View in browser

January 5, 2025

Today we’ll walk you through some of our best advice for organizing your closet—and what to do with your to-be-donated pile. Plus: under-sink organizers we love and 17 household essentials you should probably replace.

Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

If you’ve been feeling motivated lately (ahem, hello, 2025) to get your overflowing closet in order, a word of advice: Don’t try to reorganize the whole thing at once. Emptying all of your clothes onto the bedroom floor is a recipe for becoming quickly overwhelmed and exhausted.

Instead, think about making just one tweak—like upgrading your hangers or rearranging your storage space. You’d be surprised how even just a minor change can make an outsized difference in streamlining the area and making it easier to find the things you need.

A few easy-enough projects to knock out:

More advice for organizing your closet→

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more ›

Sabrena Khadija/NYT Wirecutter

If you have ambitiously done a full closet clean-out, you may be left with a whole new dilemma: piles of old clothes and shoes. And if left unattended, they may languish in trash bags in your car trunk for months to come. To help your castoffs avoid this fate, our experts will walk you through the best strategy for donating, reselling, repurposing, and recycling your stuff.

Including which organizations are best for your donation hauls→

Tame the chaos under your sinks These stackable organizing drawers can pack away your clutter while keeping everything accessible and visible→

Get your charging cables under control If your junk drawer hosts a tangled mess of cords, we have some advice→

A magnetic fridge storage rack we love Free up some precious kitchen countertop space by storing essentials on the side of your fridge→

Wirecutter Staff

Generally, our experts recommend investing in quality items that won’t break quickly and go straight to the landfill. Still, though, plenty of items around your home inevitably need to be replaced every so often—whether to get rid of germs that have accumulated over time (like your mascara) or to ensure they’re running as safely and efficiently as possible (like your surge protectors).

17 things to freshen up this new year→

Sign up for Clean Everything A weekly nudge to keep everything in your home squeaky clean from Wirecutter's experts. Get it in your inbox

You’ve got this. Then, treat yourself to a gift.

You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.

Was this email kindly forwarded to you? Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Recommendation from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Recommendation, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app

Connect with us on:

Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018