I am hoping the new year finds you well and getting organized! I recently tackled our coat closet. Sadly it's the place where we put all things that are in limbo. Think too small winter gear; jackets; shoes; boots; the dreaded backpack graveyard {come on... we all have one or are your kids not like mine and use the same one year after year}... it was awful! All of that on top of the items that really need to be in there. Each time I opened the doors it caused my anxiety to soar. 😩
Ready to tackle yours - it's simple:
Pull EVERYTHING out
Go through each & every item and only put back those items that will be used
Coats| hang in groups according to family members so they are easy to find when in a hurry
Shoes/Boots| toss or donate all those that are outgrown or worn. Neatly organize those that remain.
Backpacks/Totes| organize all bags/totes in a bin so they aren't floating around everywhere. {I went through all of ours and finally let go of all the backpacks from preschool and elementary days 😢}
Winter Gear| can also be kept in a bin when out of season. {Our bin was FULL of hats & gloves from years past, as well as five or six pairs of snow pants that the kids had outgrown. Thankfully we have plenty of friends who love those items when we are ready to pass them on! All other hats/mittens/scarves are kept in a drawer in a dresser by our back door. We went through all of them as well. Tossed those orphaned mittens and overly loved items, then neatly organized what was left behind. {Wondering how to organize your entry? You can get the details here}
Did I mention we tossed 4 bags of "stuff", have 2 bags to donate and 2 bags off to family friends to use?!? I think our back closet lost about 50 pounds 😂 {and I think it whispered to me that I don't need another piece of outerwear just as my Mother-in-law came in with a new winter jacket that she "couldn't pass up" because it was originally $65 marked down to $12. But really... I am trying to buy LESS and PURGE more this year.}
Now... you're probably wondering how to escape the mess in the future? The key is maintenance and frequent purging {whether by tossing worn items or donating gently used items}. It's beneficial to do a quick overhaul each season. We keep a basket in the bottom of the closet for donation items, when it starts overflowing we bag it up & move them on.
Happy Coat Closet Cleansing! Need help or have questions? Contact Danica at orderlybydanica@gmail.com