Rediscover Your Home

Loving the home you live in is going to save you money!

Loving Your Bedroom - The Closet

I have less clothes in my closet and more things to wear! - Cindy

What happens when you open your master bedroom closet? Avalanche? Do you see piles of clothes and nothing to wear? Are you hanging onto faded styles from the last century? Are you hoping that one day, some of those clothes may fit again? Hee hee - been there, done that! How about shirts with missing buttons? Pants with a broken zipper? Or a sweater with a stubborn stain? Are some of your clothes piled in a wrinkled heap on the floor? Does it feel like it would be easier (and more fun) to simply close the closet door and head out to the stores for a new outfit (or two or three)? You are not alone. And the retailers are waiting for you! CHA CHING, CHA CHING!

All of us have paid a lot of money for those clothes in our closets. And yes, there are a few IMPULSE purchases and a couple "what was I thinking?" items hidden away in those deep dark corners, but for the most part, we actually liked the clothes when we bought them. Let's SHOP at home FIRST and see what we really have. I bet most of us have an entire wardrobe just waiting to be discovered (and ironed - groan!). I know some of you are still snow-challenged, so you won't be able to pack away the winter clothes just yet. And I know some of you are getting ready for fall. You can still SHOP at home FIRST. All my clothes are kept in the same closet. For summer, winter sweaters will be moved to the top shelf, and spring and summer clothes will be moved to the lower shelf. Everything else will be grouped together on the hanging rod. (Side note: I am NOT touching my husband's clothes. That's his own project - plus, he keeps his side of the closet pretty neat. Mine is the side that needs cleaning!)

Supplies and getting in the mood to SHOP!

If you are groaning and moaning at the thought of tackling your clothes, then you need to get in the mood. Open the windows and let the fresh air in. Add some great music and you are set. I also keep a water bottle handy because I get thirsty while I work. If you have little kids around, let them help. They will get a kick out of folding clothes and telling you what looks good and what needs to be tossed. Are you ready? Let's go!

1. Get into some comfy clothes (something that is easy to take on and off, because we might have to try on clothes).
   
   
2. Make the bed. "What?" you ask. Yes, make the bed before you start. Clearing out the master bedroom closet takes up a lot of space and makes a mess. The last thing you want to do is add a mess on top of another mess. I use the bed as a holding spot for the clothes I want to keep.
   
   

We Need Six Piles! YIKES!

Remember, the point of all this is to create a wardrobe of clothing that you love to wear. If your closet is filled with shopping mistakes, worn out clothes, or stuff that doesn't fit, then you will feel frustrated every time you open the closet door. It is time to sort and see what we really have!

1. Winter clothes/shoes you want to keep: Use half your bed to temporily hold the winter clothes you want to keep.
   
   
2. Spring and Summer Clothes/shoes you want to keep: Use the other half of your bed to temporarily hold the summer clothes.
   
   
3. Laundry and Ironing Pile: I know that some of the clothes I find will be badly wrinkled and sort of musty smelling from the closet. They need to be washed and ironed before I can wear them. GROAN!
   
   
4. Mending Pile: I cringe when I hear the word "mending." I am sewing-challenged. If my glue-gun can't take care of the problem, my mending pile can hang around my home for years. This works for children's clothes, because they will eventually outgrow the clothes and the need to mend will disappear. It is not so good for my favorite blouse.
   
   
5. Clothes and shoes you don't want anymore: These are the IMPULSE buys that turned out to be shopping mistakes (we all have them LOL), the clothes that don't fit, the clothes you don't like, and the clothes you haven't worn in years. Use a box or a bag for these clothes. They can either be garage-saled or donated. (Quick hint - I have found that adult clothes do not sell very well at garage sales - they are better off donated.)
   
   
6. Trash: Yes, some of your clothing is too holey, too worn out, too stained, or too torn for even the rag pile. Out they go. Trash is trash.
   
   

Put your hardhat on, we are going in!

1. Stuff on the floor: Start with the clothes, shoes, and other stuff on the floor in the closet. Haul it all out. Sort it out. Trash is trash, out it goes. Shoes that don't fit go into the garage sale or donation box. Shoes that you will never wear again go into the same box. Shoes that kill your feet go into the same box. Make room for the things you want to keep. (OK - save the red shoes for that special occasion.)
   
   
2. Non-clothing items: Master bedroom closets are great places to store things that just don't have a home anyplace else in the house. If you come across long-forgotten Christmas gifts, the hidden chocolate stash, feather boas (hee hee), boxes of unknowns, boxes of papers and photos, crafting supplies, or other non-clothing items, set them aside for now. If some of it is trash, then just get rid of it. If some of it needs to be sorted, do it later. Right now, we are only concentrating on the clothes.
   
   
3. Sort out the clothing as you go: Use the six piles to sort out your clothes. If you are unsure about an item of clothing, try it on. Do you like it? Does it fit? Do you think you will wear it? Then place it on the bed in either the winter or summer pile. I don't keep clothes in my closet that are too big for me (I don't want to "grow into them" LOL). I also don't keep clothes that are too small for me in my closet. For many years, I held on to my pre-pregnancy clothes. Not only did these clothes haunt me over the years, they also went out of style. I have better things to wear that look great.
   
