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Your Husband Has Too Many T-shirts

No, your husband isn’t weird, at least not when it comes to t-shirts. I have seen many, many drawers and closets and I can tell you one thing for sure— Men have even more t-shirts than women have yoga pants! Most have enough to wear a different t-shirt every day for 3-4 months.

I don’t know why your husband has too many t-shirts. Why do they love t-shirts so much? sports t-shirts, concert t-shirts, school t-shirts, t-shirts they got for free from work. It seems ridiculous and it is so tempting to go through and get rid of them! But we can’t.

You can’t thin out your partner’s stuff without their consent.

Especially not their favorite stuff. And for men, too many t-shirts fall into the favorite stuff category. You can maybe move it to another drawer, but even that could get you into trouble which will set back the bigger plan.

The bigger plan

In order to get your family to organize and thin out their stuff, you must first organize and thin out your own stuff. Maybe this is what Ghandi meant when he said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Well, maybe not. Anyway…

Lead by example.

So, let’s talk about your t-shirt collection. How do you thin that out?

hanging clothes in closet

Before you even touch your shirts, decide on a limit. How many t-shirts are enough for you?

It may help to think about how many occasions there are to which you actually wear a t-shirt.

  • workouts
  • the weekend
  • or, maybe everyday

Then you can decide how many t-shirts feel like a good number to keep.

For other people it’s more a matter of space. If you only have half a drawer for t-shirts, you can only keep about 10.

protip– Fold your t-shirts vertically in the drawer to see every shirt at once. (This tip works for those who enjoy folding clothes.)

protip– It’s perfect to just shake out your tees and lay them in the drawer. (This tip works for those who hate folding clothes.) 

Consider your non-graphic tees. Do you have multiples of a color because one is a little worn out and one is brand new or (insert other excuse here)? I believe you deserve to wear nice clothes. Keep the nicer one and let the ratty ones go. And even if they aren’t that ratty, get rid of any t-shirts with stains or holes. 

Keep only one t-shirt of each color you actually love to wear (exceptions- white, black, or your signature color.)

Next, consider your graphic t-shirts. How much room do you have left? If you love graphic t-shirts, consider using them as undershirts and getting rid of your official undershirts.

Otherwise, the same rules apply. Keep what you have room for and what you can’t wait to wear. 

protip– Limit folded t-shirt piles on a shelf to 5 shirts and under. Any higher and you are asking for an avalanche.

Once your t-shirts are done hopefully someone in your family will want to follow your lead. Being organized (and not being mean about it) has enough advantages to inspire your spouse to follow suit, or at least to try. 

Desperation tactics

If your partner’s T-shirt collection is so bad you just can’t stand it — not one. minute. longer! Try these further steps:

  • Completely separate your shirts from theirs
  • Strictly organize (without thinning) your partner’s stuff, but don’t expect them to upkeep a system they did not implement.
  • If they are amenable to it, ask them for parameters (by size is easiest) to donate their clothes. Always let them double check your donation pile. This can get really frustrating when they start pulling things out. So, be ready for some discord at the donation step.

My favorite solution is to have your spouse call Get Organized Already when they are ready.

your husband has too many t-shirts

Desperation tactics

It’s always easier to work with a professional who doesn’t have any emotional stake in the process. And organizing only works when you are ready for it to work.

323.230.0297

Please note: I will talk directly to them before we start working on their belongings.

We don’t do surprise organizing sessions, they are a bad idea. (Think: surprise therapy. See? Bad idea.)

Please tell me in the comments how many t-shirts you have and/or how many you THINK your husband has. Venting is allowed.

Thanks for reading,

Nonnahs

A note about organizing FOR your children

Children over 7 years old usually feel unsettled to find out their things are suddenly gone. The only exceptions are clothes and shoes they have outgrown. Otherwise, it’s best to ask your school-aged children about purging their stuff.