Okay I’m being overdramatic when I say that, but I was doing Cirque du Soleil moves on a rickety chair that could have resulted in a broken arm. Thank goodness for short-term disability insurance.
Anyhow, when I decluttered my apartment over Labor Day, I knew that was small potatoes compared to the tornado, nightmare wreck, known as my closet.
Really, it’s a nightmare. Unorganized, clothes thrown all over the place and a wave of shoes coming out, making it impossible to find things. And to make it worse, it’s getting cool outside and I can’t find any of my long sleeve shirts or slightly warmer clothes to wear. This makes getting dressed for work a much longer process and causes me to yell in frustration when I can’t find anything appropriate to wear.
And because of a rainy, gloomy start to the weekend, I put on my Betty Draper apron and started working around my house. Cleaning the bathroom, dusting, picking up, organizing my apartment, etc. I’m quite proud of myself. But all of this just delayed the inevitable…the closet.
So here is the before picture.
(Embarrassing, I know. I’m a grown woman)
And after almost two hours and no falls (fortunately), here is what it looks like now.
(Not perfect, but MUCH better)
Also, yes, I do have an entire wall of closet space. Feel free to be jealous.
I can now find my long sleeve shirts and moved a lot of my business casual clothes to the top row of the closet because my company moved to a (tastefully) casual dress code, so I don’t need those as readily available. I organized shirts by short/long sleeve, cable knits, cardigans and jeans by “weekday” and “weekend, super dressed down” choices. Sadly though, I will need to beef up the winter wardrobe with more (tastefully) casual options. Shoot.
Plus, I have a HUGE pile for Goodwill and dry cleaning. Once that comes back, I’ll have to work those clothes in, but the hard part is over.
Actually, I lied, the hard part is keeping it this way.
Next up: the jewelry drawer (sweet lord help me again!)
Do you organize your closet? If so, how do you find things? I’m always in the need for new tips to find stuff in my closet, so share with me!
Also, how was everyone’s weekend?
Review blog update: MAC’s Volanic Ash Exfoliator, with a name like that, my skin should glow like the sun (and yes, there is a picture of me posing with it on my face. I’m so immature.
Oh, I am feeling your pain! I’ve filled a giant box of Goodwill clothes since the moving process started, and this weekend added another basketful as I sorted out the switch from summer to winter clothes. And it’s been crazy trying to downsize from a ton of closet space to this much smaller one I have now. I applaud you!
Wow!! My entire apartment currently looks like the before picture of your closet. I’m hoping to have a de-cluttering weekend and switch out the summer wardrobe for fall and winter. Chances are, though, that I’ll avoid it. ;-)
nice work :)
i wish i had a larger closet, mine is so small and i have no room! but it is always nice to go through everything and clean out so you can go shopping again!
I’m a cronic organizer so I actually like re-organizing my closet. The thing that I have the most trouble with is pants, to hang or not to hang.
I did that this weekend, too – and mine are like Nilsa’s in that they’re color coded, but also sorted from sleeveless to short sleeve to long sleeve, etc. I’m a dork.
I just got some new fall clothes. Looks like it’s time for me to jump on the closet cleaning band wagon because now I’m inspired!
I am SO JEALOUS of your closet!! (& your insane amount of clothes)
I really need to get on that. My closet is dying for some attention, but I’m just not ready for it!
your closet looks great! you just inspired me to get my butt in gear to do a closet makeover for the winter
I really need to deal with my closet in a bad way. Of course, it’s harder when you have to share your closet with your Ted!
When I had my house in Arkansas I had two closets and they were both huge. I had everything organized. Now that I have a tiny closet and no storage space my room seems to always have clothes everywhere. I just don’t have enough space! It also takes me a lot longer to dress because I can never find what I’m looking for!
My closet isn’t really “organized” but then again I don’t keep everything in there, I also have clothing in boxes under my bed…organized by t-shirts and sweaters.
That is quite the improvement! A lot of my clothes are still in boxes yet to be unpacked from our move to California. I should get rid of this stuff that I obviously never wear, but instead I just keep moving it from place to place.
Heh. My closet is organized, but only because I own very few clothes (well, in the grand scheme of things … in America). Basically, anything that would wrinkle a lot in a dresser drawer is hung on hangers and organized by color and article. And also by length. Keeps it pretty simple for me. But again, I think I’m dealing with less than many women.
I’m one of the rare few who LOVES organizing my closests and drawers.
good job, looks really good!
man i am impressed, nicely done. and i wish i had that much closet space!
I’ve never really been one to swap out wardrobes. All my stuff is in the closet at all times. I also have a dresser with six drawers for clothes, too. However, since we moved we now have a smaller closet that I share with my husband. So most of my sweaters are in a tub under the bed. Shoes are in those over-the-door organizers and in boxes under the bed in the guest room. I have a lot of shoes.
