Closet Clean Out: Let’s do this!!!!

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Does it mean your old if you love January?  I’m not sure if you guys like January, but I LOVE it because it means “Operation Organize” for my ENTIRE house. 

Yep, you heard that right: my.entire.house!  I’ve been doing this loosely for years but a few years ago I got super organized with my plan of attack.  I list every room in my house and outside of my house.  I’ve even added my emails (trying www.unroll.me this year) and the photos on my phone.  Click to see my list.

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I may be going overboard with getting SO detailed on every space and honestly driving myself crazy trying to get it all done in January.  I’m not going to lie, I have to “manage myself” as I am majorly OCD about these things.  For those that know me, I know you are not shocked.  I will most likely have to readjust my deadline, but that’s okay.  Progress, not perfection.

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If you are in clean out mode like myself, I wanted to offer you a few tips that I personally live by and share with my clients as I clean out their closets:

 

·      WHAT TO GET RID OF? Is the item current or in good condition?  That doesn’t mean it has to be trendy.  Classic items can stay in your closet as long as they are in good shape.

·      DOES IT NEED TO BE MENDED OR CLEANED? Keep an eye out for shirts with pit stains, sweaters that pill, holes in your clothes, buttons that need to be replaced.  The idea is that you don’t leave your house in a piece that looks rough.  Make a pile of items that need to be mended, dry cleaned or sent to the shoe hospital.

·      ONLY FLATTERING PIECES: Make sure to get rid of anything that is not flattering.  So often I see my clients hang on to items because they paid a lot for it or their mother in law gave it to them, etc.  I don’t care what the reason is, why would you want to keep something that doesn’t make you look like the best version of yourself?  Pro Tip: Watch out for pants…try them on if you need to.

·      WHAT’S HIDING IN THE CLOSET? Pull out all the extra items that have been tucked away in the corners, under your shirts, up top, etc.  It’s like a treasure hunt in the closet J   I’m guilty of this too!!!

·      SENTIMENTAL PERSON?  No problem, but be sure to find a space outside of your closet to store those family heirlooms.  Your closet should be reserved only for items you wear daily.

·      HOW OFTEN DO I CLEAN OUT? Ideally you should clean out twice year.  I recommend that you do this as the seasons change: January/February to prepare for spring/summer.  August/September to prepare for fall/winter.  At minimum, I recommend once a year.

·      LET’S BE HONEST!!! Cleaning out can be extremely emotional for some of us.  Whatever the reason, I totally get it!!!  If you can’t be honest with yourself, invite an impartial person to help you through this process.  I promise this will help expedite the process and avoid overanalyzing if you should keep the first pair designer jeans you bought 20 years ago. J

·      SHOULD THIS BE A FAMILY HEIRLOOM? As someone that has had the great pleasure in benefitting from family heirlooms for myself and my children, I personally cherish these items!!!  My mom and aunt kept SO much for me and I’ve LOVED being able to wear their clothes and see my children in mine and my brother’s clothes.  However, holding on to clothes for our children can also cause problems.  I would suggest only keeping a few things (maybe one pair of jeans instead of 5) that were truly your favorites to wear.  Be sure to make sure it’s well cleaned before you store it away.  Those stains set in and then it’s useless to keep them if they can’t even wear them.  Also, those well-made expensive items are great pieces to hold onto.  They typically will hold up for another generation to enjoy.

·      IS IT A 9 OR 10?  I have the most darling client that always ask me if something is a 9 or a 10.  She asks me this when we are shopping for new clothes and also when we are cleaning out.  The idea is that we only want to have the crème of the crop items in her closet.  These pieces are the ones that make her feel like the BEST version of herself.  There is no room for mediocre clothes!  I have found that when you assign a number to it makes it easier to let things go.  I’ve started adopting this method for myself and find it very effective!

 

HAPPY HAPPY Cleaning Friends!!!

 

With LOVE and grace,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Elias