March is all about what’s hiding in your closets! For the record, I am not just talking about your bedroom closet! Think about all the closets in your house. How many of your closets have you looked through in detail recently? How many things are lurking in there that you haven’t even thought of pulling out in who knows how long??
Go ahead and start with a bedroom closet
Do your own for starters. Look at your clothes, or socks, or shoes! When was the last time you wore a certain item? If you have no clue, try taking all of the clothes that are on hangers, and flip the hanger around so that it hooks on the rod from the back instead of the front. Now, every time you are hanging something up after doing laundry, put the hanger on the rod from the front (the right way). It will be easy to see, next March, what clothing pieces you have ACTUALLY worn!! Try the same thing in your kid’s closets! It’s surprising sometimes that, despite all of the options of clothing in our closets, we tend to default to a few pieces that we love, and the rest…is…well…wasting your space!
Think about your front hall closet!
Especially the shelves, what have you got on them? What are you storing there? Try to get rid of at least 5 things! It could be shoes, old vests or coats, excess hats and gloves, maybe it’s reusable shopping bags – go through those too; they don’t last forever! If you store any emergency equipment in your front hall closet check that it’s up to date and functional – I am thinking fire extinguishers, flashlights, even specialty hand or foot warmers.
What about a linen closet?
When was the last time you threw those ‘extra’ sheets or blankets through the wash to freshen them up. The last thing you want to do one day is pull them out because you need to put them on the bed and have them smell like they have been stored for years! What about extra towels? Freshen those up too. Toss or donate any excess linens that you really don’t need!
Got a storage or utility closet?
When was the last time the floor was cleared out enough to vacuum?? Check for old cleaning products, or old dusters, or mop sponges. Maybe consider replacing some of your old cleaning cloths or towels. You could also use the time to reconsider the organization of the space. Do you need new hooks? Or shelves? Or some new baskets might help you categorize your items.
I also have a gift closet
I use it for storing some stuff that I find on sale throughout the year. They make great last minute birthday gifts or hostess gifts! I use some time to sort through the items and take a bit of an inventory of what I have. It helps to have an updated list on my phone so that I know what I have as opportunities arise! I also use it to store my giftwrap and gift bags and I like to make sure everything is in giftable condition for when I am wrapping up the gifts.
Closets have a unique way of having things shoved into them! So they can easily become a source of clutter! Because closets often have doors, it’s an easy place to have all that clutter ‘out of site, out of mind’. BUT, it still adds to your mental clutter because you know what the state is of your stuff behind those closed doors. It’s why it’s important to sort through them every once in a while! It’s also a good reminder of what you do have, so that you can remember to actually use what you have!!
Have fun clutter hunting in your closets so that you can get those excess items out of your home!
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