I finally got around to cleaning out my primary closet. This has been on my monthly goals list for a few months now and I last did this at the end of 2023. Intellectually, I know that it won’t actually take super long because I have the bones of organization already in place and for the most part, it works. It’s just one of those tasks that I procrastinate on because it “feels” cumbersome and overwhelming. This is really too bad because it impacts my ability to get dressed everyday! Clothes are falling off of hangers, I run out of hangers and I can’t see what I have.
So I finally got down to business! I’m going to deal with the clothes and shoes and first and then the purses and bags and then the shelves. Also, take note of the space in between the shoe cubby and the clothes. I actually worked on that area as well though I didn’t really take pictures of it.
I started by picking up items off of the floor just so that could have room to work.
It’s amazing to see how much more room I have when I simply pull the shoes off of the floor! I always feel like I’m tripping over things and that’s because I don’t put them back in their cubbies!
To clean out my primary closet, I’m going to start with the area that is the worst, that is needs the most attention and that is the right side that holds my jeans, pants and dresses. This side is so jam packed that things are constantly falling off of their hangers. I also have several pairs of pants doubled up on hangers!
The area with the dresses is not too bad but I did need to go through and get rid of clothing that I am not wearing. This is an area to be careful with because while I may not be wearing dresses a lot right now because of the season, I do wear dresses a lot in the spring and summer. So, if I haven’t worn a dress in awhile but think that I will want to then I’ll keep it for now. There are other dresses though that I know I will want to get rid of.
I started with the pants taking them out of the primary closet and going through them one by one. It didn’t take very long but I did have to try some on to see if they fit or if I liked the way they fit. As usual, my bed works well as a holder of the stuff!
I always love seeing the empty space and the extra hangers! It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something even while I’m in the middle of it.
While I had the jeans and other pants out, I spread the dresses out so that I could better see mostly the items in the back.
Once all of the items had been gone through, I put back what I was keeping. I still have plenty of clothing to wear but the items are not jammed in there and I can more easily move items around so that I can see them.
I color code my pants but not my dresses because there are are just too many colors and lengths and patterns. I do attempt to hang my dresses by length. However, I put things like jumpsuits, vests, dusters, etc… in the front of the dresses. And then, I put dressy items in the back regardless of length! It may not make sense to everyone but it makes sense to me and that’s what matters.
The other area that needed some sprucing up is this little corner that has bags and my painting clothes and just some random “stuff.” Why do I feel the need to keep shopping bags? Because they’re “good” bags that may have some benefit in the future. Today, the benefit is that the bags will be filled with clothes going to donation.
I have this storage drawer that I had decluttered from the office clean out which I held on to because I knew that I was going to use it in my closet. And, I hate getting rid of items like this. Sometimes, drawers and containers like this can encourage you to just keep stuff but I am confident that this one will not just hold stuff but also keep it more organized.
In this storage drawer, I currently have items that I use for travel (they had been on top of the drawer cabinet), my painting clothes/shoes and other closet stuff like my shoe stretcher, hooks, lint roller, and stain remover overflow.
I also went through my shoes. There are only 3 pair that will be going to donation. And you can see that I still have 2 cubbies left. Actually, it’s one cubby because I have a pair on the way!
So that’s where we are now. Next will be the left side of the closet which has the two rows. I will through the shirts, skirts, jackets, etc….This side will not be as difficult because it’s not nearly as full. I’m sure that there will some items to go to donation though.
After that, I’ll deal with the items on the upper shelves-the purses/bags, athleisure, sweatshirts and whatever else is up there.
To be continued……….
