I’ve been participating in Project Simplify at Simple Mom for the past three weeks now to force encourage myself to reorganize and declutter some of the most cluttered spaces in our house. I took some time off from blogging to clean and declutter and I sort-of accomplished my goal. Things never go as smoothly as I want them too and we’ve still got some work but we’re making progress.


On to the photos. I worked on our entryway closet which was packed full of winter things strewn about. (How do these things happen?) Since it’s been unseasonably warm here this spring we were able to put away our snowpants and boots early. :)


Before:


After (Ah, much better!):

Each child’s jacket has a hook (well, Leah has two hooks, because a girl just needs more than one!)


Notice how we have almost nothing left in the closet anymore? The shoes went back in the shoe hanger, the kids’ shoes went back in the little green drawers and we got rid of a few overnight bags that we didn’t use anymore. Combined with putting away the winter stuff and it looks marvelous! (I still need to shake out the rug though).



Onto the master bedroom closet. Which really isn’t all that big, and I’m pretty sure the clothing spawned all on its own over the winter. (See the stuff falling out of the hanging “organizer”?) Before:

After:

Now, I must admit, I haven’t taken my spring and summer clothes out yet and the hamper was in the laundry room at the time, but isn’t it (sniff!) beautiful? And that pink plastic bag at the top of the closet in the before picture? That was my wedding veil. It has been in that bag for almost 8 years. It finally got a home of its own, a lovely cloth box I picked up at Target.


I have such a hard time parting with my clothes–I’ve got shirts from junior high that I still wear (I know!). So I decided that in order to simplify a little, I’m going to ask my mom to make me a t-shirt quilt with some of the school t-shirts I love but shouldn’t really be wearing anymore. We made one for my husband a few years ago and he loved it. 


So, My (Just Established) Guidelines for Getting Rid of Clothes.


–If I haven’t worn it in a year, I’m getting rid of it.
–If it’s older than sin five years, I’m getting rid of it (unless it’s a great piece of clothing I constantly wear).
–If the color looks bad on me, I’m letting it go. I’m reading Color Me Beautiful’s Looking Your Best to find my “right” colors!
–If it’s stretched out, it’s going. 
–If I have too many of them (think t-shirts again), it’s going.


I ended up with three bags of clothes to donate as well as a number of things I just had the pleasure of throwing away.

How do you decide what clothes to keep and which to get rid of?


Shared at: Project Simplify
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8 Comments on The Front Closet and the Master Closet Organized and my Rules for Getting Rid of Clothes

  1. Great post. I too love getting rid of the excess of clothes. I am definitely NOT a pack rat…hate clutter. But with so many children, it’s amazing how it piles up so quickly.

    Have a great weekend.
    Connie

  2. Jenn I really needed this today! It was like a prayer answered, I am about to start on my closets and also, I have a hard time giving away clothes that I ‘think’ I will wear, and I am going to just go on and give them away! This is so good!!!

  3. I also just got rid of a lot of clothes from highschool. I suddenly realized that I don’t look like a teen anymore…I just look like I’ve let my wardrobe go…which is pretty much true. As I add back some more mature clothing though, I am bummed to discover the quality of the fabric is much lower than it was 5 years ago (the last time I bought clothes). Even though I am shopping at “better” stores. I know this is the textile industry’s favorite method of keeping prices low, but I’d rather pay a bit more and have shirt that doesn’t start pilling in the first wash!

    • You are so right, the quality of clothes is not good these days. There are actually a few shirts I’m still hanging on to from several years ago because they’re thick and actually still fit nicely! Thanks for commenting!

  4. I did that last year, but my clothes could probably handle another purge this spring! My “rules” for cleaning out my clothes are pretty much the same as yours. I’m excited to really pare down how much clothes the kids will have in their closets, too. They’ll probably still have many pieces they don’t ever wear, but it won’t be as bad as it has been.

    • Oh, the kids clothes–that’s what I’ve been slowing weeding out all winter it seems like. Sometimes I don’t know what to save or not save depending on what size Jude will be–but we’ve given a lot of things to others who can use them, so that works too! Good for you for going through all your clothes!

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