I don’t own a dresser. There is just enough room in our master bedroom for a queen size bed and two small nightstands. I have all of my clothes, shoes, socks, purses, you name it…. in my closet.
I used to be afraid to open my bedroom closet, for fear of being attacked by endless junk dumping on my head. Much of the time, I couldn’t close the doors all the way because of the piles of shoes on the floor. I knew it was time for a change, so I decided to give my closet a complete makeover. These are the 3 steps I took.
Step 1. Empty your entire closet and ask yourself these 3 questions.
What do I really use?
What do I want to see every day?
What do I actually want in my closet?
Step 2. Create piles. Divide and Conquer!
You may have more piles than are listed here, but these are the main ones.
Trash Pile – Trash is trash. Easy enough, right? The trick is recognizing what trash is. A T-shirt with paint stains or holes? Throw it out. Shoes that are falling apart? Throw them out. That old college T-shirt with your nickname on it? Take a picture of it. Post it on Facebook and tag all your old college roommates. Then…. throw it out.
Donate Pile – This pile is for your clothes and shoes that are still in good condition, but you don’t wear. You may consider selling them online, taking them to a second hand store for some fast cash, or simply donating them. I tend to choose to donate. There are many places you can drop off a bag of clothes and get a receipt for a tax write-off instead. It is the quickest way to get rid of your stuff and feel good about where your items are going.
Doesn’t belong Pile – I was surprised to find stuff that just belonged somewhere else. My kids were excited to see their long lost shoes and toys that had been hiding in mommy’s closet. I don’t know how they got there…
Put back Pile – This is the most important pile. This is what you will actually make room for in your newly organized closet. My advice for you, if you are like me and tend to want to keep everything, is to take the following challenge:
The Trunk Challenge…”What is the trunk challenge?” you say… well, I’ll tell you. Place all of the items you are considering getting rid of in a box or trash bag and place it in the trunk of your car and see what happens. Do you find yourself having to dig through it several times for things that you need and use, or does the bag stay unopened in your trunk for several weeks? I took the trunk challenge and ended up forgetting about my big bag of clothes in the trunk of my car. I noticed it two weeks later when I needed to use the trunk. I couldn’t even recall what I had put in the sack. Needless to say… It all was donated.
Step 3. Put everything back, in a smart way.
I ended up spending $15 on a shoe rack to keep my shoes from piling up and it was very worth the $15. You can see it HERE. There just wasn’t enough floor room for my shoes and they always ended up on top of each other. When I would find one shoe I wanted to wear I used to have to dig for the other match. Now, thankfully, I don’t dig anymore. I can see them all and can quickly grab the pair I need. I also made fabric covered boxes from some cardboard baby wipe boxes I’d collected. (I knew there was a reason I needed to keep those. They were just too cute and all the same size!) These boxes now carry my smaller items such as socks, nylons, and rolled up pajamas.
It was quite a process, but now I can actually use the space for the purpose it was intended… Imagine that! I feel a sense of accomplishment when I open my closet doors and know exactly what’s in there and where it is. I can see everything and I even have extra space! It may seem simple, but now when I open my closet doors I am in a happy place, not chaotic or messy, but peaceful.
Comment below and let me know how you like to organize your closet. Share with me your ideas.
I love the baby wipe box idea!!! I feel all inspired to go through all my stuff now. But it’s a terrifying idea… Hahaha
You can do it!