Closet Month: Want to Join me?
 

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I'm declaring this "Closet Month" in my house. Tis the season to make clothing switch-a-roos, clear out unwanted accessories, replace hangers I don't like, trash the obvious junk, donate the rest, and that's just the bedroom closets! There's also a hall closet, linen closet, and craft closet (yowsa!). I have a challenge ahead of me, but I so need to do this.

Thankfully my son's senior class is having a fundraiser; one of the local thrift store pays non-profits for donations of saleable items that can fit into small boxes and trash bags. That's incentive.

Would anyone like to join me in the Closet Month challenge? You pick as few or as many closets as you'd like to clean out and spruce up.

Before, During, and After pictures are highly recommended. No judgment here. The Before pictures are actually very motivating, the During pictures are proof of progress, and the Afters? They speak for themselves! We'll be cheerleaders for each other as we dig in (or dig out??).

Declare a closet and let's get going. I'm starting with my bedroom closet as it's the most aggravating to me and hubby at the moment (although he hasn't said so, bless his heart). My goal is to finish by the end of this week. Then my son's closet, with his help. Then my craft closet.

Sorry but that is what I did this summer. I have one of those small but deep closet with a slanted roof. There is nothing on the floor all the way to the back. It felt good to get that done

Congratulations! That's a job. But yes, it feels good when it's finished.

Thanks for mentioning this. I was just thinking that it's time to start. The weather has turned enough so that I'm not wearing short sleeved shirts or capris anymore. Time to figure out what to keep and what to pitch. Don't know if I can get into DH's closet, though. He is very attached to his junk! I keep a box in the car that is destined for the Salvation Army once it's full. Guess I'll be going soon.

I live between two homes, On my way! May to October and the other home during the winter. They both need a good purging so I will gladly participate in Closet Month as I prepare to move off the island. I have a lot of summer clothes that have faded, gotten stained and a few that no longer fit. Thanks Zozee for posting.

Always a fun project. We moved to another state several years ago and got rid of a lot of things. The current house is a little bigger and has a walkout basement. The previous owner had built some nice shelves down there so we have plenty of room. But the feeling of no clutter or crowding of anything is really nice so thumbs up on the project! I also keepna donation bag goungnin my closet to keep up with things

I cleaned by bedroom closet out last week and had six trash bags of clothing to donate...I still have another closet in the spare room where I keep my winter sweatshirts and sweaters. Will tackle that one maybe this week and drop off on my shopping day. The hall closet for the bathroom is another project that needs to be done. My sewing room closet (tiny under the staircase type) was done this past year.

I cleaned mine on Labor Day! 4 big bags were donated! Yesterday I tackled my sewing room and found a few things that now need to be finished. I really love looking at all the fabrics I have collected and I still love every scrap!

That's what I have been doing this summer... only I'm cleaning out every nook, cranny, drawer, closet, file, and picture since time began. I can't believe how much trash and donations that have left here.

This week I got out three plastic bins that were full of precious baby items from 42 years ago. They were pristine when I put them there... not so much now. I had to throw most of it out. It hurts my heart, but I don't want to saddle my children with unneccessary stuff when I go. I did that with my mother. We had a week to bury her and get anything out of her house that we wanted to keep. Anything that didn't fit in the car went into the trash. I still wish I had more time to go through that stuff.

I'm dividing up the pictures with the kids and childhood friends that I haven't seen in decades.

I found my baby book, and it had the address of where I lived when I was two years old. I have no memories of the house, so for my birthday next month, my BFF is going to drive me by there to see it and take pictures to share with my brother. It was a two-story townhouse with 880 square feet of space. They must have been tiny rooms! These homes were built post WWII to house the soldiers who were coming back from the war.

Oh the nostalgia!... but my closets look very spacious and lonely. Now the goal is not to fill them up again!

I don’t mess with my hubby’s stuff either, other than to ask him if there’s anything he can part with because I’m bagging up donations. I set a deadline, don’t nag, and just do what I can. He can usually pick one or two shirts to get rid of.

It’s funny that he’s the clothes horse, not me;) But I have more shoes and accessories, journals, keepsakes, camera equipment and miscellany in the closet. He has two dressers but I don’t want one . All my in-season clothes are in the walk-in closet.