I need to clean my room. But this weekend I made homemade pizza from scratch, even making the dough, so I gotta say it was worth it. So so yummy!
Wow nice job! Maybe Ill use you as my inspiration for the day, because i my closet has the flu and has been throwing up all over my room!
It does look better! I still have the urge to refold all of your t-shirts though!
My closet is about the only thing in my home that isn’t cluttered. I like standing in front of it knowing I like and fit in everything.
I spy the ivory and grey Gap bubble dress! High fives for good taste in free clothes! :)
I’m a HUGE dork.
I organize my clothes into spring & summer/fall & winter and then BY COLOR. Speaking of, I need to go back through and re-do this as it’s a tad messy these days. And I need to fix up my shoe area as it’s a disaster. Project for this week, perhaps!?
ha i can totally relate…i spent a large portion of my saturday cleaning out ALL of the closets in our house. what started out as a mission to swap the summer/winter clothes turned into a much larger task. however, i’m feeling good and clean and organized now…can’t beat that feeling :)
My entire room is a disaster area. I wish I was even being slightly over dramatic. I can’t find shoes and more of my winter clothes that I know are somewhere in my closet. Its going to take several beers to tackle the job.
Great job on the organization! I’m so awful in terms of that. Mine will start by looking like your finished version and then it progresses to something looking like your pre-organization fest. And I only have about a quarter of my clothes here since I don’t have a ton of storage space up at school.
Sadly, I have to admit that I color code stuff in my closet. Makes it much easier to put an outfit together (as if I’m stylin’ or something – now that’s funny!).
Looks good..I cleaned my closet out a few weeks ago and it was a nightmare, I feel much better that it’s nice and organized now.
Oh gosh, I am horrible when it comes to my wardrobe. I keep re-organising it, but it keeps falling apart on me.
I try to organise it by having work clothes on one side and casual on the other, with ones that will work for both in the middle. Then I organise by colour – dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, shirts in that order. Shorts and tshirts ect are in drawers.
My problem is, I cant bear to get rid of anything!! So there is inevitably not any where near enough space for everything in there. Plus I have a crate (yes…) full of belts, hats and scarves, as well as trying to fit my million pairs of shoes in there…
Its great when I reorganise it, but it falls apart so easily. There is just too much stuff!!
Maybe I should start getting rid of some stuff….yeah, no chance.
I think even the laziest slackers in the world will cry seeing the state of my closet..soooo horrible! I need to kick myself in the butt and start cleaning and decluttering but even I’m frustated. One side of the closet at a time maybe?
Ps. I like your clothes!
I’m getting ready to move so I had to downsize and organize my closet this weekend too! I got rid of a laundry basket full of clothes I don’t wear/need.
Wow, you have a lot of clothes! Haha. When we moved from Vermont, I got rid of SEVEN BIG BLACK TRASHBAGS of clothing. I KNOW. And now we have a large walk-in closet, so basically all my clothing is hung and it’s fantastic.
zomg. I would LOVE a wall of closet space. unfortunately…I have a wall. That’s shared. With someone who doesn’t know how to share >:|(says the girl who gets a rack, three shelves and a shoe wheel that takes up half of her husband’s rack…maybe i have the sharing problem)
oh you should see my shoes in my closet. I organize and then it gets out of hand again.
I try to keep mine relatively organized all the time in the following way: short-sleeves, long sleeves, cardigans/hoodies, sleeveless (all in order by color), and then dresses and skirts/pants all together. Jeans and sweaters get stacked on the top shelf (and I also keep sweaters in one of those hanging shelf things that you can also use for shoes).
Hope that gives you some good ideas!
Great work! I have my closet organized by “genre”–shirts broken down by sleeveless, short sleeve, then long sleeve, dresses by season, and then within those sections they’re arranged by color. Makes finding clothes a snap :)
Good work! Glad you got it done. Whenever I de-clutter I organize by length of sleeves from tanks to sweaters because I’m crazy like that. And yes, I’m very jealous of all the space you have!
Good for you! Want to come work on my closet? And house?
I decluttered in the spring, when I thought I would be moving to Tennessee, and things have gotten messy, especially since I moved almost two months ago to a TINY apartment with NO closet space. It’s been interesting.
Maybe I’ll do some fall cleaning tomorrow and Tuesday. Hmm…
i wish my work let us wear tastfully casual clothes. before i started it was full business then they dropped to business casual…
can i come work for you? perdy perdy please?!
i hate to say i never let anything get cluttered. i’m a freak that way.
My closet MAJORLY needs a declutter too. I have so many things in there that I just need to get rid of– I’ll never wear them again.
well look at you!! :) very nice work – admirable indeed. ps – love the pic of you with the face stuff on. very gritty.