You Can Help Other People When You Have Too Much
Wow. Talk about a first world problem. What should you do when you have so many clothes that you can’t possibly store another thing. That’s a problem that a lot of people in the world would like to have, so maybe the first thing we should do is to be thankful for the abundance, instead of grumpy about an organizing chore. Not preaching, just sayin’. (See the graphic below.)
Do the Right Thing and Enjoy It!
Now that I’m getting older, and maybe more socially conscious, I feel sort of guilty for times I just threw old clothes away because I wanted my cleaning to be done. It didn’t happen often. We’ve always been pretty good about taking things to Goodwill or the Salvation Army, but I have to admit that some wearable items have ended up at the curb just because I was too lazy to take them to a donation box. Maybe I’ll convince a few people to take the time to donate with this post. That won’t undo things, but I’ll feel a little better.
I found this great guide to donating unwanted clothes, and I want to share it here. Take a look if you’re buried under extra clothing and think about how easy it is to help someone else out.
Avoid Having Clutter Problem in the Future
Obviously, you’ve got to get organized. That probably will include some emptying of closets and drawers, some purging, and hopefully, some donating. Once that’s done, you’ve got to commit to keeping yourself organized and not overbuying. I know, that can be a real challenge for serial shoppers, but if you keep over-buying, you’ll keep getting buried in clutter, no matter how organized you try to be.
Inexpensive Closet Systems for the Organizationally Challenged
I love finding ways to save money. Just check out my post about goldendoodle clippers if you want proof! The first of my do it yourself closet organization tips is to consider investing in some kind of affordable closet system for your home. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on these. There are many affordable options available today. Closet systems are an easy way to help the perpetually unorganized to get themselves headed toward a less cluttered existence. As a reformed clutter bug, I can tell you that getting yourself organized can go a long way toward changing your entire outlook during the day. When you wake up in the morning and one of your first chores is digging through piles of stacked clothes or pushing forty pounds of hanging clothes from side to side on a closet rack, it doesn’t exactly inspire you to put a smile on your face.
How to Organize a Closet for Dummies
Getting your closet organized is not rocket science. A big part of the project is usually getting past your hoarding instincts. Once you have some room to work, the possibilities of any space are a lot easier to see.
Affordable Closet Systems
When you take the time to organize your closets, you will notice that finding the essential items you are looking for becomes much less of a chore. There are a variety of closet system options available today ranging from very expensive all the way to downright cheap. Some people prefer to just use their existing closet set-up, but using an actual closet system can really speed things along if you have hit your breaking point and cannot take the clutter anymore. Shown below are two very popular options for do it yourself closet organizers. The John Lewis system is obviously a bit more advanced than the Rubbermaid offering, but a lot depends on what you want to see when you open the closet door. I think the John Lewis gives a more “finished” look, but if you are in to pure functionality, the Rubbermaid organizer offers a simple and effective solution. Note: There are affiliate links ahead that could earn me a commission if you buy from my referral. Your price is not affected at all and I will only recommend items I believe in.
The basic idea behind closet systems and any kind of closet organizing is to have a place for everything and everything in its place. This may seem like a bother when you are setting things up and putting items where they “belong” but in the long run, the time savings and reduction of stress make it a task that is well worth the while.
How to Really Clean Out a Closet
One step that some people dread in getting their closets organized is “the purge”. Just as the name implies, this is where you get rid of the heavy duty clutter. Most people have a ton of clothing (and sometimes other items) stuffing up the available space in the closets that they don’t even remember owning. It may help during this step to ask a relative who is brutally honest (we all have one of those, don’t we?) to help you in your decision making. As you move through your closet piece by piece, ask yourself and/or your helper if what is before you is still right for you at this point in your life. You may find that some of the clothes are either too big, too small or just plain out of style. I have found that a good rule of thumb is if I did not wear the clothing at all during the past year, it is gone. The first time I purged my closets, I also took on all of the stored boxes of clothing that I had managed to store around various parts of my house. I could not believe how much stuff there was that I did not even remember owning. Just getting rid of items like that can go a long way toward freeing up space in your home and closets in particular.
Getting Everything in Its Place
Once you have eliminated all of the clothing and clutter, your mission becomes more of an organizational task. At this point, you can use your own creativity to decide what method works best for you, but in general you may want to consider placing similar types of clothing together and from there, organizing them by categories such as sleeve length, color, season, or whatever suits your needs. Some people prefer to start with a clear division between clothes that are for work and clothes that are for “play”. This is a classic approach often taught to children by their mothers to avoid ruining their best clothing, and it still has its place when we have grown up.
When you start stocking your newly emptied closet space, avoid over-packing any areas. This is an area where installing an actual closet system can really help you out. Closet systems usually have built in divisions that intentionally do not allow for over-stacking of items. Usually, a closet system will be designed with the dimensions of typical pieces of clothing taken into consideration. In other words, one section of your system may be specifically designed to be wide enough to accommodate two shirts or sweaters stacked three or four items high. This allows the clothes to be stored without wrinkling and gives you enough room to work with that you can easily take individual pieces of folded clothing out without having to shove, pull, stuff or otherwise manipulate multiple items which usually ends up in the cluttered state your are probably trying to get rid of right now.
Tons of Options and Ideas
As far as the actual hardware of closet systems goes, well, you have a lot of options to choose from in this area. Probably the most economical closet systems would be the type made of wire that perform the basic function of splitting up the available space you have in your closet into more efficient compartments without many bells and whistles being involved. As you go up the chain of closet systems, you will find all sorts of interesting and useful add-ons that slide in, pull out, fold up, you name it…if it can help in the way of storage, it has probably been built in to some of the top of the line closet systems. These higher end systems cost more money, but they are also much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Some actually stand alone quite well along an empty wall. They come in a many different materials and finishes designed to match your home’s decor. No matter what specific type of closet kit you choose to use for your organizational needs, you will find that having a home that is less cluttered can really have an effect on your overall sense of well being. Not having to spend extra time searching for things and eliminating ironing chores can not only save time, it can go a long way toward a more stress free existence. There are a ton of affordable closet systems to choose from today, so there is really no good reason to continue living with all of that clutter!
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