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Organizing the Master Closet: Purging – Part 1 of 2

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Organizing the Master ClosetIn getting ready for summer, we are switching over from the long-sleeved winter outfits to the short or sleeveless outfits for summer.

Purging our closets of out-grown or unused items saves us time in picking outfits for the day.

With all the clothes weather-appropriate and the correct size, we can make a choice, dress, and set off for our day.

In purging my closet, I have chosen the following criteria to determine whether or not to keep items:

Have I worn it in the past year?

If not and I do not have a plan for the item, then I let it go. If the outfit is for a special occasion, then I keep it away from my regular everyday clothing.

Do I like the item?

If I do not care for the item, then I let it go. No sense in passing over that item every time I am looking for something to wear. If I only wore it because it was the only item that matched another item, then I begin looking at sales for a fitting replacement that I want to wear.

Does the item fit?

If the item is too big, too tight, too short, etc., then I donate it. By keeping it in the closet, I am reminded each time I wear the item of why I do not care for it. To prevent wasting time fixing a loose strap, readjusting, uncomfortable, or miserable, I get rid of the item.

After going through my entire closet answering these questions honestly, I am left with a workable wardrobe. I place the donation items into bags and put them in the van for the next trip by the donation center.

As I was organizing the master closet, I purged two piles of clothing to pass along to others. The next step I took in organizing my master closet was straightening.

Beware, I am very particular about the order and the sections of my closet. I will share my extreme organization next week, but you have been warned. 😉  Happy organizing!

Question: How do you determine what to keep and what to donate?

Organization: Coat Closet

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Were you able to get that bookshelf organized? I hope you were able to follow those 10 steps and complete your project. Having a finished task brings me great joy since I can find what I need without clutter. When I cannot quickly get to my items, I waste energy and time. Digging through a mound of games in our coat closet to locate one game costs me valuable time.

Our downstairs coat closet had quite a bit of empty space. To maximize that space, my brother-in-law kindly installed white wire shelves. I love having shelves to hold our family games that we play often. The games with little pieces can be stored on top shelves out of little one’s reach. I can also easily get to a game in a stack of 5 games without disrupting an entire stack of boxes. When my children request a game, I can usually go to the closet, locate the game, and get it out. The problem comes when my children and/or husband help put the games away. After the games have been repeatedly pulled out and put back, the closet mysteriously became disheveled.

After wasting time searching for a requested game, I decided to use my time wisely and organize the coat closet. Here is a before picture showing the lovely mess in the coat closet.

BEFORE:

Disorganized Coat Closet

To organize the contents, I did the following:

  1. Took out all the games.
  2. Sorted them into piles: large, medium, and small.
  3. Placed the random game pieces found on the floor with the appropriate game. If I could not locate the game, then I put the extra pieces in a container. As I found those games, I took the extra pieces from the container and placed them in the game box. Then I placed the game in the small, medium, or large pile.
  4. Designated a home for each game. The larger games were placed on the floor whereas the smaller games were placed on the shelves.
  5. Put games in designated places. When all the games were put back into the closet, I had plenty space. The result was a clean, organized coat closet.

AFTER:

Organized Coat Closet

Entire closet neat and organized

As I open this closet door and see the neat shelves, I can easily scan the shelves and locate the game I want. Keeping this closet organized is helping me save money (refraining from purchasing a game we already own), energy (retrieving the game needed without moving items out of the way), and time (getting in and out of the closet quickly). Spending my current time organizing helps me spend my future time wisely. Though you may have organized that closet in the past, keeping it organized requires maintenance. Enjoy the process and happy organizing!

The Multi-Functional Laundry Basket

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Staying organized does not require purchasing special containers or tools to get the job done. Using a cardboard box or a laundry basket can help you accomplish your goal. I prefer the sturdy option of a laundry basket to a cardboard box that can be ripped, bent, and crushed. Besides the holder of our clothes, our laundry baskets have been used in the following ways:

TO ORGANIZE:

Hold items that need to be placed in another room. When I clean or pickup a room, I stay in that spot until the task is completed. If I find items that do not belong in that room, I put those objects into my laundry basket. I then transport my basket to other rooms to deposit the items in their designated spots.

Transport items from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa. During the Christmas season, I use the laundry basket to transport wrapped gifts from my upstairs’ bedroom to the downstairs’ living room. If I had to carry all the gifts down, I would need 3-4 trips for one laundry basket load.

