Conquered (Sort Of).
On Sunday, I tackled the closet. I had been putting it off, and then there were things in the way and my sweaters were toppling over and it was just getting to be frustrating, so I decided it was time. It's always a great relief to clean out my clothes, like I'm lightening this great burden. And my closet isn't bad- it's neat, it's organized, and I can see everything I own. But, I don't always notice everything I own. Take, for example, this fun find, circa 1992. I didn't even know if this shop existed any more, but alas, I've been told it does.
So here's what I did:
I took all my hanging things and turned the hangers around once again. The trick is that when you put the item back after you wear it, you put it back with the hanger facing the right way. Then when you go to clean out again in a year or so, anything that's left facing the wrong way goes.
I also color-coded everything so I can see what's what. If I'm looking for a blue shirt, they're all together and not scattered about amongst each other. I got rid of things with stains (or at least moved them into a small "still fits, but don't ever wear it out of the house" pile) and things that were too small (I tried on a lot of tops). I washed all the tops with hanger dents in the shoulders.
Sweaters got piled in the dresser, colors on one side, neutrals on the other. I may have a problem with buying white/gray/tan.
And I'm pretty proud of the pile that's going out the door. I actually can't believe I didn't get rid of some of this stuff the last time I cleaned out, which wasn't that long ago!
Windbreakers. There are windbreakers in there!
I still need to tackle pants and tshirts- the layering kind that get worn over and over again and are worse than I realize- but overall I'm happy with the job that's gotten done. The majority of what needed to be cleaned out- tops- has been done. I got a bunch of nice new things for my birthday, so I'm filling in the gaps of what's missing. I'll call it a success.
Have you tackled your closet lately? Are there any tricks you always do? Find any ancient items lately?
So here's what I did:
I took all my hanging things and turned the hangers around once again. The trick is that when you put the item back after you wear it, you put it back with the hanger facing the right way. Then when you go to clean out again in a year or so, anything that's left facing the wrong way goes.
I also color-coded everything so I can see what's what. If I'm looking for a blue shirt, they're all together and not scattered about amongst each other. I got rid of things with stains (or at least moved them into a small "still fits, but don't ever wear it out of the house" pile) and things that were too small (I tried on a lot of tops). I washed all the tops with hanger dents in the shoulders.
Sweaters got piled in the dresser, colors on one side, neutrals on the other. I may have a problem with buying white/gray/tan.
And I'm pretty proud of the pile that's going out the door. I actually can't believe I didn't get rid of some of this stuff the last time I cleaned out, which wasn't that long ago!
Windbreakers. There are windbreakers in there!
I still need to tackle pants and tshirts- the layering kind that get worn over and over again and are worse than I realize- but overall I'm happy with the job that's gotten done. The majority of what needed to be cleaned out- tops- has been done. I got a bunch of nice new things for my birthday, so I'm filling in the gaps of what's missing. I'll call it a success.
Have you tackled your closet lately? Are there any tricks you always do? Find any ancient items lately?
The winner of the Sleeping Fox Stitchery giveaway is Jena. Congrats! I'll be in touch.
Look at you! And you were so nervous about it. I think it feels great to do a big wardrobe purge. We both go through our clothes every year, sometimes twice, which is important since we moved from one small closet to another. I always end up with a lot of tops, too, which I blame on Forever21. If they weren't all $4, then I probably wouldn't buy so many of them.
ReplyDeleteMy closet is definitely out of control! I did the hanger thing a year or so ago and need to do it again! I hate that I can't slide my hangers back and forth and see what I have! I just end up wearing the same thing over and over cause its what I can actually remember I have. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteI try my best to keep t he closet organized. Both Ryan and I are a bit neat freaks so we are constantly going through clothes and getting rid of things. Also, Ryan used to put colors together..not so much anymore. When I first starting dating him and saw his closet.. I was a little worried he was a OCD serial killer.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I can proudly say that our closets are cleaned out. When we moved a few months ago, from CA to WI I got rid of TONS of stuff. We didn't have the room to bring excess, so that helped. And, I'm just not a pack rat at all and rarely hang onto things longer than needed. I bet your closets are nice and pretty now!
ReplyDeleteWay to go! My closet definitely has some items that haven't been worn in YEARS. My dresser drawers are cram packed...so they're first on my list.
ReplyDeleteNice work! We are going to try the hanger thing as soon as we move into our new house.
ReplyDelete