Embracing the OCD Goddess in Me

Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers

Spring has arrived and, with it, the excuse to clean to my heart’s content.

That may sound a little odd to you, little blog reader. But the very prospect of cleaning excites me to no end. It’s the OCD.

As such, I’ve taken the opportunity to make my ridiculously small but already-perfectly-organized closet feel bigger. What I needed was the Closet Fairy. What I got was Huggable Hangers.

For years I have watched in amazement as the simultaneously affable and annoying Joy Mangano has reorganized fake closet after fake closet on HSN. And though none of those closets was as neatly ordered as mine, it was evident that the slimmer hangers were creating more room. And so, I just had to know: Was there 50% more space hidden in my closet, too?

I purchased my hanger set online (a recent HSN “Today’s Special”) and in duplicate. For $80, I would receive a vast assortment of shirt hangers, suit hangers, finger clips, cascading hooks, shoe shapers and even a storage box — all in a tasteful linen color selected specifically to complement the pine planking in my wee but nicely finished closet.

An absurdly enormous box arrived six days later. I began rehanging blouses, skirts, jackets, shirts, dresses and slack (I say “slack” because I own just one pair; at 6’ tall with most of that being leg, it’s not easy to find pants that don’t have that cropped feel; I’m working on it).

I took “before” and “after” photos, omitting no items and keeping everything in the exact same order (the OCD part of me enjoyed that immensely).  Then, when I was finished, I did something I haven’t been able to do in more than three years: I actually SLID the hangers across the bar. Wow.

The before (top) and after (bottom) of it all.

Did I get 50% more space? No. But I did find an extra 11 inches of rod, facilitating access. And Huggable Hangers kept my jackets and blouses in place without stretching the necks and shoulders out of shape.

Mangano’s troublesome finger clips.

Skirts and pant (“slack” and “pant” are used interchangeably here), however, were a slightly different story. The finger clips designed to hold them were not nearly as flexible as typical hanger clips and could only accommodate one item of clothing at a time, forcing me to use twice as many skirt hangers (this may have been the very thing that negated my finding 50% more space). Also, Mangano’s clips weren’t strong enough to effectively hold heavier denim items. So, in a few cases, I had to double up on clips.

Was it worth it? Yes.

Although there were a couple of problems, I am pleased overall. I would recommend these hangers to a friend. They are not perfect. But, then, neither am I.  Case in point:  That 11 inches of extra space? It’s no longer viable real estate. Let’s just say my debit card is smokin’. And I am completely out of Huggable Hangers.