knows to what size? And then I had preg bras. And then nursing bras. Suddenly I was overrun with bras! ACK ACK. So yes, then you do what everyone’s saying and line up the cups.
With only four bras how often are you having to wash them? I have to have at least a week’s worth so I don’t have to wash them more often than my other clothes. I do wash them with my regular laundry in the washing machine, but none of mine are underwire so that does not damage them (other than the occasional bent hook that can be fixed). If I had to hand wash them I’m not sure how that would change my thinking about how many I needed.
I definitely have more than one human needs. I like to have different styles is what it comes down to, and I will see them on sale and grab them. I would be horrified to add up the cost now, even if they were all on sale! I did sort them recently and found at least 10 that I’ll never wear again.
Part of the reason why I’m finding I need to organize is I didn’t even realize what I had. It’s like a fun surprise every time I try to put my bedroom in order. 🙂
I am on a bra buying hiatus. But I do think it’s a shame that when I retire a bra (or underwear, socks, whatever) there doesn’t seem a good way to repurpose it. No one wants donated bras right? (It would be very cool if someone’s found a use for them, but I haven’t come across one.)
Not sure if this happens in the US, but in the UK there are semi-frequent donate your unwanted-but-still-mostly-nice bra initiatives with the intent of giving them to people who normally couldn’t have one – perhaps you could find one of those?
I’m in Austin, and there’s a clothing pantry that takes them. (Like a food pantry, but with clothes. They give people who need them three outfits per person and they’re open every week. Bras are the most in-demand item!)
They sell on eBay, Craig’s list, and at Goodwill. 🙂
You can typically wear a bra 2-3 times before you need to wash it, depending on the bra type and the weather. And whether or not you had a presentation at work, haha!
And don’t forget you can use lingerie bags to increase the lifespan of your bras while still putting them in with the normal laundry. And to protect your other closes from bra clasps that come undone!
I read someone once that it’s better to wear a bra once and then let it rest for a day for the elastic to contract back to it’s original shape.
Good tip about the elastic! I think that could well be true – will be trying to follow that advice in the future!
I stuck a few of the prettier 3M sticky hooks to the wall of my closet where I hang bras by their straps. I think it looks pretty, and it leaves my sock & underwear drawer free for my hundreds of pairs if undies!
That is genius! It would actually really help me with belts or even jewelry.
I tried to use those for purses (even got the heavy duty ones for big bags) and I don’t know if my walls are wrong or what but they all fell down, even when I followed the directions (half of them didn’t even have things hanging on them yet!). =(
Is there some rule I missed where bra’s have to be shoved in a drawer?
I got one of those multi-hook tie racks and hang mine up in the closet.
I use those vertical tie hangers with a wood center, like this.
I used to use those bra hangers with clips on them, but I find them pretty worthless – they take up tons of space, and the clips break super easily.
My everyday bras are also on hooks, and my “special” bras are in a shoe organizer hanging in my closet…it’s just deep enough for each one to lie flat in its own compartment 🙂
i put mine on pants/skirt hangers in the closet (the kind that pinch something on either end…i just pinch each strap). they’re lightweight enough that if you don’t want to devote the hanger bar space to 20 bras, you can get one of those vertical things that you can put hangers on (or a length of lightweight chain, like for a swag lamp, will work well too if you can fasten it to the bar).
I’m also going to cast my vote for HOOKS! The previous tenant in my apartment (or maybe the landlord?) installed all these random hooks in the closet. There’s one big coat hook where I can easily hang all of my bras by a strap.
Also, these random hooks are great for my after-work-lounging-clothes, gardening clothes, robe, etc. I’m a big fan now of hooks!
I haven’t had a dresser since I left college (too much effort to move). I am too lazy to actually fold things like socks, so I put them into little cubbies like these: South Shore Drawer Organizer
Those hang in Closet Hangers like these:
Richards Homewares 3 Shelf Sweater Organizer
I also use these boxes and cubbies for my clothing that I don’t want to hang up in the closet. A dresser is too much trouble (I move frequently).
I’ve been keeping my bras and underwear in one box, but the bras have really been getting out of hand recently. I also have a few bras that don’t fold easily (they are underwire-free).
I don’t know why I haven’t thought of getting a second box for my bras until now.?! I’d like to keep them straight as they do in stores or as has been mentioned in some of the comments. Good ideas everyone!
I hang all my FF cups in the closet, since they take up a drawer and a half on their own (I have too many bras!) If I hang them by the gore (the middle part connecting the two cups), I can fit 3 to a hanger!
The best part is, I hand wash all my bras, so they can go straight from hang-to-dry in the shower to the closet. I just move the hanger that contains whatever bras I washed that day, and it’s all done!