Safeguard sorted items. Using laundry baskets to sort papers, toys, books, videos, etc. can save you time. If you get interrupted, you can pick up the basket and put it on a table, counter, bed, or dryer. Then little ones or other helpers can be deterred from assisting with your project or checking out the contents of the basket.

 

Riding in the laundry basket

TO PLAY:

Train a child to walk. Our children have used the laundry basket loaded with books to assist them in walking. The toys with wheels moved too quickly for them, but the heavy laundry basket was slower and easier to move when working on balance.

Create a great hiding place. Our kids enjoy playing Hide-and-Seek. At this time, all of our children are small enough to hide under the laundry basket at least once during the game. My oldest daughter could hide there each time. She loves curling up and watching through the holes.

Become a type of transportation. Getting pushed in the laundry basket or pushing another sibling in the laundry basket is a great form of entertainment. With a long hallway downstairs and some extra energy from Dad and Mom, the kids can get a great, fast ride. In the picture to the right, my son is pushing my youngest daughter down our hallway. The pillow behind her back helps to keep her upright and comfortable during the ride.

A crib for the baby dolls. Our little toy pack-n-play is too small to hold all the baby dolls in our house. Since all the dolls need to sleep at the same time, the laundry basket is deemed appropriate to accommodate them.

My multi-functional laundry baskets are part of our family. Those baskets hold clothes, gifts, toys, people, paper, and lots of other objects. Have you found your laundry basket to be multi-functional? If so, please comment on what other uses you have for your laundry baskets.

Container Organization

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Using small spaces to keep similar items together helps me to stay organized. The types of containers vary from shoe boxes to fabric cubes. I try to reuse items like wipe containers, baby jars, cardboard shipping boxes, the clear lids on a stack of new CDs or DVDs, peanut cans and jars, spaghetti jars, baskets, tissue boxes, popcorn tins, and decorative bags.  Creativity is the limit on the type of container used. Before tossing unused items, I make sure I don’t have another way to use the item before throwing it away. Here are three areas of my house that I have organized using containers:

Linen closet. In my plastic containers, I house light bulbs, candles, extension cords, and all the cords for my holiday village decorations. Having containers for similar items helps retrieving those things very easy. I do not have to waste time sorting and digging through a pile of items.

Container Organization: Linen Closet

Children’s bedroom. Though most of the toys reside in either our bonus room or living room, I do allow my kids to have a few toys in their bedrooms. I keep 4 fabric cubes on a bookshelf (that is on its side) in my older children’s bedroom. Each cube holds a different item: books, group toys, son’s toys, and daughter’s toys. If they have a special toy that they would like to keep separate, then they may place that item in their special cube. Having a designated space for their room items helps my children keep their room clean.

Container Organization: Bedroom

Bookshelf. With many scrapbooking items to keep organized for the day I am able to once again preserve my memories, I use numerous boxes and containers to keep these items protected. As you can see from the photograph, I have lots of photo storage boxes. I plan to organize my pictures, and I will take you with me when I tackle that project. In the meantime, I am staying organized with my boxes and albums.

Container Organization: Bookshelf

These are some of my solutions to keeping similar items together to save me money, energy, and time. By using what I have on-hand, I do not need to spend money on additional containers. Although I do spend money on containers when they are on sale and will be used for a specific project. I then save energy since I don’t need to dig through and unload a box of items. Having the containers stackable and interchangeable helps me to save time. I can withdraw a container without the entire pile falling and making a mess. Having small manageable spaces keeps me organized, and this system works for desks, car consoles, kitchen utensils, tools, etc. The sky is the limit.

Do you use containers to organize? If not, try it. See if you find value in grouping similar items. If you use containers, please share in the comments what you organize in your containers, and how this system helps you to use your time wisely.

Event Planning 101

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Did someone say party? I love attending a well-organized event where structure and order are balanced with spontaneity and free time.  When I was in high school, I remember attending a rehearsal dinner that was so structured that I felt like I needed to ask permission to sit down. The event was very organized but lacked free time.

On the other hand, I attended a friend’s birthday party that was entirely spontaneous. The food was out, gifts scattered around, and attendees milling about visiting with each other. The hostess enjoyed socializing and failed to execute any order to the event’s schedule. About half an hour into the party, I was ready to go, but the food had not been eaten nor gifts opened by the recipient. This party was extremely spontaneous but lacked structure.

Having attended and planned a number of gatherings, I will share on Tuesdays how I attempt to implement structure and fun into a well-organized event. Stay tuned for next week’s topic: Hosting a dinner party.