As I mentioned before, I am determined to get our house under control this fall! Our family has a crazy schedule…with 3 kids, multiple sports, work, and volunteer obligations, time is always at a premium. As a result, we tend to just toss things wherever and put them away when we have time. As you might have guessed, that’s not really a strategy that works well, and over time, we’ve become more and more cluttered.
Our master closet is a great example of this. I could barely see the floor in there. It had become a jumbled mess, kind of like the kitchen junk drawer…a catch all for all sorts of things that didn’t have a home elsewhere. But once I got to the point where I couldn’t find the less frequently used items when I needed them, and I was tripping over things, I decided enough was enough!
Here’s a before picture…as you can see its pretty much a disaster zone!
Master Closet “Before”
Looking at this picture, I just want to cringe. But I rolled up my sleeves and went to work! I was brutal in getting rid of things, and I have to say it felt great! I filled 3 boxes of clothes to donate. My strategy was simple:
1) If I hadn’t worn it in a year, it went right into the donate box. I didn’t give it a second glance.* There were a couple pairs of barely worn shoes that were too tight that I sadly put into the box. Note to self: Don’t buy shoes thinking they will stretch no matter how much you like them…they rarely do!
2) I picked up everything on the floor and found it a new home, whether it remained in its own section in the closet, went to the attic storage, or was donated.
3) I created zones for different types of items: dresses and skirts together, long sleeve blouses together, short sleeve/tank top/shorts together ( I am lucky enough to have a closet where I am able to house all seasons of my clothing together). Unfortunately although I realize it would look neater if I had all one style of hanger, I did not opt to invest in new hangers.
*There were definitely a few things (mostly dressy items) that I haven’t worn in a while, but wasn’t sure I was ready to part with. I think I’ve decided I am going to turn the hangers the opposite way on those items. If the hangers are still turned around this time next year, meaning I’m still not wearing them, those will go too!
The result…my closet looks so much better! Here’s my “after” picture. There is no longer anything stored on the floor. It might not be completely perfect, but its a lot easier to find things and I can live with this! On to the next project!
Master Closet “After”
Veronica
Friday 24th of May 2013
Feel free to hop a flight and come do mine! Looks great.