Nothing like having to pack up and move stuff from pillar to post! Makes us realize all the crap we have but don’t need. You’ve probably gotten good at keeping clutter down, knowing that in 6 months you’re gonna be deciding what to do with it.

You put the labor in Labor Day! 4 big bags is a lot! I’m sure you can really tell the difference and it feels great. Unlike you, though, when it comes to scraps, I don’t love every one. I am so done with many which is why I have giveaways on here. Enjoy your freed up real estate in your closet!

I can relate to going thru every nook and cranny—I have been methodically doing that on and off for a couple years but now more vigorously since my hubby wants to retire in Dec 2020 and downsize in 2021. Our kids are minimalists and don’t want our stuff.

I’m sorry you had so little time to go through your mom’s things after she died. It’s been hard enough going through my mom’s stuff but I’ve had 2 years and all my sisters’s help when they’re in town. My dad is at a point he wants to get rid of a lot. Huge townhouse and a very full basement. Oy. I tackle a little at a time .

Yesterday I made headway. But it was too hot to do as much as I wanted (can’t try on winter clothes when sweating). So I dealt with half my hanging clothes. Difficult to part with The periwinkle Mother of the Groom dress that a friend made for me and the black dress I wore to my mom’s funeral. But I will never wear the wedding one again, and black is too stark for me so I will let it go. Maybe. I do love how it feels on me...haha! Easy to part with anything too tight, itchy, doesn’t hide my tummy, etc.

Keeping a box in the car for donations is a great idea!

I didn't let go of my black funeral dress... because one never knows when it will be needed again.

I have different sizes of clothes and decided to get rid of everything that I didn't love when I was that size.

And then there are the clothes that I know I'll never be small enough to fit into again, but kept anyway, because of the memories.

I lost 30 something pounds and kept it off for about four years. My friends kept saying that I needed get rid of my big clothes so I did. I think I started gaining weight the next day and now some of my new clothes don’t fit. Is this an example of Murphy’s law? :(

I'm already in! I've been moving sewing room from one bedroom to another. I have the WIC cleaned of the new destination room and filling it with things from the other. I'm sending lots of knit fabrics to an organization that will use them in baby layettes. As I clean out the old closet under the stairs, I plan on using that one for Christmas decorations and extra folding chairs/tables. Then the Christmas closet will hold my flimsies and batting and backing pieces. Hope to have it all ready for Thanksgiving. I do clean out my broom closet regulary...clothes, coat and long storage closets will be on the list after sewing relocation.

Wow, oksew. What a humongous overhaul! Sounds like you’ve pit a lot of thought and energy into all the changes already! Keep it up! You’re inspiring me!

Today I cleaned my dad’s house, and included pulling out a lot of my mom’s clothes from an upstairs closet to sell or donate. She had great style. I’ve been able to wear several pieces.

I am in. . . Just have to figure out how, where, when! This is something i really want to do but I can’t seem to rally and do it! My thoughts were to clean out before my 60th birthday, which is now only 1 month away! I have to get motivated!!!!

Yay, Fizzle! Glad you’re in! Which closet do you most want to clean out?

I once had a friend who said she had 3 sets of clothes in different sizes. Her weight fluctuated so often she felt she needed those.

I can understand that, especially given that the clothing industry doesn't have sizing standards. High-end clothing manufacturers will always label their clothing smaller to appeal to ego. Low end is a bit more consistent but still, not unusual to have a closet that spans 3 sizes. Besides, if you’re prone to fall/winter weight gain, some of us call the largest our hibernation size!

My parents have been gone 6 and 15 years, respectively, and I am just today going through old paperwork. Shredding, tossing or keeping. I think closets would be a good next project, so I'm in!

Kathy, welcome to the closet club! LOL. I’m sorry you are having to do the dreaded paperwork purge because of your parents’ passing. Going through the process of sorting, reminiscing, deciding what to do with each thing that belonged to them, is a monumental task. I’m thankful to have three sisters —two who are a big help when they’re in town, and cheerleaders to me as One of the two local sisters.

The process of going through my mom’s things has only spurred me to let go now of everything that means nothing to me or isn’t practical or beautiful enough to take up space. My husband’s dad was a hoarder (hadn’t let any of the family in his house for years so we were clueless as to the waist high piles of newspapers) so he knows he doesn’t want to saddle our kids with the hardship of dealing with absolutely worthless stuff when we’re gone.

