Although we seem to have a pretty good method for keeping our living areas clean and clutter-free most days, I have a confession: most of my closets are shoved full and cluttered.
They were clean this spring after my great decluttering, but I’m learning that the decluttering is never done. The clutter slowly creeps back until one day you open your linen closet door and are SHOCKED to see piles of stuff you don’t even use crammed in there.
The Situation
The problem with clutter, even behind closed doors, is that it makes it harder to find the things I actually want to use. This means I am housing a bunch of stuff I don’t even touch, which is silly. We usually keep stuff we don’t actually use for one or more of the following reasons:
- We don’t even realize we have it.
- We might want to use it someday.
- We got it as a gift and feel guilty getting rid of it.
- It has sentimental value.
Let’s address these reasons.
The first reason can be solved by simply taking a few hours at a time to go through a closet, a cupboard, a room, or a particularly messy area in your house.
The second is usually not a good reason – if you haven’t used it for a year, you likely don’t need to hold on to it. Sometimes the cost of keeping something outweighs the cost of replacing it when the time comes. Perhaps an exception to this is maternity clothes and baby gear if you think you’re not done having children. (But even though I’d like to have more kids eventually, I still took a carload of baby extras to Goodwill this fall – stuff like baby clothes I never liked, an extra swing, and more crib mattress sheets than we’ll ever need.)
The third reason is a tough one to tackle. However, I’ve realized that if the tables were turned and I had gifted someone an ill-fitting dress or earrings that were not their style, I’d want them to get rid of the gift instead of letting it clutter up their house. I think we all want to give useful, pretty things – and if it’s not working for you, don’t feel guilty – just get rid of it! Plus, it might be callous, but the person will likely never know I got rid of it.
The fourth reason is another tough one. Memories and sentimental trappings certainly have their place in our homes and hearts. However, that doesn’t mean we need to keep every card, note, photo, and souvenir since kindergarten. The amount of sentimental stuff we choose to keep is different for each person, and might vary at different times in our life.
Going Forward
Each Monday and Wednesday for the month of January, I’m going to tackle a messy, cluttered closet and show you the before, the after, and what I got rid of and why. Play along with me and let me know your results in the comments!
This Week | Linen Closet
I’m going to start small with a closet that doesn’t need too much work. Since it won’t take long, I’ll get the satisfying sense of decluttering that will motivate me for future, messier closets.
BEFORE
Uh, no photo. I sort of forgot to take one. Just imagine a closet with too much stuff in it.
AFTER
The Casualties [What I Got Rid Of]
Towels: We only need one towel per family member plus a few extra for guests. Not a thousand wash cloths.
Bed sheets: We probably only need one set per bed, including Gabe’s crib, but I saved two. How many sheets can you use at one time?
Blankets: You already saw how many we have. We don’t need more.
Verdict:
Yep. That was gratifying and spurred a few other closet clean outs in one day! It took less than an hour. Plus, it was a rather small project, so I could do Gabe was awake.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Join me Wednesday to tackle another closet! And let me know if you decide to play along. I’m quite a decluttering enthusiast. (Mostly because I’m the laziest cleaner ever…and getting rid of stuff is easier than cleaning it.)
Ooh, I love watching people declutter their homes! haha It’s a sickness. I’m moving in a week, so I’ve been doing some serious purging of belongings. This is good inspiration for organizing my new closets!
Love this series! I’m still working on finishing The Joy of Less, but this might inspire a linen closet post from me soon! We finally have a linen closet in our apartment (after 4 years of not having one), and like you said, it’s jammed full of stuff, half of which we don’t use!
Becky’s most recent post :: The way to my heart is through t-shirts
That’s a great idea for tackling the clutter! I started the process myself when putting away Christmas decorations. We have to downsize for our move to Germany, and decide what’s coming with us and what will go into storage. It’s incredibly daunting, and very difficult to part with things, but it also feels great to conquer the onslaught of STUFF. I like your idea of doing one closet per weekend–makes it a bit more manageable!
Angela Noelle’s most recent post :: Stressballs
We have 2 sets sheets for all three kids but for master bed, just one set. I’m with you– how many sets can you use? I find it so much easier to deal with one set because then there’s never any folding…just wash, dry, and put right back on the bed!
Love this! Nathan & I have been hardcore into decluttering, especially while he has TWO MONTHS off of work, so he’s been tackling things like the space under the kitchen sink – shudder! We’ve already taken four bags to Goodwill. Amazing that, in our tiny apartment, we even had room for all that stuff!
I’ve been working feverishly at cleaning out and organizing our home. We live in a very modest 3 bedroom, 2 bath home and have a family of 7. Our baby is due in March, and I’m SURE that we can continue to make this home work for us. I refuse to upgrade! With some organization and purging we will make this home work for us! So yes, I’m right along side you, although I’m not taking the time to document it on my blog…I may do one big post at the “end” showing all our new organization methods! :0)
Ashley’s most recent post :: Treasures
Wow! ONE towel? ONE set of sheets? What happens if a little one has an upset tummy in the middle of the night? Of you don’t have enough laundry for a load? I can’t live on the edge like that :) I also use towels for lots otf stuff – cleaning up big messes, putting them on the car seats after a snowshoeing trip, etc. I DO love having organized closests though!
OH, I sooo need to do this! Our linen closet is quick, cram something in there and shut the door before it falls out. I really just need to make a trip to Goodwill.
My closet is actually in Gavin’s room. Sweets and I did some rearranging, so I can share some of his closet in my room (and interrupt Gavin’s sleep a little less frequently). Just last night, I went into my closet and my first thought was, this is a reorganizing/purging project I must take on! I completely agree that if you haven’t used something in a year, get rid of it!
Also, I once heard a great way to keep track of children’s art without holding onto every single creation is to take a digital photo of it before throwing it out. That way, you can put together an online album of art. I think the same can hold true for other sentimental items you don’t want to forget – take a photo before getting rid of them!
Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks’s most recent post :: NYE
de-cluttering seriously makes me feel so much better. and donating stuff to goodwill is just refreshing. i try to sort through everything fairly often so it doesn’t overwhelm me, haha.
katelin’s most recent post :: A whole lot of reading & a whole lot of weekend.
When I was off before the new year, I went through my closet & dresser, my bathroom, the guest bathroom, and all my jewelry.
I still need to pack up LG’s wee baby clothes and send them off to Chris’s brother, whose fiancee is expecting a lady baby in May and I thought that was it…Until you inspired me to do the linen closet! I should tackle that this weekend. Also, and this is not a fun one…I need to through all our house-buying forms, decide what we actually need to keep, and take the rest to work for shredding.
Home Sweet Sarah’s most recent post :: Insomniacs in the night
I was literally just thinking yesterday that I need to go through each cabinet and declutter. I love your guidelines. I’ll definitely be using them!
Drea’s most recent post :: The One Where Everyone Here Is Drunk But Me
Good for you for cutting down on clutter! Just … keep all the crib sheets you have. One day the stomach flu will come to your house. And extras will come in handy. EEP!
Manda’s most recent post :: The runner’s adolescence.
I cannot properly describe the joy that I feel when it comes organizing a closet. I just finished reading Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and she actually talks about how cleaning out a closet contributed largely to her own happiness.
thatShortChick’s most recent post :: January Resolutions
Oh, only one bed sheet per bed? Wow! THAT would not work out in my house. My kids are masters in wetting the bed all the time :(
Emilia’s most recent post :: porcelain veneers cost
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