   
4. Stuff on the shelves: Keep going through your closet, shelf by shelf. Get rid of the stuff you don't want anymore and sort out the rest. Grab a quick drink of water.
   
   
5. The Stuff on the Hanging Rod: Yup, we are going through these clothes too. Sort them out one at a time. Did you find a special holiday dress from 1987 (with shoulder pads to match)? Any bridesmaid dresses? How about an old prom dress - YIKES! It's OK to let these go. My husband and I put several of our old "good" outfits into the kid's costume bucket. After these clothes get used for neighborhood plays and school costumes you lose that desire to keep them because they were "special." A couple months ago, I got an email from a member who was now a stay at home mom. She was wondering what to do with her high-end business clothes. Donate them. Check your yellow pages. Many communities have places that collect business clothes for women who need a fresh start in the working world.
   
   

Is the Closet Empty?

Whew! You are going great. Yes, I know, your bedroom looks like a hurricane hit it and you are beginning to wonder where you are going to sleep tonight. Don't give up yet, you've done the hard part. The easy part is ahead!

1. Bag up the trash: Let's make some room in your bedroom. Close up the trash bag and take out to the trash. Get it out of the house. Out it goes. Good bye!
   
   
2. Bag up the clothes you don't want to keep: We need more room in the bedroom. Close up the bag or box with all the clothes and shoes that you don't want anymore. Move the bag out to your garage (if you are having a garage sale) or into your vehicle so you can drop it off at the donation depot the next time you head out. Out it goes. Good bye!
   
   
3. Wash out your closet: GROAN! Yes, I know I promised that we wouldn't wash walls, but since this is the first time your closet has been empty in many years, you may as well quickly wash down the shelves with some hot soapy water. It will only take a few minutes.
   
   
4. Vacuum and or Wash the Floor: Remember, we are hunting dust bunnies. They breed in closets. Let's vacuum them up and wash the floor. Your closet is going to shine!
   
   

Refilling the closet

You don't want to stop now. You still need to recover your bed!

1. Hang the clothes back on the rack: You don't need to spend a fortune on fancy closet organizers. Simply group together your winter and summer outfits. If something is wrinkled, put it into the ironing pile. Only hang up the clothes that are ready to wear. If you really want to "feel organized" LOL, group together the colors as well.
   
   
2. Put away the clothes onto the shelves: Start with the current seasonal clothes. Put them in a spot where they will be ready for you to choose from. I am moving my out of season clothes up to the top shelf. I can still reach them for those cool/warm days, but they are not in the way when I am looking for clothes on the warm/cool days.
   
   
3. Put away your shoes: I once posted pictures of my closet cleanout. Someone sent me an email and asked me where I store all my dress shoes. I burst out laughing. My brown shoes are stored next to my white shoes which are next to my black shoes. My sandals and sneakers are in the front closet. My winter boots and hiking boots are in the garage. Boring I know, but I maintain a very simple shoe collection LOL.
   
   

The Dresser

Do you also have a dresser filled with clothes from many years back? Socks that are so holey you could plant potatoes in them? Underwear that has seen better days? Bras that kind of hang there and have forgotten how to hold anything up? Pajamas that are so comfy that there is almost nothing left? Belts, scarves, and other accessories that are so old you have forgotten what they were supposed to go with? Hee hee. If you have the time and the energy, go through your dresser (one drawer at a time). If you have run out of time, or the closet pooped you out, then save the dresser for another day. Remember, only keep the things you want to wear. Get rid of the rest!

The Rest of the Stuff

Did you get everything off the bed? How is the closet looking? Can you see everything? Can you move hangers back and forth now? All that is left is my favorite piles (huge amounts of sarcasm LOL).

1. The laundry: Grab all the laundry and put it into the laundry hamper. I am actually going to take it right into the laundry room and start a load. I want this project done as soon as possible!
   
   
2. The mending: Big sigh! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not liking this mending idea one little bit! I have been holding out until my oldest finished the home-ecomonics class at school, but it appears that being sewing-challenged is genetic. I am going to have to do this myself. This is my project for a Saturday evening. I am going see if there is anything good on TV and set my sewing maching up in the family room. Then I am going to finish the mending. Hmmmm, I wonder if I have any thread??? Better check that first LOL! The point is, why have clothes sitting in a mending pile, when they can be sitting on a hanger waiting to be worn. I know I will be done in less than an hour.
   
   
3. The ironing: Groan! I am going to need the big guns for this one! I like ironing less than I like cooking. However, my favorite clothes are typically in the ironing pile. This is a project for a Sunday night. If there is nothing good on TV, I am going to use one of my movie coupons and rent a movie. Then I am tackling the ironing pile. Again, I know I will be done in less than a couple hours (two TV shows). I just have to get started and do it.
   
   
4. Putting it away: Remember to put away the clean, mended, and ironed clothes. Fold them up or hang them up so you can find them.
   
   

Congratulations!

Whew! You did it. You made it through a project that I know some of you have been planning to do for YEARS! And gosh, if you decide that you a couple of bright T-shirts or a new pair of shorts for summer or a new sweater for winter is exactly what your wardrobe needs, then go for it. You are SHOPPING smart! You know what you have at home and you know what you are looking for in the stores. Enjoy!

Take care of you,
Cindy

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