I finally got serious about getting the 2nd half of this closet cleaned out!! The 1st half, the decor side, I did last year. I procrastinated for a very long time and then just went in full force one weekend. There was lots of stuff to go through, to decide what to keep and what to donate. And I’m not even done with this process! The most important thing was to get the shelves cleaned off so that I can get rid of them.
I inherited the shelving items in this closet 20 years ago and just dealt with it all this time. It never really worked well but it was good enough. I finally decided that I wanted to get rid of some things and just be more organized.
I’m not finished yet but I wanted to give you an update.
Before
Way back when this is what the stationary closet side looked like and it even got worse. As we all know, I’m very good at piling stuff!
First things first was to clean off the solid white shelf.
Shelf One
I forgot to take a photo right before I started but it was full of stuff. I had mailing stuff here, other random office supplies, lots of boxes for Apple products, folders, paper, etc….At one point, I was pulling stuff off the shelf not knowing what I had. Truth be told, I don’t need most of what was there. I did donate a lot of the items like old phone cases, iPad covers and laptop cases.
This white shelf is actually 4 separate shelves. The problem with this shelf in this space is that the shelves are not wide enough. And, I couldn’t really see what was on the bottom and didn’t utilize the space well. As I write this, I don’t have another area in my home where this can be used so after I check with friends, I will donate it if no one wants it.
Shelf Two
Next up, is this wire shelf. It holds all kinds of stuff and I had put more stuff on top of it. This shelf has different size envelopes, photo paper and ink, various pencil cases and again just random office supplies.
Many homes often have these types of wire shelves to house a variety of items. However, this type of wire shelf doesn’t really serve they way most people want it to. I find that you have to put items into containers to keep things from falling and it’s too easy for items to fall off of the sides.
If this shelf works well for something, let me know!
More to Do
As I got these two shelves cleaned off, I started thinking about how I wanted to house the items that I’m keeping. In the meantime, I have a few more things to remove!
I’ll be removing these two plastics towers as well as the items in between the white wire shelf and the plastic towers. There is a dresser next to the plastic towers which I plan to keep there at least for now. I have craft supplies in there which is a good use of the space and mostly works. I will go through it to make sure that I want to keep everything in there.
Future Plans
After removing everything up to the dresser, I’m going to add a Kallax Unit. I searched online and then did a spin around my local IKEA. I considered different heights including removing the closet bar and if I also removing the shelf. It took me a while to really decide what I wanted. I thought about book cases, other storage cabinets and another dresser.
Ultimately, I decided on the Kallax Unit because it has enough spaces that I can keep items separate, can still use bins if I choose and because of the size, will only need one unit.
IKEA did not have what I needed in the store that day so I ordered it online and was able to pick it up 2 days later.
I was thankful that the items were packaged this way in two separate containers! I don’t know if I could have managed on my own if it wasn’t. You’ll get an idea of how big this unit is when it’s put together. My next minor concern is getting it into the closet. Since it doesn’t bend, I may have to remove at least one the closet doors!
So, that’s where we are now. If all goes as planned, this side of the closet will be done in about a week or two.
After that, it’s time to go through the other bins and work on getting the decor and stationary items organized as well. And remember, cleaning out and organizing the guest room closet is part of a larger plan involving my guest room in general.
Wish me luck!!!
Maybe instead of removing the doors you just assemble it in the closet?
I assessed if that would be possible but unfortunately because of the outline of the closet and other furniture, it won’t be possible to assemble it in the closet.