Confessions of an Organizer: Closet Clean Out - The Final Results

This is the last post about my epic closet clean out.  

I don't post any before and after pictures on my website because I think they are unrealistic.  Anyone can get an area cleaned out for a period of time, but the most important thing about organizing any area is not to make it clean but to make it organized and functional.  If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times - we don't live in magazines.  We live in houses where real people live, doing real life, so organize your closets, your home, and your life accordingly. 

With all that being said, I am posting my before and after of my closet clean out because I actually cleaned it out and organized it in a way that makes sense for me. 

BEFORE

AFTER

I have never been a person that wanted or needed matching hangers.  For some reason, I was ready to have my hangers look more cohesive.  I did not change them all but I changed most of my pants, dresses, jackets and coats.  The blouses and skirts are still on basic hangers with a few nice plastic hangers mixed in - not the hard plastic, white hangers, but the hangers that are found in department store hangers.  

I will say I don't love the hangers that have the "velvet" feel to them because I am one that will quickly pull something off a hanger and the "velvet" hangers won't allow for that.  

All the "stuff" is off the top of the closet shelf.  I realized it had just become a dumping ground because it was available, out of the way space.  

When you/I have an area that is a dumping ground it is usually because you/I don't want to make a decision about something so you just put it aside to deal with later and later never comes. 

I actually did the whole closet clean out about 1 month ago and it still looks just like this.  There may be one piece of clothing on the floor today, but that is it.  

When you have things organized in a way that makes sense to you and you have less to deal with, it makes it easier to maintain your space.  

There you have it.  My closet clean out.  

What questions do you have? 

What is keeping you from doing your closet clean out? 

I would love to hear how it is going and what problems or successes you are having! 

Did you miss the beginning of this process?  Here are the links to blogs showing how this whole thing transpired! 

Confessions of an Organizer - Closet Clean Out

Confessions of an Organizer - Closet Clean Out - The Process

Confessions of An Organizer - Closet Clean Out

Ok.  I am about to open up myself to you, just like many of you do with me.  

I am going to show you my closet.....in a minute.  

I hope my closet says several things about me when you look at it:

1.  I am not a perfectionist, even though I am an organizer.
2.  I live in real life, like all of you, and my closet can become a mess, just like yours.
3.  I had to schedule time, just like you, to attack the closet clutter.
4.  I know I have too many shoes :) 
5.  I have several things in my closet that do not belong there.
6.  My husband and I share a closet, so not everything in here is mine. 
7.  I want my closet to be neat and functional, but it does NOT have to look like a magazine. 

What I found in my closet:

1.  Clothes that are adorable, but have passed their time with me.
2.  Clothes I paid good money for that I don't like anymore.
3.  Shoes needing to go in the trash or donate
4.  Clothes, good for one occasion, I will NEVER wear again
5.  Tags - why can't I just go throw the tag in the trash when I tear it off? (note to self - put a small trash can in your closet - pronto)
6.  Thread - I had a whole Ziploc baggie of thread.......I don't sew!
7.  Dust.  Yep, dust on the runners of the drawers, behind the drawers and on the baseboards behind the clothes.
8.  Memories - some good, some not so good.
9.  Hangers.  I hate hangers.  They become a tangled up mess!
10.A dowel rod with a magnet.  Yeah, not sure, but I am sure it had something to do with my two boys!

Things I was reminded of or learned in my closet:

1.  I like a lot of my clothes.
2.  I have aged out of many of my clothes.
3.  I had a lot more to get rid of than I thought.  I thought I de-cluttered my clothes pretty regularly, but apparently I was not ruthless enough.
4.  I didn't have to think really hard about getting rid of most things.  I had a gut feeling about an item and if I really stopped and paid attention to my gut, I knew what I wanted to do with it. 
5.  When I was putting the clothes back in the closet, I was able to get rid of a few more things.
6.  When I was organizing the clothes to take to donate, I took two things out of the donate pile and put back in my closet.....2 out of about 100 is not so bad.   
7.  I had too many dadgum socks.
8.  I make a BIG mess when I organize - nothing new, but I think it threw my husband for a loop. 
9.  I loved getting rid of stuff that no longer served me.
10.I am thankful to have a closet, clothes and shoes to wear and the ability and time to get it cleared out.  

Through the next several blog posts, I am going to walk you through the process I went through to de-clutter and organize my closet.  Please comment below, if you have any questions......I would love to hear how it is going for you. 

So here is the beginning picture of my closet - 

Here is a link to my Closet Clean Out Process and my Closet Clean Out Final Results

Confessions of an Organizer - Closet Clean Out - The Process

In my first Closet Clean Out Blog Post 

I showed you what my closet looked like prior to the clean out.
If you missed the first blog post, click on this link to see how all this began!  

In this blog post, I am going to show you what it looked like as I was organizing and talk (well, write) about the process I went through as I was doing the clean out.

Beware - it's not pretty!  

These are scuff marks on the walls in my closet.  

Who knows how they got there, but after 20 years, they just happen. 

In my first blog post, I talked about all the thread and sewing stuff I had.  

Here it is. Where in the world did all the pink thread come from?  

I pulled out all the drawers and drawer units from the closet.

By taking the drawers out of the closet, I could spread out and could clean the 

baseboards behind the units. (I will not show you a picture of the dust....ugh)

Stacks - short sleeve, long sleeve, workout shirts and workout pants.

I divided everything into categories, then went through each category and purged. 

It is much easier to make decisions when you have gathered all of one

category together to see what you really have.

Hangers - everywhere! 

See all the t-shirts in this picture? These are t-shirts that belong to my boys that

I am saving for a future project for them.  

I'm pretty sure they don't read this blog so I don't have to worry 

about ruining their surprise :) 

I had these t-shirts in bags on my closet floor and they were taking up 

valuable closet real estate. 

Did I mention there were a lot of hangers? 

My pile of give-away clothes.  

At least, 100 pieces of clothing that someone else can use!

I looked at each piece and realized many of them look cute

but don't look cute on me - t-shirts that are too short, jeans I no longer 

like the style, shirts in good shape, still cute, but don't fit, clothing I 

keep passing by day after day and never putting on to wear.

 I then went through my hanging clothes to make decisions about each piece. 

I really wanted to make sure if a piece of clothing made the cut 

that I was actually going to wear it and feel good in it.

                                               

 I could have kept this gem for sentimental reasons, but decided that 

season of my life has passed so it is time to let it go. 

 #VelourChristmasPajamas #instyleyearsago

This jacket may not look like much, but I paid a pretty penny for it, a long time ago.   

Divide the cost of the jacket by the number of years owned - the decision is then easy

to get rid of it.  This does not represent who I am or what I wear anymore! 

Remember - people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. 

The same can be said about the "stuff" that comes into your life. 

Don't hold onto anything that was only supposed to be in your life for a reason or a season. 

There are usually very few things you need for a lifetime. 

There you have it.  My process for de-cluttering my closet. 

Was it tiring? Yes

Was it overwhelming? Yes

Was it manageable? Yes

Was it easy? Parts of it

Were the decisions about what to get rid of easy?  Most of them

Was it worth it? YES

In my next Closet Clean Out blog post, I will reveal the finished product so stay tuned! 

The final blog post has been published - here it is:

Confessions of an Organizer: Closet Clean Out Final Results