34 Weeks of Clean! Week16- The Master Closet

You knew it was coming, right?  We cannot simply do our bedrooms and skip our closets, though trust me, the idea did cross my mind.   Let's face it, most of our closets are pretty dungeon like.  At least mine is.  I have had ONE closet in my lifetime that I loved.  In our last rental house, the closet was the size of a small bedroom.  Seriously!  It had a wonderful window in it that lit the place up and I even had my treadmill in it with plenty of space to walk around in.  I loved it.  That is no longer my reality sadly.  This is-

Yep.  Small and piled high with junk.  Since I am not currently sharing it with hubby (although his stuff is still in there), I have allowed it to get completely out of hand.  Shhhh, don't tell him.  It is an easy place to just toss things in and not look back.  It is one of the few places guests don't see so I let it slide.  Often.

So this week- Master Closets are on our attack list!  

Here we go!

• You know the drill - take everything OUT!  Trust me when I say this, it WILL make things easier in the end!

• Once everything is out, wipe down the shelves and rods and vacuum the floor.  Now is your chance before things go back in!

• And now, for the hard part!  Put it back.  Notice that I did NOT say put it ALL back in.  Because that is not what we are going to do.  Shake your head up and down to indicate you understand, please!

If you will remember back with me a few weeks, one of our goals was to declutter.  This means we are NOT keeping extra stuff we do not need or wear.  

    - Throw away things that are stained or torn.

     -Donate things that do not fit you or that you do not love!

Helpful hints- 

When you wear something, wash it and then put it on a hanger facing backwards.  When a month is over, the things that are are still on front facing hangers are the things you have avoided for a month.  hmmmm- do you need them?  

Or try this- I hang all my shirts together in a row and then each day choose the one on the far left to wear.  From there I pair it with whatever else I need and off I go.  If I find myself skipping the same shirt over and over again I take that as a clue that it is not something I like or need and should pass on to someone else.

This also helps me avoid wearing the same few things over and over again that I love.  Because, yes, I would do that.

Really evaluate what you have and what you NEED.  There are plenty of good sites out there that can help you decide what looks good on you (and what does not) and how to mix and match with fewer things.  I have found that when I keep my clothes to a few colors, it all goes together AND it keeps me from buying more.  My oldest does something similar and has just started a capsule wardrobe which she has promised to blog about for me soon!  One thing I have learned from all the traveling we do is that you can create many different outfits with few pieces if you plan well.  Let's commit to stop buying random stuff just because it is cute or on sale!  If you don't need it, don't buy it!

If you have a high shelf in your closet, invest in a few dividers that will help you stack things without the risk of an avalanche every time you open the closet door.  

Hang your dress clothes separately.  It makes Sunday mornings and special occasions easier to get ready for when those clothes are separate.

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Make piles like TRASH, GOODWILL, or SWEET DESERVING FRIEND who will fit better into it! ;)

Trash pile!

You can do this!  I know it is hard to let go of things, but let's not make things an idol.  Clothes especially.  They simply cover our bodies and do not make us who we are.

• This is also the time to go through scarves, shoes and jewelry if this is where those things are housed.  

              -My kiddos gave my two scarf hangers for Christmas that I love.  (yes, I have a thing for scarves, especially in the South Dakota cold months!)  It is a great way to organize them, plus once you run out of space you need to be done! (note to self)

               -I also love having my jewelry on the back of the closet door so it is easy to match to an outfit on the way out the door.  I recently pared down my jewelry to only the pieces I love.  Hard, but necessary.

               -Shoes!  Let's talk shoes for a minute.  How many pairs do you own?  Actually, how many pairs can you wear at once?  That is a better question.  I love shoes as much as the next person, maybe not as much as my mom, but I realized that shoes were one of the areas that was going to get the best of me if I was not very careful.  So I donated a lot of pairs last year!  I realized I only wore the same pair of boots all winter anyway, and because of a hip and leg problem (steps are a very dangerous thing!) I wear the same two pairs of summer shoes all summer long.  All the others, except for two pairs of church shoes and two very dressy pairs, were extra.  As in not needed!  Those shoe boxes can be found at a dollar store and house shoes neatly.

              -Bags and pocketbooks.  Now we are getting personal.  If you know me well, you know I have a thing for both.  Don't know why, but I cannot seem to pass up either.  I love changing purses with the seasons and I can find any excuse to have a new bag.  In my defense, I use them.  But, again, not all are necessary (did I really say that?), and I did get rid of a few.  Ok, 3, but it is a start, I promise!

YOU DID IT!  Stand back and look at what your hard work accomplished!  And don't panic- you have a week to finish this project!

So how did you do last week in your Master Bedroom?  Can't wait to see your progress!!  Don't forget, for every link you leave or every picture you leave on our Facebook page, you will earn an entry in our 34 Weeks of Clean Prize Basket!  Maybe I will give you a sneak peek of some of its contents soon.  I think you will love it! ;)

Week 15- The Master Bedroom

Week 17- The Master Bath

An InLinkz Link-up

Blessings!