January is the month to clean out those closets. There are four full weeks in January, divide your number of closets between them. Then one at a time attack closet after closet. But how do you really clean out a closet?
1. Empty it out. Really, completely...empty.
2. Remove all fixtures that are not attached.
3. Patch any holes, dents or cracks with spackle. This may sound scary but it is actually quite simple, like frosting a cake but easier.
4. Touch up paint as needed. Or repaint all together.....
TIP - a white closet is best.
TIP - a white closet is best.
5. Wipe down the shelves, ledges and any dust collecting surfaces.
6. Look over the items that came out of the closet, think about what the main purpose of the closet is and decide what should go where.
7. As you put things back think about if you really use or need that item. If doing a clothes closet, do you really wear that jacket, will that ever really be in style again, do you really think you will get that two year old stain out? If doing a storage closet, is it worth the space to store that five gallon jug of cleaner that has two ounces left in it, why do you need eight sets of sheets for each bed in your home?
8. Add hooks, shelves, totes or other organization tools that make sense for the items you are keeping in that closet.
9. Address what's left. Of the items that didn't make the cut to go back in the coveted closet space, what can be donated, recycled, stored elsewhere, sold or trashed.
10. Sit back with a glass of your favorite beverage and imagine if you could live in that wonderful little orderly space. Enjoy the bliss and remember that by the end of 2012, your entire home with give you that same little joy.
