 What's In Your Closet?
Closets full? Dreading cleaning out
your CLOSETS? Not sure where to begin, what to keep, or what to get rid
of? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
START BY TRIMMING DOWN
If
your closet is overstuffed, first you must PURGE. You probably have too
many clothes...period. So decide which clothes a) still fit you, b) are
in style, and c) are in season. Ask yourself when you wore/used it
last, when will you wear/use it again and who could use this if you
gave it away? Discard things that have no further use.
DONATE OR RECYCLE
Find
a charity you are comfortable with and start donating your excess
clothes, shoes, hats, etc. If you find items that are suitable to give
to a friend, or take to a consignment store -- great! Do not save
clothes that you have had for years that don't fit. When you lose the
weight, you deserve new clothes. Remember, many people NEED (not just
want) your discards.)
STORING WHAT'S LEFT
Keep
your "keeper" items are then placed where they can be SEEN and used. In
the closet you dress from daily, separate the pants, skirts, shirts,
blouses, etc. This will make it easier to get dressed without
frustration.
PROTECTING VALUABLE ITEMS
Do
not store furs, suede or leather in PLASTIC. These items need to "breathe" and should be placed in cloth coverings or cloth zippered
clothing bags.
SHOES
Do not store shoes in plastic shoeboxes. VENTILATION is key here. Use the box they came in or buy cardboard boxes.
HANGERS
Use
plastic hangers for blouses, shirts, jackets, etc. WIRE hangers are not
nice to the shoulders of clothes and allow too many clothes to be
crammed into a smaller space. They are "wrinkle magnets". Use clip
hangers for pants, skirts, shorts, etc. They take up less space in the
closet and eliminate the crease in the pant legs. I don't recommend
hangers that hold several articles of clothing. It allows too many
clothes to be packed into a smaller place causing WRINKLES. Again, not
a good thing!
ACCESSORIES
Hatboxes,
of various sizes, can be used to store out of season purses or shoes
and can also serve as decorative items in the bedroom or on a closet
shelf. Belt and tie RACKS are good. Just keep them simple and easily
accessible.
ARCHIVE STORAGE
Special
occasion wear (fancy dresses, jackets, tuxedos, etc) should be stored
away from your ACTIVE closet. Storing seasonal clothing in another
closet or in containers on a shelf, will give you more active closet
space and make it easier to find what you need... with less clothing
wrinkles and much less stress.
MAINTENANCE
Once
your closet is looking good, you will need a maintenance plan. It won't
stay that way without your continuing ATTENTION. Buy new clothing, etc.
on a replacement basis only. Don't buy it just because it is on sale,
if you don't NEED it. Ask yourself, "Would I have paid full price for
this?" Then, if you really want/need the item, One item in... one item out!
PREVENTING FUTURE CLUTTERPurge
regularly and get rid of the articles you don't wear. Doing it when the
seasons CHANGE is easy to remember. Get rid of the items you find you
have not been wearing. Remember someone else can use your discards.
Knowing it is going to a good cause helps in purging. If you have
trouble deciding what to keep, ask a friend to help you decide. This
should be a friend who is up to date on fashions and will not allow you
to keep something that is out of style just because you paid a lot of
money for it! Now go see what's lurking in your closets! Content provided by OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of
organizing solutions!" Visit www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing
products, free tips, a speakers bureau, get a referral for a
Professional Organizer near you, or get some help starting and running
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