the purge // cleaning my closet

I’d consider myself a rather neat person. I like to keep things picked up and generally organized. A neat personal space makes for a more tidy, peaceful mind. But when it comes to doors and drawers you can close… now, that’s a whole different story. For the past few years, my closet has been-- inch by inch-- deteriorating into a massive mess. Disorganized, unsystematic, and just generally messy, my closet confused even me. So, I rolled up my sleeves and decided enough was enough. Time for a deep, deep, deep clean.

But tackling a stage five disaster such as this can be overwhelming (it sure was for me!). Thus, I’ve assembled a list of a few things I learned along the way that might help you with your own closet rescue mission.

start with the pajamas

By random chance, I started with my pajama drawer and it ended up being a brilliant way to begin the process. Pajamas tend to hold little emotional or financial value, so deciding what stays and what goes isn’t taxing. By the end of your pajama drawer, you feel like you’ve already made a huge dent in the project without expending too much energy, thus setting you up on a path of success for the harder parts of the experience.

give away v.s. trash

Whether you donate, hand-me-down, or both, deciding what gets passed along and what gets trashed can be a little daunting. Here are my do’s and don’t’s for donating (or hand-me-downs):

DON’T pass anything along that had sweat stains, discoloration, or lingering smells

DON’T donate or hand-down anything with holes, even if crudely stitched

DO consider giving away shoes and other accessories

DON’T pass along undergarments, unless to family members, and only then, specific items

if you haven’t worn it in the last year…

… get rid of it. While this does not apply to everything (by this I mean, excluding formal wear), this rule is a great tool when deciphering what to keep. Hoarding clothes only leads to more trouble down the road, so passing items along for others to enjoy will only be beneficial.

every inch of space

Even though I filtered bags and bags of items out of my closet, I found myself needing more space to keep everything neat and in its place. To compensate, I applied semi-permanent adhesive hooks to the inside of my closet doors (my closet has double doors that open into my room). This way, I was able to hang certain items such as bags and bras to keep my closet organized and easily tidied up when needed.

clean your drawers

My drawers are never completely empty, so I never have the opportunity to clean them. So I pulled out my rags and sprays (I used an all purpose cleaning spray and a fabric freshener spray) and wiped the inside of my drawers. This way, my clothes were not only reorganized, but put back into a clean space that insured a lasting laundry freshness.

double hang

In my house, we are always short on hangers. As I sorted through my hanging clothes, I made sure to double up items that didn’t need a hanger of my own. These items generally included skirts and linen pants. This way, I not only save rack space, but save hangers for Abi, too (you’re welcome).

purging party

Who said this has to be a drag? Make a party out of purging your closet! Invite a friend, a sibling, or someone else you’d like to catch up with and work together to complete the task. Play music, eat snacks and chat while re-folding shirts and deciding if those jeans from last year still fit. Who knows-- maybe you’ll have such a blast you’ll plan a date to tackle that mess of a desk, too!

Big projects always reap the biggest rewards. Though purging your closet might take up a good few hours, it definitely fosters a neatness and simplicity of both physical space and mental space. And, I don’t know about you, but I’ll definitely take all the neatness and simplicity as I can get. I wish you the best of luck and am totally cheering for you-- you deserve a clean, creaseless closet!