I’m always reading books on how to clean and de-clutter your home, as well as household organization tips using Feng Shui. Now I’m starting my get rid of the clutter project over, more thoroughly this time, and step one is clean out your closet clutter.
My closet contains a lot of clutter, and really it should probably just have my clothes. My apartment is small, so a lot of other stuff besides my clothes and shoes have found their way into my own private closet, such as luggage, photo albums, and a box of little man’s toys. I have two problems now- how to inspire myself to declutter what should be gone, and where to put the stuff I need to keep.
It’s very hard to declutter clothes I bought in the hopes of wearing somewhere I still haven’t been. I have a beautiful sequined corset top that I bought to wear for a glamorous New Year’s party, but hubby ended up working and I never wore it. Now, years later, it still sits there, not really appropriate for any other occasion, but still beautiful and unworn.
How To Declutter
1. If you haven’t used or worn it in a year, toss it.
2. If it’s not beautiful or useful to you, give it away.
3. If you have more than one of something, keep the newest/best and get rid of the rest.
4. If it has a bad aura attached to it (a bad memory, guilt, etc) remove it from your home.
5. It’s better to have too little than too much, and don’t keep any “just in case” items, especially if you can borrow it the one time in 50 years you’ll need it.
Once I finally whittle my closet down to the best and prettiest and most happy-making clothing items, I need to, figure out what to do with the rest of the stuff. I have one small hall closet where coats, art supplies, hubby’s uniforms, and our cleaning supplies are. Then there is the linen closet filled with towels, bed sheets, hair products, toiletries, electronic gadgets we no longer use much, extra make-up, more cleaning supplies, and the laundry bins.
That’s it. We have no other closets. We have an attic that terrifies me, so I won’t go up there. I’ve been asking my parents to take a lot of our extra stuff. Seriously, I need to study these organization tips and organize my life and house even more.
Cleaning and decluttering are fun, and you can’t just keep shuffling clutter around (there is no way to organize clutter, you have to get rid of it). Now that I’m on my cleaning kick, I plan to get rid of lots and lots of stuff. I found Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home which I’m excited about checking out this week.
My husband and I clean and declutter every few months. I am always amazed at how much stuff I can sell or giveaway. Our goal is to purge our lives of everything that we don't really need! Good luck with your cleaning adventure!
I've been trying to sell stuff too…my clutter is another person's treasure (hopefully)
I agree with all of the "rules" in the feng shui book except one! As a professional organizer I've found that the "two year rule" is better than the "one year rule". If you haven't worn an item in two years, it's safe to say you probably won't be wearing it. I, however, think you are correct in keeping your New Year's dress! You can still wear it!!
I craigslist a lot of my daughter's old toys and other household items. I realized recently that I'm a closet hoarder and guilty of stockpiling lots of random stuff. I'm trying out a "5 minutes a day" cleaning spree and it seems to be working.
I am so sorry you couldn’t wear your top on this New York party but think about the things you can buy when you make some space in your wardrobe. Regards from me.