Doing two houses is not for the faint of heart, is it? I’m going to be right there with you in spirit as I manage the same chore! It’s a good thing I have my mom’s organizing genes!

Hibernation size!! I love it. I think I've entered the 'hibernation phase' of my life. My body has been beating me up lately (hormonal fun and etc.) and exercise has been my lowest priority. Needless to say I need to revise my closet which is somewhat dispriting...feels a bit like failure. However I've some nice things that could be sold, and some things no longer feel age-appropriate. I guess I'm in!

Making revisions is not a failure, it’s a sign of forward-thinking. Otherwise it’s stagnation. Look at the positive changes you want to make in your closet and focus on that. One good change begets another.

Well today I cleaned out my fabric closet, it is a walk in closet, and I could not see the floor, I took 15 kitchen size bags out of the closet and donated it to my quilt guild. My husband thinks I should get rid of more, HaHa, that is the quilting fabric, it stays. I still have another closet for another day.

Whoa! 15 kitchen size bags filled out of your closet?? Bravo! That is a lot of fabric! Good for you for being such a go-getter! Your hubby's comment sounds like something mine would say. LOL. But we appreciate each other's hobbies and neither one of us goes overboard (in our own minds). He's into guitars, and he comes back from music shows with lanyards, water bottles with the label of the show, guitar picks, coasters, and all other vendor clutter that makes him feel like a happy boy with a pocket full of frogs.

I will join you. My first closet will be the primary one in my dressing room. I say primary as I have overflowed to several other areas. I lived at least 60 years with half a large closet and I was fine. Now I have several overflowing - not shared. It is ridiculous. My body has changed shape since cancer (January) and change of medications, so I really need to purge clothes with a waistline. I have a wedding to go to Saturday - grandmother of bride. I'd love to wear my red lace dress, but I know better than to try it on - too depressing.

I just took 3 big trash bags to the local hospital thrift store. So glad its gone.

Irishrose--Congratulations to your granddaughter. I'm sure she is beyond delighted to have you at her wedding.

Our bodies change, for sure, and disease will do that quicker than anything. I'm sorry cancer has taken its toll on you as well. But I'm glad you are in the closet club to get rid of whatever things are weighing on you in other ways.

Good for you! That's a great feeling. Do you have more--are you joining us for more closet purging?

So far I have organized my dresses, hubby's and my shoes, and my purses, with things purged, hangers tossed or donated, the rod dusted, floor vacuumed. From my dad's house, I took about 20 pcs of clothes out of my mom's closet to sell or give away. My dad also found 3 articles of clothing of his to give away.

Today I'm feeling lazy but I will get back to the closet work for at least 1/2 hour.

How's everyone doing with their closet of choice?

Great job on the closets!

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Do I qualify for a re-do?

I received this pic in a text from DD. "Mommm, what do I do??"

Her dad and I took everything out, installed new uprights, brackets, and shelves. I used 75# wall anchors to secure the whole system. She gained extra space with double hanging rods. All is well. LOL!

This was her "before" shot of her closet? Lucky daughter to have you and her dad to redo it! Do you have an "after" photo of it yet?

Zozee,

She sent me a video so I don't have pictures. The "before" on the back wall was changed to 2 full shelves across the back for 12 feet hanging. Long dresses hang on left side wall. The other side of closet is double hung again for another 6 feet of hanging.

Spent another hour and a half itemizing my bedroom closet items for donation, bagging them as I went. Purged a few summer tops that are, fortunately, too big.

I’m enjoying this process because I’m not trying to do it all in a day.

Yes, zo, not doing it all at once is a big help to me as well. Had to run to town. At the Dollar Tree, I picked up a couple of lidded smaller plastic bins that will fit nicely on a shelf. Actually they were in the kitchen section and for food storage (13.5 cups). Later found some "S" hooks that will work on one of my shelving units. I can hang my metal mesh baskets at one end of my shelf for more storage. They were hanging on the walls and I don't have that much wall space in this room. An LED shop light found its way into my cart...all the better to see with! My basement has unfinished ceilings and I can hang this from the stringers very easily. Sometimes it's just easier if I do things myself:D. Guess where I'm going now?