Closet Clean-Out

As the seasons change and the temperatures drop, it’s a good time to clean out the closets.  For those of us who have little space it’s also a great time to get rid of unwanted, unused items.  There are always people in need of items you think are useless.  Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  Donate those unwanted items. Find a nearby Goodwill store or give to a local church. In the winter, some churches or local organizations do coat drives for needy families. This is a good way to make use of those winter garments that are still in good condition.

Rule of Thumb on Cleaning Closets

I use this rule when cleaning out…. If I haven’t worn it in the past year, then it needs to go. Of course, you may not keep lots of items that long anyway, but I’m frugal, so I do. If it still fits, I keep it. My style is ME. If I like it and it feels good, I wear it. Or maybe I’m just getting too old to care about style anymore.  Whatever you decide as your rule of discarding items is ok, it doesn’t have to be written in stone. The point is to keep things cleaned out and not let clutter build up.

Kids Stuff

When it comes to kid’s stuff, it depends on your situation. We always had hand-me-downs. I swear, my mom never bought me new clothes until I was a teenager. I wore my brothers clothes unless my grandmother made me something. I didn’t think it was so bad back then, but kids today would have a melt-down if they had to wear some of the ugly plaid pants and tube socks I wore. Oh my!! If you pass your kids clothes down from older children, use large plastic tubs and store them by size and season. Label them so that you can easily see what’s inside and you’ll know just what you’re looking at.  Go through them very well before donating. Discard any with stains or tears, or use these for rags. You don’t want to donate these.
Go through their toys and games too. Discard any broken toys or games with missing pieces.  If they no longer play with things, it’s time for those to go too.  Another tip for kids toys is rotating them out, especially after the holidays when they seemed to have too much to play with at one time.  This works really well. I’d just put several things up and swap them out after a few weeks. The kids loved it!

And That’s Not All

Use this as an opportunity to deliver other old and unwanted things also. I keep a box in my trunk almost all the time, ready to be taken to Goodwill. As I gather items from my home that I no longer use or want, I put them in the box. When the box is full, I deliver it while I’m in town. Having the box in my trunk keeps clutter from starting on the kitchen counter. You know what I’m talking about. Everyone has that one place where everything seems to get placed and before you know it there’s a mountain of junk piled up there. Yep, ours is the kitchen counter.  No matter where yours is, if you’re like me, it drives you nuts just looking at it.

How Often

I like to clean out my closets at the beginning of each season, however it doesn’t always happen. If I’m lucky, I’ll do it twice a year when I swap out summer and winter clothes. Even if you only do it once a year you’re sure to find things that you can sort out to keep things tidy. Happy Cleaning!