Cleaning Out Your Clothes Closet

Tired of trying to find that certain shirt, but you can't find it because your clothes closet is so full of clothes and other stuff? Holding on to clothes that no longer fit or that are hopelessly out of date can be frustrating. What you have to show for it is a closet full of clothing and nothing to wear. It must be time to get that closet cleaned out and organized.

Cleaning out the closet doesn't have to be a huge project. It also doesn't have to be overwhelming. This is one cleaning project that you can fit into different days. Think about how much time that you can devote to cleaning the closet today. Set a time limit for the day.

Before you start on your clothes closet make sure the room that the closet is located in is clean. You really do not want to add more clutter to existing clutter.

Not sure where to start? As you open the door ask yourself one simple question: What is the most annoying thing about my closet? Is it the shoes that you can't find or that there just no more room to hang up that last shirt? This will help you to focus on one area at a time, whether it is the floor, the shelves, or just the hanging clothes. Take all the items out of the area that you are focusing on and sort them into four boxes with the following categories: keep, throw away, out of place, and give away.

There are a couple of simple rules to follow when sorting the items in your closet. Does the item go with at least three different items? Does it fit? Is it in style? Has the item been used or worn within the past year? If the answer is no to any of these questions, then the item must go into one of the boxes that has been marked throw away, out of place, or give away.

After you have sorted out the items take the time to clean the space that you just cleared. If it was shelves this is the time to take some cleaner and wash down the space. The cleaner doesn't have to be anything expensive, just some nice soap and water will work. Vacuum or sweep and mop the floor. Make sure the space is clean before putting anything back into the closet.

Just remember nothing goes back into the closet if the purpose has worn out. Now is the time to purge that closet of unused items. Before you know it, your closet won't be the headache it used to be.