Here's why you shouldn't hang knitwear

Organizing the wardrobe is an extremely intimate practice that unites all of humanity but varies from person to person. One could say that the world is divided into two types: on one side, the David Beckhams, the famous order maniacs who follow strict rules for arranging their clothes, and on the other side, the faithful exhibitors of the mindful mess philosophy, an aesthetic known in Italian as disorder. It's nice that each of us can choose the arrangement of our wardrobe, another way to express our personality through clothing, but one thing is casually stowing away all our clothes in a drawer, and another is ruining our favorite sweater forever. Having an organized wardrobe may seem silly, but it's one of the ways we show respect for ourselves, for the environment, and even for others: how many times at the local thrift market have we found a soft wool top in perfect condition, except for the shoulders irreversibly deformed by a too pointy hanger?

How to hang a sweater?

Although it's tempting to assume that to best maintain the condition of your clothes, you should hang them in your closet, not all clothes are destined for this type of care. To understand how to store your clothes, you need to know the type of fabric you're dealing with. Knitwear, especially if heavy, needs to be folded because hanging it may stretch and damage the fabric. The advice is to leave sweaters folded and stacked—watch out for moths—or fold them in half and wrap them around a hanger. In the case of shirts, the reasoning is completely opposite: they should be hung carefully with the button near the collar securely buttoned (if you want to go the extra mile, you can even add a cardboard support). The key here is not to overcrowd the closet because too many shirts pressed next to each other could wrinkle each other. Clothes and coats follow the same theory.

What hangers and hooks to use?

Apart from the difference between clothes that need to be hung and those that need to be stored in drawers, there are rules unknown to most that order fanatics follow as if they were a religion. First of all, the choice of hanger, which must match the type of garment it will be associated with and the size of the wardrobe it will inhabit. There are clip hangers specifically designed for skirts and pants, flat variants for those who need to save space, wide ones to better support padded jackets, and velvet inserts to provide the right friction. Next is the rolling practice to store clothes that are stored during the season change. Even if they are simple cotton T-shirts, keeping them folded for nine months could lead to the formation of unpleasant darker stains where they are folded. Lastly, a theory that divides Marie Kondo fans into a fierce feud: laundry bags. Although protecting clothes from external factors is useful for preserving their quality, sealing them in a plastic bag is only necessary when taking them outdoors. Even if they have just been delivered by your trusted laundry service, it's best to let them breathe as soon as they arrive home.

Knowing how to best care for your clothes not only helps save money and the environment by extending the life cycle of your clothes but also allows you to save time in the preparation process. Maybe that black top you love so much but haven't been able to find for a couple of months hasn't been stolen by a friend but is tucked away in a hidden corner of your drawer waiting to be rescued. We all wish for a technological wardrobe like Cher's in Clueless and Hanna Montana or Patrick Bateman's obsessive precision (just for order, mind you). Even though keeping your wardrobe organized may seem like a pointless task, it is, in fact, one of the precautions we should take to take care of ourselves. If only we could learn something from David Beckham and his passion for order, we could avoid some delays and wear our favorite sweater a couple of years longer. At least until the inevitable arrival of moths.