My Closet (Photo credit: kian esquire)
Do you have lots of clothing in your bedroom? How much of what you own fits you? How much do you wear?
There are various estimates of what percentage of clothing owned is actually worn, but the numbers are surprisingly high. There are always the what-ifs, the fond memories associated with an item, and the hope that one day, a certain size will fit again…
Then there are the practicalities of life for many women who (BH!) are going through pregnancies and post-partum wardrobe needs, and therefore have several sizes in their closets they really aren’t wearing now, but will again in the future! Or the necessity of keeping a ball gown, for when you have another fancy wedding to go to (whether it’s realistic or not). And how about those who keep clothes with holes and stains just because it’s easier than actually replacing them?
It all means that in order to be a place of peace, and a place of pleasant function, we need to assess and organize the closet and dresser(s).
As usual, a really big cleaning means taking everything out and starting from scratch. If you don’t want to do that, it’s OK. As long as you’re doing some work, it’s a good thing, right? After that comes the sorting, which is definitely the tougher part!
I’m guessing you’ve heard the turn-your-hangers-around advice (if not, turn all of your hangers toward the back of the closet and as you wear something, put the hangers back in the right way. At the end of the month/season/year, you’ll be able to see what you wear – and what you don’t wear.)
That’s one way. Another is to sort and take out things you don’t think you’ll need and save them in a box. If you do need them, you’ll still have them on hand, and if not…well, you can toss/donate them after whatever length of time seems right to you. (Just don’t leave them languishing until the next time you clean out your closet, OK?) This is also a good way to go if you are “helping” someone else sort. And that’s all I’m saying on that one. 😉
The same process goes for your dresser. And your not-quite-clean-enough-to-put-back-but-not-dirty-enough-to-put-in-the-wash place, too (hook, back of chair, wherever. I’m guessing there is one of those in most houses!) Â Dh and I each have a hook for hanging these kinds of things, but they seem to reproduce while we sleep sometimes…
If you haven’t fully put away your warmer weather clothes, now is a good time – just sort through them first!
Don’t forget the shelf you where you have things hiding from the kids (or is that just me?) Future gifts, birthday presents, Hanuka shopping, etc…I need to go through it periodically or I forget what’s hiding there.
And then enjoy the boost from your newly pared-down and organized closet and dresser.
