Closet Cleaning Ideas

Let's take a journey through what an image of havoc, mayhem, and disarray my closet has looked like recently.

Ever seen the streets of Times Square in New York after New Years Eve? Imagine bottles, trash, and debris from tens of thousands of people having a massive party in the streets, trampling over garbage and each other, and no one cleaning anything up. Then imagine a small tornado came through and mixed up all of that chaos a little more, spreading it around so the asphalt underneath is [BREAK] scarcely viewable by the naked eye. That's about what the floor of my bedroom closet looked like with clothes (both clean and dirty), hangers, and who knows what else strewn about.

Above the chaotic floor, many of my clothes hung on for dear life from the closet's rod in an almost viney-treelike Rain Forest fashion, twisting in and out of one another. There were single socks everywhere. In the mix of the floor mess, hanging up, draped over boxes on the top shelf. Oh, the top shelf! The top shelf was a disastrous mix of stacked unmarked boxes who's contents were completely unknown to me.

Does my closet sound vaguely familiar? Let me tell you how I took care of it and hopefully it will help you do the same.

Dump the Junk Overboard - Hit the top shelf first and work your way down. Boxes of old junk just take up usable space. Go through the junk. Have a parting ceremony if you have to, but trash all of those little mementos that you're hanging onto for sentimental value. It's a huge relief once you get past the initial, "I can't do it," and dump that stuff. If there is something that you absolutely can't live without, a better spot for them would be the attic, or in some long tupperware containers using the area under the bed or couch for storage.

Thin that Bad Boy Out- That old school Price is Right t-shirt with pit stains is doing you no good just hanging there. You'll still be able to reminisce about your teen years and wearing that shirt even after you dump it. Go through your clothes, pick out the stuff you are never going to wear again and chunk it. You'll suddenly realize how much extra space you have as well as how many more coat hangers become available. If you don't dump the junk now, when you eventually move in with your significant other...they'll make you do it!

A good general rule when choosing clothes to throw out: If you wouldn't want your boss to see you in or appear on the front cover of the newspaper in that outfit...get rid of it!

Make That Top Shelf Usable- Now that the top shelf is cleared off, get a couple of Tupperwear bins to throw up there for useful day to day storage. Pick up all of the stray socks and pair them up. Throw these and all of your other socks into a "sock bin" on the top shelf. Do the same with your undies. I keep all of my caps and shoes on the top shelf as well, so they aren't trip-able objects throughout the apartment. The important thing to remember is to use that upper space to help keep things off of your floors. You could even use an area up there to stack your folded jeans or shorts.

Work Your Way Down- Now that the junk is gone, organize your changing clothes in whatever way you see fit. Whether that is outfit type, color, texture, or whatever you choose, this is a great way to help keep you organized. Plus, you'll even find more stuff to donate and make more room with this step.

Time For the Floor- Last, but certainly not least, take care of the floor. Buy two dirty clothes bins; One for lights and one for darks. Place them underneath your hanging clothes. Pick up all the dirty clothes from the floor and around the apartment and put them in their bins. Now you'll want to place your dirty clothes actually in these bins as you take them off. Contrary to popular belief, they will not magically walk from the floor to the bin. Pick up and throw away any dry cleaning bags, candy wrappers, receipts, and other trash you find on the floor and throw them in the trash. Pick up the spare change you find too. (I found $3.57 at the bottom of my closet.) Importantly, make it where your closet floor is vacuum-able and hit it with the vacuum.

Keep Things Organized- Now your closet should be in much better shape. The key to keeping this a successful mission is to make sure that you stay organized with it. Tupperwear bins, rolling shelves, and even wire bathroom organizers all serve as wonderful tools to keep in the closet to have a place to keep your clothes. Put a small trash bin in there so you can properly dispose of trash as you pull it out of your pocket. I have a friend who even placed their dresser in their closet underneath the hanging clothes to free up space in the bedroom. Take note of how good it feels to have an organized space and be sure to make an effort to keep things organized

Wow! Things are looking so much better, aren't they? I know they are for me. I hope these tips help you make a castle out of your closet and save you the embarrassment of a messy messy apartment.

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