I don’t have a lot of bras (due to having a hard-to-obtain-cheaply size), but I found that they’d get squished in my drawer, which already barely has room for my socks and underwear. I’m notoriously bad at keeping my clothes organized. They mostly end up on the floor :/
To solve this wanting-to-throw-things-I-use-everyday-on-the-floor problem, but keep it more organized, I got one of these things: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/product.asp?WRN=-1756927318&SKU=17038184&
Now I can just toss my bras, favourite jeans, and pajamas into it, and they stay organized without being on the floor, and without me having to put any effort in. It’s like magic.
All my underwares are in a awesome vintage steamer trunk (but that’s beside the point) with the bras stacked “filing style” like the first commenter described… it’s actually very simple but surprisingly difficult to describe. It’s how they keep the ones in the drawers/non-hanging bras at Victoria’s Secret, so you can always go check that out to see how they do it, too….
Take the hooks from one bra and hook them through the loops of another. Repeat until you have a long bra garland. Drape artfully across existing furniture.
(I actually did this in college.)
I hang mine of the post of the footboard of my bed. have a bed a bit like this one: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S69889557/ so my wife hangs hers off one side, I hang mine off the other. I used to only wear two or three because they were the ones I could see, now they’re all easy to see and easy to grab. And the colours looks really cool in the bedroom, it seems like a purposeful feature. My cups are much too big to fit in most drawers, and because my boobs are large I have to buy expensive bras, and I don’t really want to twist them and weaken the point where the wire will eventually poke out. This is perfect for me as they stay whole, un-crushed, un-twisted, visible and easy to grab!
I have this same problem also with stocking/pantyhose hoarding, and I have a bunch of tote bags hanging off coat hangers in my walk-in wardrobe. I have 3 bags per hanger and approx 5 hangers, as i said i am a hoarder XD but an organized one!
While I don’t have very many bras, I wanted them out of my dresser drawer because they’re pretty space inefficient. I read about this idea on a blog. I didn’t want to purchase wooden hangers and hooks, however, and had several of those skinny velvet hangers not in use (like this). I used a contrasting ribbon color to tie the bottom part of one hanger to the hanging part of the next hanger. I hung the top hanger on a nail, then tied the bottom hanger to another nail at the bottom of the door. (I tied the bottom hanger so the whole thing wouldn’t swing out when the door moves.) It cost like $2 for the ribbon; I already had the hangers and nails. I hang the bras up by their shoulder straps. I only put one bra per hanger but could easily put two or three. It’s on the inside of my closet door, so no one even sees it. I feel like I’m taking better care of my bras this way, plus I can easily see what I have. I only own one strapless bra, plus some of those petal things, and they still live in my underwear drawer.
THAT is so great! I think that solves a lot of problems and it’s cheap and easy. I’m more like;y to put bras back in the right place too, if I can quickly drape them instead of working them into a cramped drawer/basket.
My mom gave me a hanger that’s built like that, but with metal for the hook and arms of metal covered in rubber. It’s intended to be used for shirts, so you can hang several shirts on a single hanger, but it works just fine for bras, as well, for anyone not interested in DIYing it….
I have been struggling to find a way to deal with bras for over a year. So far nothing really works, so I just hang them on various hooks around my room (but that makes it look cluttered so I am still searching for something different). I’m so glad Offbeat Home posted this! I’m going to be scouring the comments for solutions now.
I use one of those over the door racks with multiple hooks over my closet door. Something very similar to this http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-77510-Cambridge-4-Hook-Over-The-Door/dp/B000PQZG1W
This way the bras are accessible, visible and can be hidden by closing the closet door. Bonus: I don’t have to undo an entire drawer of meticulous stacked or folded or whatever undergarments to get out the door in the am
I use a hook hanger for towels that goes above a door, but I hung it on clothes hanger (triangular that goes on the rod). That way, the bras are out of sight, they’re not in the way on the side of the closet and I can move them around on the rod if I need access to clothes further away.
I take the minimalist aproach… I have two “nice” bras, two t-shirt bras, and two sports bras. I wear the nice ones during the week to the office, the t-shirt ones on the weekend under my casual clothes, and the sports bras to the gym (twice a week workouts). I let the nice bras air out overnight and wear each for a week straight, then wash on weekends and air dry for a few days while using the other bra. I could probably pare down to one t-shirt bra, but I like having a backup for ubersweaty summer days.
With twenty bras if you wear each one only three times before washing you could go for TWO MONTHS without doing any bra laundry. I seriously recommend *picking your favorite ten to keep and letting the rest go* to a good home. Less stuff = more space to live in.
Good luck!