Try using an empty hanger for dividers, use red hangers they are easier to spot. I put my empty hangers between clean clothes and clothes I have worn for a few hours. Other hangers I bunch them together at the end of the rod. I have so much closet space the empty hangers are not a problem.

Sort and hang the pants by LENGTH, then by color.

Hangers? We toss them on the bed when dressing, and put them on the rod in the laundry room so they will be there for the next load. Periodically we check the ckloset for stray empties.

I have never, ever been able to maintain a system of labeling stuff on the hanger.

Can you do something so that you can "flip" through the clothes on the rod? How much "air" is there on your closet rod?

I would vote for hanging them over the hanger w/ both ends exactly even, and then you can see about how long they are just by looking at them. (If they're likely to slip off because of the weight of the waistband on one side, put a clothespin on them to hold them.)

If you hang all those pants together, then the shorter ones will be, well, shorter when you look at them on the rod.

However, I *was* successful in dealing with the extra hangers.
Like you, I hate having the empties on the rod; they get in the way, and then when you want to get them to use for hanging up the laundry, you end up leaving some behind.

Here's my solution:

I got one of these:

And mounted it on the inside of the door frame, up above head height.

Like this!

Now, when I take clothes off the hanger, I move the hanger to the holder.

This has been working for me for a long time now--2 years, maybe. I had it in my head as a solution for a long time, and when we had to do construction work on the back wall of my closet, I grabbed the opportunity.

(the Hanga Danga holder wouldn't work for me, bcs not all of my hangers are the same shape, and skirt hangers wouldn't fit over it. And the biggie: I do *NOT* have floor space.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Wall-Mount Hanger Holder

I put empty hangers at the end of the rod. They stay out of the way, and are easily accessible to hang up clean clothes.

For the pants issue - someone mentioned clothes pins. Could you use clothes pins of different colors to represent different lengths? Attach to the pants themselves, or to the hanger.

What about different colored hangers for the pants.Different lengths, different colors.
Mary

I use the clamp style pant hangers that clamp on to the bottom of the pant leg. Because the entire length of the pant is easily seen, you can sort them by length on the closet rod without any trouble. If you always put them back on the rod in the same order, say long pants on the left, moving to shorter pants on the right, you'd be able to pick the correct length without much difficulty.

Here is a link that might be useful: pant hanger

I also put clothes hanger at the end except for a few between clean clothes and clothes I have worn a few hours. Lets me know I can wear those clothes another day. LOL

Oh, camlan is so right! I'd forgotten clamp hangers.
"I use the clamp style pant hangers that clamp on to the bottom of the pant leg. Because the entire length of the pant is easily seen, you can sort them by length on the closet rod without any trouble."

I think I forgot them because I fill the bottom half of my closet with stuff, so I can't really hang that much that's long. (hence my "fold 'em exactly in half so you can see their relative lengths--which does the same thing only shorter)

But for most people, the clamp hangers would work, and be much simpler.

Or get the ones with clips if you don't like the clamps (I don't, actually)--same principle, just a different mechanism.

I just could not trust that any color-coding or labeling system would last. I'd get lazy, or something.

But w/ Camlan's idea (and with mine, actually), the pants themselves are the "label." Camlan's would be faster, and far more dramatic and clear to the eye.

We too have been using the clamp pant hangers.

Since we hang clothes up after laundering in the closet, it's just as easy to just pick an empty hanger. If it bugs you though, I'm sure you can find a soluation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Loving My Newly Organized Closet

Tally those door hangers are great. I use them in the laundry room to hang my clothes temporarily in case their damp or just to leave them until I empty the dryer. They are really handy. I bought mine at dollar tree and got two in a package for one dollar.